Silas Demary Jr. is spending part of his final summer weekend in Connecticut doing what his family has always believed in: being a blessing to somebody else.
On Aug. 22, the UConn guard will host a Back to School Bash at the Mark Twain House in Hartford, where young students will receive backpacks and school supplies, and local families will also be offered free haircuts and lunches. It’s the second straight year Demary has put together a giveaway like this. Last year, he held a back-to-school drive in Raleigh, N.C., his hometown, and he’ll do it again on Aug. 15 at the Southeast Raleigh YMCA.
This year’s Connecticut event came together after Demary and his family floated the idea about a month and a half ago. At first, it sounded like the kind of project that might have to wait.
“Maybe if we can't do it this year, we'll do it next year,” his mother, Shante, suggested.
“No,” Silas responded. “Let's challenge ourselves.”
So while most of Demary’s UConn teammates will be home enjoying one last weekend before the school and basketball grind begins, he’ll be at the Mark Twain House helping out in the community that has embraced him.
“It’s really a family-feel day,” Shante Demary said, “to actually serve those who are underprivileged, less fortunate.”
Silas won’t be doing it alone. His parents are involved, along with his two sisters: Sierra, his twin who also attends UConn, and Samara, who was accepted to Harvard to work on her second master's degree in finance.
The event also has the backing of what the Demarys have come to call another family.
“We are so grateful for the UConn faithful,” Silas Sr. said. “We can't state enough how enthusiastic they are.”
Fans and locals were asked to donate money for backpacks, school supplies and food trucks, and by Tuesday night more than $1,250 had been raised through Venmo, PayPal and other methods. Supplies are also being collected at several drop-off locations: The Mark Twain House on 351 Farmington Ave. in Hartford, Monaco Ford Showroom on 767 New London Turnpike in Glastonbury, Hartford Federal Credit Union on 964 Asylum Avenue in Hartford, and the Hartford Public Library at 500 Main St. and 1250 Albany Ave.
Mark Twain House curator Mallory Howard has opened the property for the event, while UConn fan and social media “press secretary” Marie LeBrun, who met the Demary family at a road game last season, is co-chairing the effort and helping spread the word. Miguel Delvalle, owner of Wise Guys Scissors Society barber shop in Hartford, is donating his time, along with several other local barbers.
“The thing that warms me the most, we came right in and felt a part of it immediately," Shante noted. "This UConn family, when they say the bleed blue ... they bleed blue! To do this for the community that he just entered, we're super-excited about spreading love to a community that has given us so much joy in our life.”
Demary has already given UConn plenty of that joy on the court. After transferring to Storrs from Georgia, where he spent two seasons, the 6-foot-4 point guard was a First Team All-Big East pick last season.
He averaged 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, shot 38.5 percent from 3-point range - including 47.3 percent in Big East play - and also earned All-Defensive Team honors. He led the Big East with 5.9 assists per game.
His season, and UConn’s run, were slowed by an ankle injury in the Big East Tournament championship game loss to St. John’s.
Demary missed the Huskies’ opening-round NCAA Tournament win over Furman, then played through the pain in wins over UCLA, Michigan State, Duke and Illinois. His deflection of Cayden Boozer’s pass late in the Elite Eight against Duke helped set up Braylon Mullins’ 35-foot Boozer-beater.
UConn’s title-game loss to Michigan ended the run, but Demary’s toughness left a mark.
According to Silas Sr., he is now about “90-95 percent” back from that injury and is focused on helping UConn get back to the Final Four and finish the job. He’s expected to be in the mix for Big East Preseason Player of the Year and should be a strong All-American candidate. Mullins’ shot may be the flashiest image from last season, but Demary remains the biggest key to the Huskies’ chances.
“He's definitely getting better at decision-making with the team, to get them back to where they were,” Silas Sr. reported. “He's looking to be a bigger part.
I think we'll get to see a different version of him, as a leader. AK (Alex Karaban) groomed Silas to take this role.”
He’s already showing that leadership away from the floor, too.
In Other News...
UConn Just Got An Early Boost From Toledo Transfers Christian And Sherman
UConns incoming transfer class picked up an early jolt this week, with running back Christian and linebacker KVon Sherman both landing on the 2027 Shriners Childrens East-West Bowl 1000 watch list. The pair arrived from Toledo and are set to make their UConn debuts this fall, giving the Huskies two experienced additions at spots where depth and production matter.
Christian brings a versatile backfield profile after producing for the Rockets, while Sherman comes in with the kind of linebacker rsum that usually gets attention well beyond the spring and summer transfer chatter. The watch list nod adds another layer of intrigue to what UConn is trying to build, and it also sets up a bigger question for the Huskies: how quickly those Toledo transfers can translate their past success into impact in Storrs. [Read more 🡒]
Why UConn Still Looks Built To Rule The Big East
Even after another deep March run, UConn enters the new season with the kind of roster turnover that would knock most programs off course. Alex Karaban, Tarris Reed Jr. and Malachi Smith are gone, but Dan Hurley still has a core that keeps the Huskies looking like the standard in the Big East, with Braylon Mullins, Silas Demary Jr. and Jayden Ross all back to anchor the next wave.
The transfer additions fit the usual UConn profile, too, with Nik Khamenia arriving from Duke and Najai Hines coming over from Seton Hall to help fill immediate needs. The bigger question is how quickly the pieces come together around that returning talent, because the Huskies have spent the last four years living in the national title picture and they do not appear eager to give up that perch anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]