Demary's Warrior Spirit: UConn vs Duke

0:00Yukon guard Silas de Mary Jr. is suiting up for the East region final against Topseated Duke, even though he's battling a great two-high ankle. Spraying and calf injury from the Big East Championship on March 14th, the 6-foot-4 Jr. from Raleigh has averaged 10.4 points and 6.1 assists this season, hitting 40% from 3. He missed the Huskies opener against Ferman, but returned eight days later to help crush UCLA, then logged 23 minutes in the win over. Michigan State, meanwhile, Duke's Caleb Foster just came back from foot surgery himself, dropping 11 points in 18 minutes during their comeback against St. John's. DeMary knows Foster from AAU Ball and calls him a warrior, saying there's no way he'd sit out again this big. Both guys are pushing through pain with a final four spot on the line, Sunday. Coach Dan Hurley is raving about DeMary, calling him a remarkable gamer, who hasn't taken a live practice rep since the injury, but still impacts both.

1:02And as the defender and shooter, DeMary transferred to Yukon after two years at Georgia, feeling right at home with Hurley's tough coaching that pushed him to grow, DeMary's North Carolina roots at extra fire. He grew up around Duke, NC State and UNC, played with Duke's Isaiah Evans last summer and sees this. Watch up as a dream. He was overlooked in high school as a late bloomer, but used the doubt as fuel. Now DeMary's locked in to defend guys like Evans, get in their face and help Yukon advance, proving once again why warriors like him define March. Madness. This has been Durham News Today, powered by AI.