NAME: Greg DeVries
UNIVERSITY: Alberta
CATEGORY: Student-Athlete
SPORT: Men’s Basketball
YEARS ACTIVE: 1991-1996
HIGHLIGHTS:
CIAU champion in 1994 and 1995
Canada West champion in 1994
Two-time First Team All-Canadian (1995, 1996)
1995 CIAU championship MVP
BIOGRAPHY:
Greg DeVries played five seasons at the University of Alberta, helping the Golden Bears men's basketball team win the first two national championships in program history, topping the nation in 1994 and 1995.
A renowned shooter, DeVries graduated in 1996 as the team’s all-time leading scorer (1,561), a record that would stand for nearly two decades before being broken by Jordan Baker. As of 2019, DeVries was still the Golden Bears’ career leader for three-pointers in Canada West competition, with 178.
DeVries was a two-time First Team All-Canadian (1995 and 1996), made the Canada West First Team three straight seasons (1993-94 through 1995-96), and received the Wilson Challenge Trophy, as the University of Alberta’s most outstanding male athlete of 1994-1995.
The point guard from Nelson, B.C., was MVP of the 1995 CIAU tournament, where the Bears repeated as national champs. Alberta advanced to three straight finals at nationals from 1994 through 1996, with DeVries named a tournament all-star each time.
His medal haul included two gold and one silver from nationals, along with a conference championship in 1994 and two second-place finishes (1995 and 1996) in Canada West.
A dedicated student, DeVries earned Academic All-Canadian honours in 1995 and 1996. After graduating from the U of A, he began a teaching career, along with coaching school basketball. Recently he has been on staff at Abbotsford Senior Secondary School in his native British Columbia.
In 2010, DeVries was inducted into University of Alberta Sports Wall of Fame.