Saint Joseph’s star DeAndre Bembry started in Charlotte

DeAndre Bembry is a Southern kid who’s making it big up North.

Bembry, a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward at Saint Joseph’s who grew up in Charlotte, entered Saturday’s game against Davidson as the Atlantic 10’s second-leading scorer and was the league’s co-rookie of the year last season.

On Saturday, Bembry scored 21 points, pulled down 17 rebounds and had four assists, leading the Hawks to a 75-70 victory against the Wildcats in the warm confines of Hagan Arena. Outside, the weather was clear, but the temperature was in the mid-teens, with a wind chill factor of about 8 degrees.

“I really like it up here,” Bembry said. “Well, other than the weather, which I’m still not adjusted to.”

Bembry was born in Charlotte and started out in high school at Independence and Rocky River. After his sophomore year, his family moved to New Jersey.

“Of course I was mad,” Bembry said of the move. “But it’s worked out well for all of us. My mom has family in New Jersey.”

Bembry attended the Patrick School in Elizabeth, N.J., for two seasons. After averaging 21.8 points as a senior, he scored 26 points in the Jordan Brand Classic regional game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

That set him up for a strong freshman season at Saint Joseph’s, where he averaged 12.1 points and 4.5 rebounds and shared the league’s top rookie honor with Rhode Island’s E.C. Matthews.

This season, Bembry averages 17.6 points and 6.5 rebounds. He caused real problems for Davidson on Saturday, scoring 13 of his 21 points in the second half.

Bembry is glad Davidson’s in the Atlantic 10 now.

“That means I can play down in North Carolina next season,” he said.

This story was originally published January 31, 2015 at 5:55 PM with the headline "Saint Joseph’s star DeAndre Bembry started in Charlotte."