Corey Williams
July 23, 2020
Eric Devendorf
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 21/04/87
- Place of Birth: Bay City, Michigan (US)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 193
- Weight (KG): 82
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: Syracuse (2005–2009)
- NBL DEBUT: 15/10/10
- AGE AT DEBUT: 23
- LAST NBL GAME: 26/01/11
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 23
- NBL History: Melbourne 2011
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Eric Devendorf was born in Bay City, Michigan (US).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Eric Devendorf made his NBL debut with the Melbourne Tigers at 23 years of age. He scored 10 points in his first game.
The 2010/11 season saw the Tigers finish with their worst record since 1987. This marked the first time Melbourne took the court without Andrew Gaze or Chris Anstey on the roster, signalling a full-scale rebuild for the proud franchise.
The team had undergone a significant roster overhaul following the exits of Julius Hodge, Mark Worthington (to Gold Coast), Luke Kendall (to Gold Coast), Daniel Johnson (to Adelaide), and the retirements of Anstey and Sam MacKinnon. Head coach Al Westover looked to reboot the team’s backcourt by signing scoring import Eric Devendorf and point guard TJ Campbell, while also building an oversized frontcourt with Luke Nevill, Cameron Tragardh, Wade Helliwell, and Matt Burston. However, the roster’s lack of balance and cohesion quickly became apparent.
Melbourne opened the season with an 84–68 home loss to Sydney and failed to register a win until over a month later, finally beating the Gold Coast Blaze 85–82. Campbell (11.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 5 games) was released following the 0–4 start, and Westover brought in reigning league MVP Corey Williams (17.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.1 assists) to try and stabilise the offence. Devendorf (14.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 18 games) had already emerged as a reliable scorer, but even his firepower couldn’t rescue the struggling side.
Devendorf had drawn attention across the NBL landscape after leading the Wellington Saints to the 2010 NZNBL title and was signed by Melbourne in May 2010. His scoring instincts were on display early, forming a potent backcourt pairing with Williams. Still, internal frustrations mounted as Melbourne continued to flounder. The low point came when Tigers owner Seamus McPeake famously stormed the locker room and threatened to withhold salaries due to poor performance.
Over the next stretch, Melbourne managed just six wins in 14 games. In a cost-cutting move, Devendorf was released on February 2, 2011. Shortly thereafter, Westover was also dismissed and replaced by assistant coach Darryl McDonald for the remainder of the season.
With the team in disarray, starting center Luke Nevill (12.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks) requested a release to join BC Triumph Lyubertsy in Russia. Cameron Tragardh (11.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 22 games) picked up the slack inside, becoming a consistent contributor in the paint during the back half of the season.
Melbourne clawed back with wins over lower-ranked opponents like Sydney, Adelaide, and Gold Coast, but ultimately finished seventh on the ladder with a 10–18 record. It was the most losses in a single season by any Tigers team since 1987 and closed the book on a turbulent season that began with high hopes for Devendorf but ended in franchise upheaval.
Eric Devendorf played one season in the NBL. He averaged 14.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 18 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 24 | Melbourne | 10-18 (7) | 18 | 544.0 | 262 | 48 | 32 | 6 | 42 | 13 | 8 | 43 | 45 | 102 | 238 | 43% | 25 | 61 | 41% | 33 | 44 | 75% | 51% | 48% | 23 | Totals | 18 | 544 | 262 | 48 | 32 | 6 | 42 | 13 | 8 | 43 | 45 | 102 | 238 | 42.9% | 25 | 61 | 41.0% | 33 | 44 | 75.0% | 51% | 48% | 23 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 24 | Melbourne | 10-18 (7) | 18 | 30.2 | 14.6 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 5.7 | 13.2 | 43% | 1.4 | 3.4 | 41% | 1.8 | 2.4 | 75% | 51% | 48% | 23 | Total | 18 | 30.2 | 14.6 | 2.7 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 5.7 | 13.2 | 42.9% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 41.0% | 1.4 | 3.4 | 75.0% | 51% | 48% | 23 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 23 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
|---|
NBA EXPERIENCE
Devendorf went undrafted in the 2009 NBA draft. On December 26, 2009, he was acquired by the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League. He made his debut the same day, scoring just 2 points in 14 minutes of action, as the Bighorns defeated the Tulsa 66ers 102–87. On January 4, 2010, he was waived by the Bighorns.
While playing in New Zealand in 2010 Devendorf was scouted by the Phoenix Suns.
In 2011, during his NBL season with the Cairns Taipans he was scouted by by Houston Rockets scout David Patrick.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- New Zealand - Waikato Pistons (2010), Wellington Saints (2010), Super City Rangers (2014), Wellington Saints Invitational (2015), Super City Rangers (2016) | Turkey - Torku Selçuk Üniversitesi (2011) | Ukraine - Dnipro-Azot (2012–2013) | Israel - Hapoel Afula (2013) | Greece - Ilysiakos (2014) | Italy - Proger BLS Chieti (2014) | Venezuela - Gaiteros del Zulia (2015)
After being released from his NBA D-League team in February 2010, Devendorf joined Waikato Pistons for the 2010 New Zealand NBL season, playing in New Zealand after his February 2010 release and scoring 49 points in the season opener.
