Quality and experience for Derthona: the new guard is Demonte Harper
Demon Harper is black and white: the Club has reached an agreement with the player born in 1989 who will wear the Bertram Derthona vest next season.
“We are happy to welcome Demonte into our project – the President's comment Marco Picchi -. The negotiation was very quick because it was the result of a mutual will that makes us very confident. We were looking for an experienced and high-quality player who reflected the technical and tactical characteristics necessary to fit into the group. For all these aspects, Harper is a very first choice”.
CAREER – Born in Nashville (Tennessee) on June 21, 1989, Harper took his first steps at Nashville Whites Creek High School before moving, in 2007, to Morehead State Eagles University where he completed his four-year collegiate period. In the NCAA his offensive production progressively grew, going from 5 points on average in his first year to over 15 in his last year. Demonte, in his university career, obtained several individual awards: in 2009 he was included in the OVC All-Tournament Team, while in 2011 he was included in the All-OVC First Team and in the OVC All-Tournament Team as well as winning the OVC Tournament award MVP.
His European experience began in 2011/12 at Cibona Zagreb, with which he played both the ABA Liga and the EuroCup. After finishing the year in Croatia, he returns to the USA, where he takes the field wearing the Denver Nuggets jersey in the Las Vegas Summer League. He was then signed by the Erie BayHawks (D-League), a franchise affiliated to the New York Knicks, with whom he scored 9 points per game.
He returned to Europe in 2013/14, signing for Tsmoki-Minsk in Belarus with whom he won the championship and the national cup and with whom he participated in the VTB United League and the Eurochallenge. His performances earned him a call from the then Enel Brindisi, where he acted as the sixth man of the team that reached the quarter-finals in both Serie A and the Eurochallenge.
The following year he moved to Poland, to Czarni Slupsk; he then begins 2016/17 with the Kalev / Cramo vest in Estonia, with which he takes the field both in the national championship and in the VTB League. His 15 average points across all competitions earned him a call from the ambitious Zenit St. Petersburg in March 2017, with whom he also played in 2017/18 in both the VTB and the EuroCup.
Demonte began the following season in Turkey, at Tofas Bursa, before moving to Avellino, for his second Italian experience, in January 2019. Here he played with Ariel Filloy, who he now finds again at Bertram Derthona. The team finishes the regular season in eighth place in the standings, being eliminated by AX Armani Exchange Milano in the playoff quarter-finals. From 2019 to 2021 Harper was in Spain, at Herbalife Gran Canaria, contributing, with almost 13 points per game, to reaching the ACB playoffs and the EuroCup semi-finals in 2020/21.
In 2021/22 the guard moved to France, to CSP Limoges: thanks to his 15.7 points average in Jeep Elite Pro A, the team reached the playoffs, which ended in the quarter-finals. Now Harper arrives at Bertram Derthona to start a new Italian chapter of his career.
The words of coach Marco Ramondino: “Demonte is a player of great experience and versatility who has played in different contexts and positions. We are convinced that he can have an impact on both sides of the pitch by bringing his attitude to the defense as well.".
