Fennis Dembo facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | January 24, 1966 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
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| High school | Fox Tech (San Antonio, Texas) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Wyoming (1984–1988) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1988 / Round: 2 / Pick: 30th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1988–1998 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | Detroit Pistons | |||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | Rapid City Thrillers | |||||||||||||
| 1991–1992 | Chorale Roanne | |||||||||||||
| 1992–1993 | Rapid City Thrillers | |||||||||||||
| 1994 | Shreveport Crawdads | |||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | SLUC Nancy Basket | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Fennis Marx Dembo (born January 24, 1966) is a former American basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Wyoming. There, he earned many awards and had his jersey number 34 retired. He started his professional career with the Detroit Pistons. With them, he won the NBA championship in 1989.
Fennis also played for the U.S. national team. He won a silver medal at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis.
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College Basketball Journey
Fennis Dembo was not highly recruited by colleges after high school. However, he got a big chance when Jim Brandenburg, the head coach for Wyoming, found him. Coach Brandenburg had coached high school in San Antonio, Texas, where Fennis lived.
Fennis visited Wyoming and saw snow for the first time. He even went on a snowmobile trip! He felt that Wyoming was the right place for him.
At Wyoming, Fennis had a very successful time. He became the top scorer and rebounder in Cowboys history. He scored 2,311 points and grabbed 954 rebounds.
He helped the Cowboys reach the finals of the 1986 National Invitation Tournament. The next year, his team made it to the Sweet Sixteen in the 1987 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. During that 1987 tournament, Fennis was the top scorer, averaging 27.8 points per game.
Fennis Dembo even appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. He was dressed as a cowboy. He was the first basketball player from the University of Wyoming to be on the SI cover. In 1993, he was added to the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame. His jersey number 34 was retired in 2019.
Professional Basketball Career
The Detroit Pistons picked Fennis Dembo in the 1988 NBA draft. He was the 30th player chosen overall. He played for the Pistons during the 1988–89 season. He averaged 1.2 points and 0.7 rebounds in 31 games.
After his time in the NBA, Fennis played basketball for several years. He played in Europe, South America, and the CBA. He stopped playing professionally in 1998.
Life After Basketball
After retiring from basketball, Fennis Dembo worked in different jobs. He lived in San Antonio with his mother for a while. He found a job working for the San Antonio Water District.
In 2003, Fennis faced a difficult personal event at his home. He was deeply affected by it. He sought help and time to recover from the experience. His job at the Water District made him interested in engineering. He started taking college courses in engineering when he could. In 2009, he enrolled full-time at St. Philip's College. He also attended the University of Texas at San Antonio.
About His Name
Fennis Dembo has a unique first name. His older sister, Zona, suggested it. Fennis and his twin sister, Fenise, were the 11th and 12th children in their family. Zona wanted them to be the last children. So, she suggested names based on finis, which is French for "finish."
Awards and Special Recognitions
- First Team All-Western Athletic Conference (1986, 1987, 1988)
- Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year (1987)
- NCAA basketball tournament record (Best Free Throw Percentage in One Game – 100%)
- Inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993
See also
In Spanish: Fennis Dembo para niños