Devendorf was released by Waikato Pistons on April 12, 2010 following a bar conflict involving Hawke’s Bay Hawks imports Josh Pace and Jamil Terrell, then signed with Wellington Saints the next day for the rest of the 2010 New Zealand NBL season.
Devendorf won the 2010 New Zealand NBL championship with Wellington Saints, earned All-Star Five selection, and finished as the league scoring champion with 25.6 points per game.
Devendorf joined Torku Selçuk Üniversitesi for the rest of the 2010–11 Turkish season after his February 2011 release, scoring 22 points in his first game and adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
Devendorf joined Dnipro-Azot for the 2012–13 Ukrainian SuperLeague season, averaging 11.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists across 39 games.
Devendorf joined Hapoel Afula for the 2013–14 Israeli season in August 2013, averaging 20.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals across six games before leaving the club.
Devendorf joined Ilysiakos for the 2013–14 Greek Basket League season on February 24, 2014, playing two games and averaging 8.5 points and 1.0 rebound.
Devendorf joined Super City Rangers for the 2014 New Zealand NBL season, then was released on April 25, 2014 due to a back injury and replaced by Jason Cadee after averaging 20.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals across five games.
Devendorf joined Proger BLS Chieti for the 2014–15 Serie A2 Silver season in August 2014, but the contract was voided after he failed medical tests before appearing in a game.
Devendorf joined Gaiteros del Zulia for the 2015 Venezuelan League season in January 2015, but was released the following month before appearing in any games for them.
Devendorf joined the Wellington Saints Invitational team on August 24, 2015 before the 2015 William Jones Cup in Taiwan, recording 21 points and 5 rebounds in a 102–85 win over Chinese Taipei B on August 29.
Devendorf joined Super City Rangers for the 2016 New Zealand NBL season on February 16, 2016, averaging 25.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists across 18 games while finishing as the league scoring champion at 25.8 points per game.
Devendorf and Super City Rangers reached the 2016 New Zealand NBL Grand Final, where Wellington Saints defeated Super City Rangers 94–82.
COLLEGE
Eric Devendorf played his entire NCAA career at Syracuse from 2005–2009, appearing in 116 games and scoring 1,680 points, which ranks 14th on the program’s all-time scoring list.
As a freshman in 2005–06, Devendorf was named to the Big East All-Rookie team after averaging 12.1 points and 2.3 assists per game, and across 35 games he averaged 12.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 27.1 minutes while shooting 44.5% from the field, 37.6% from three, and 82.1% at the line.
Devendorf joined the starting lineup six games into his freshman season, and he hit a key layup against Georgetown in the Big East Tournament to send Syracuse to the Big East Championship.
In 2006–07, Devendorf was named MVP of the BCA Invitational after averaging 16.0 points a game during the three contests, and he finished his sophomore season averaging 14.8 points and 4.1 assist while earning Honorable Mention All-Big East recognition, with standout scoring games that included 20 points vs Marquette, 23 vs St. John’s, 27 vs DePaul, and 33 vs Villanova before setting a career high with 34 points against South Alabama in the National Invitation Tournament.
In 2007–08, Devendorf was leading Syracuse in scoring 10 games into his junior season averaging 17.0 points and 3.9 assists per game, but he was sidelined the rest of the season after tearing his ACL against East Tennessee State, and he was granted a hardship waiver after missing 25 games, which meant that for the 2008/09 season, although classified as a senior academically, he would remain a junior in athletic eligibility.
Devendorf returned in 2008–09 with a 14-point effort against Le Moyne and 22 points against Oakland, and he went on to average 15.7 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 rebounds across 36 games while shooting 44.4% from the field and 39.0% from three, but on December 11, 2008, he was suspended indefinitely, pending appeal, from Syracuse University after a university judicial board hearing stemming from an incident involving Devendorf and a female student, with the suspension later reduced on appeal and Devendorf returning after missing two games.
Across his Syracuse career (2005–2009), Devendorf averaged 14.5 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game while shooting 43.6% from the field, 37.8% from three-point range, and 79.5% on free throws, and he also earned 2009 Big East All-Tournament recognition before declaring in April 2009 for the NBA draft with one year of NCAA eligibility remaining, foregoing his senior season.
AWARDS
- McDonald's All-American (2005)
LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL
In October 2016, Devendorf was named the assistant strength coach for Syracuse's men's basketball team, returning to his college program that he left in 2009 and effectively ending his seven-year professional playing career.In September 2018, Devendorf accepted a job at the University of Detroit Mercy to work on the staff of the school's first-year coach Mike Davis, joining as a special assistant to the head coach.
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