Amherst grad Devonte’ McCall commits to Franklin Pierce basketball

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

@kylegrbwsk

Published: 04-03-2017 11:50 PM

Amherst Regional product Devonte’ McCall approached his postgraduate season with one goal in mind: a college scholarship.

After a year at the Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut, the Belchertown native achieved it. McCall announced Monday on Twitter that he’d accepted a full athletic scholarship to play basketball for Franklin Pierce, a Division II program.

“Been thinking about this day for a few years now. I wanna thank God, my mom and dad and the countless number of family and friends that supported me along the way,” he wrote. “I wanna thank all the other schools that have been recruiting me, and all the schools that didn’t recruit me.”

McCall considered Dominican among a few other schools, he said, but a visit to Franklin Pierce’s campus in Rindge, New Hampshire, sealed the deal.

“It was a family, a place that I wanted to be,” he said. “I felt really wanted there.”

McCall played four years at Amherst before his lone season at Westminster. He helped the Hurricanes to back-to-back Western Massachusetts Division 1 title games and made an impact on the Marlets in his lone season.

McCall averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds, leading Westminster to the NEPSAC Class B playoffs for the first time in 12 years. He was named to the Class B All-New England second team. The level of competition, often playing against Division I-bound athletes, forced McCall to get better.

“All you can do is play ball and go to school,” he said. “That’s all I did. There’s no distractions like at home.”

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McCall refined his game, honing his jump shot and defensive versatility.

“I think I became a true wing,” he said.

He’ll largely play small forward for the Ravens.

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