History proves that every team, athletics or not, needs a leader. The strength of that person can determine the success of a team and a season.
When asked about this season and his team, IUS men’s basketball coach, Wiley Brown said, “We’ve got tremendous leaders that love to play the game.”
Dejon Gary, junior guard, was the first player mentioned in the discussion.
Gary, 20, started at point guard in all 33 games last season. He accrued 181 rebounds, 85 steals and led the Grenadiers to a conference championship and a national tournament appearance.
Sophomore guard and one of Gary’s roommates, Jazzmar Fergusson, said he feels Gary stands out because he’ll do things that other players don’t want to do.
“De De [Gary’s nickname] will dive after balls and play multiple positions,” Fergusson said. “He leads by example – he speaks more with his actions than his words.
Junior guard Carlos Mitchell, another of Gary’s roommates, said Gary frequently walks and talks in his sleep.
“He’ll get up and move around while he’s asleep,” Mitchell said. “Sometimes he makes a tent, kind of like a tee-pee [laughs], with his pillows and in the morning he’ll ask us how it got there.”
Gary’s roommates, who call themselves the “houndbros,” because of the way they press in games, find Gary amusing.
“He’s the funniest guy on the planet,” Fergusson said. “He keeps a smile on everybody’s face.”
Brown agrees.
“At practice, in the locker room, in the dorms, wherever, Dejon always has a beautiful smile and is pleasant to be around,” Brown said. “He’s a great leader with a lot of class.”
In the classroom, Gary studies business and hopes to become an accountant if basketball doesn’t lead him elsewhere.
“If I’m not playing ball, I’m usually studying or hanging out with my friends,” Gary said.
In his free time, Gary goes to the mall and attends parties and clubs in Louisville.
Gary is from Indianapolis and attended Decatur Central high, where he was recruited by assistant coach, Antwain
Banks to play at IU Southeast. During his first two years at IU Southeast, Gary lived in apartments off of campus, but he now lives in the lodges with teammates, Mitchell, Fergusson and senior guard, George White.
“I felt uncomfortable my freshman year, you know, adjusting to the area. But it’s [IU Southeast] a completely different place now, with the dorms,” Gary said. “It’s closer – more convenient, but I’m still having trouble getting used to all the rules and having to be quiet.”
During school breaks, Gary visits his mother, Renee, in Toledo, Ohio and his father, Al, in Indianapolis. He also has an older brother, Antwon, and a younger sister, Tyreisha.
On Sundays, Gary will go to his teammate’s houses to eat dinner and watch football. His favorite food is chicken and macaroni and he listens to Nas, Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane and more recently, Young Jeezy.
Gary’s favorite movies are “Radio”, “Remember the Titans” and “Love and Basketball.” His favorite basketball player is Tracy McGrady.
“McGrady’s smooth and I like his attitude,” Gary said. “Oh yeah, and Lebron is better than Kobe because I never liked Kobe.”
When asked about his personal goals for this season, Gary said, “I don’t really care about the stats or any of that. I want to lead my team to the championship.”
By HUNTER EMBRY
Staff Writer
ahembry@ius.edu
