Men’s Basketball Holds Team IMPACT Draft Day
WESTON, Mass. – The Regis College men's basketball team welcomed Demetri Santiago, a Framingham native, to the team during a Draft Day ceremony co-sponsored by Team IMPACT this past Saturday.
Demetri sat beside his mother Stacey and Coach Nate Hager during the ceremony, with the entire men's basketball team in attendance for the event, celebrating the signing and Demetri's birthday.
Hager, who has been the head coach of the Pride men's basketball team since it began competition, said Demetri "is high class, and is someone that is really going to add to our team's culture." Dimitri Rosa (Tiverton, R.I.) and Josh Germain (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) both discussed the enthusiasm and energy that Demetri will bring to the team, while Gibou Njie (Miramar, Fla.) talked about the expectations for the team with the addition.
Demetri then signed a Team Impact Letter of Intent, joining the men's basketball program for the next two years. Coach Hager also presented Demetri with a jersey, followed by a rendition of "Happy Birthday" by the Pride men's basketball team.
Through Team IMPACT's program at Division III Regis College, Demetri will become an official member of the men's basketball team, attending Pride practices, games, and other events.
Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston, Mass., that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes. Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 1,800 children with more than 600 colleges and universities in 48 states, reaching over 55,000 participating student-athletes. The child joins the athletic team and the student-athletes join the child's support team. Throughout the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie, and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency, and perspective they can't learn in a classroom.