Devean George ’99 was the first NCAA Division III player ever selected in the first round of the NBA Draft—and he played professionally for more than a decade. Now retired from basketball, he’s gone back to his roots to help revitalize the Minneapolis neighborhood where he grew up.

November 3, 1999. The Los Angeles Lakers are debuting in their brand new home, the Staples Center, with an unveiling ceremony followed by a game against the Vancouver Grizzlies. A crowd of 20,000 fans is packed inside, waiting for NBA stars Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O’Neal to make opening remarks.

But instead, the Lakers players decide to encourage their newest rookie to address the crowd. The lights go down, and all becomes still. In less than 30 seconds, it’s go time.

“No, guys, don’t make me do this! I don’t know what to do,” whispers a 22-year-old George. But his pleas were met with laughter.

“I just remember shaking in my boots. There are tens of thousands of people here, and I’m going to be out at center court—all eyes on me,” recalls George. “So I get out there, and it just clicked. It was easy.”

George credits his education in communication studies from Augsburg for helping to prepare him for that life-changing moment, as well as all of his public speaking engagements from that point forward.

“As an NBA player, you have a camera with that big, red light in front of your face every day,” George said. “You have to know how to conduct yourself and communicate effectively. And all those communication classes I took at Augsburg come into play.”

From 10,000 lakes to the Los Angeles Lakers

After high school, George enrolled at Augsburg assuming he would play basketball for the Auggies, earn a degree, and find a job in business. But his “hoop dreams” became a reality pretty early on in his Augsburg career.

“When I recruited Devean, he was about 6’2″ and 170 pounds,” said former Augsburg basketball coach Brian Ammann ’85. “Fortunately for Devean, he grew about five inches and put on 50 pounds by his sophomore year. And his hard work paid off in big ways.”

George was the first NCAA Division III player ever selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. He was the 23rd overall pick in 1999, chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers—one of the most storied franchises in NBA history.

George is now retired from the NBA after playing 11 seasons and becoming only the seventh player in history to win a league championship in each of his first three seasons. He has since found a successful career in real estate development and a passion for giving back.

Building a firm foundation

George was raised by devoted, hardworking parents in the Willard-Hay neighborhood of north Minneapolis and still calls the Twin Cities home — a place he loves for its friendly people and four seasons. His current work focuses on helping to improve his childhood community.

After George joined the NBA, he started volunteering his time in schools and after-school programs. He noticed many of the children he visited didn’t have stable housing, which significantly affected their security and education.

“That’s when I decided helping kids and families would be the foundation of what I do,” said George, who has two young sons. He founded Building Blocks, a nonprofit organization committed to providing quality housing, community development, and programming for youth and families.

“If you don’t have stable housing, you’re not going to care about schooling, safety, or eating healthy. If we get those families into stable housing, then they can focus on those other things,” George said.

A slam dunk

George’s first affordable housing project opened this spring—The Commons at Penn in north Minneapolis, an income-restricted, 47-unit workforce apartment building that also includes an on-site health and wellness facility, an after-school program, a fitness center, a toddler playground, and a grocery store.

Long-term, George would like to help create a more family-friendly community in north Minneapolis—a community that provides greater amenities for its residents. So far, The Commons at Penn has been a successful addition to the neighborhood.

“[The] Commons at Penn achieves multiple city goals: creating new, high-quality, affordable housing options [and] increased residential density along a key commercial and transit corridor, and bringing in commercial activity and services,” said Andrea Brennan, director of Housing Policy and Development for the City of Minneapolis. “This project sets us on a promising course to continue development at this important north Minneapolis node.”

George is planning phase two of The Commons at Penn, which will go up right across the street from the existing mixed-use building. He also is developing housing complexes in South Carolina and Louisiana, and has been contacted by fellow professional athletes who would like to see a change in the neighborhoods where they were raised.

Investing in our future

In addition to literally helping build a solid foundation for families through stable housing, George also helps build a strong foundation for young people through mentorship programs like Read to Achieve.

“The kids think that [NBA players] are not human beings because we know how to play basketball,” said George. “If I can tell a kid to go to school and not to do drugs, and just because I can play basketball he’ll listen to me, I’m going to try to use that to my advantage.”

George is also busy instilling the values of compassion and service in his own two sons, ages 7 and 4. For starters, they learn to share by donating their toys to kids who otherwise wouldn’t have any.

“They’re still young, but I started teaching my boys early on a way of giving and understanding. I explain to them that this [lifestyle] isn’t normal; they’re in a blessed situation,” George said. “I’ve been able to achieve a lot of things. But I know I’ve had a lot of help along the way.”

Augsburg College students to conduct summer research at Mayo, Baylor, and beyond

Augsburg College students have been accepted to off-campus summer research programs at institutions throughout the United States. Auggies will be studying at places that range from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. of off-campus research opportunities in an A-mail post by Kirsten O’Brien, Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity program associate.

Auggie pursue advanced degrees at institutions across U.S.

Graduating Augsburg College students and recent alumni have been accepted to a diverse array of graduate programs throughout the United States and that represent a wide range of fields. Congratulations to the individuals who will pursue an advanced degree in the coming months and to the faculty and staff who have supported these students in their undergraduate academic careers.

An lists the professional health programs that Auggies will attend in the next year, and an  names the master’s and doctoral programs that have accepted Auggies in a variety of other disciplines.

Division III athletics is the sweet spot for student-athletes—they compete on teams and nurture deep, meaningful relationships with their coaches and peers, and at the same time have the freedom and time to explore other activities and passions while having a strong focus on academics. These reasons, among others—the competition, camaraderie, discipline, and love of the game—are why more than 500 Augsburg students participate in varsity and intramural sports every year.

The welcoming and supportive Augsburg College has had a profound impact on many student-athletes, which in return has sparked a desire in many former players to give back to youth as leaders, mentors, and friends. Here is a glimpse into the lasting influence of Auggie athletics on alumni through the decades.

[Top Image]: Whitney Restemayer ’10 is the first woman in the state of Minnesota to coach a team to a hockey state title, the 2015 Minnesota State High School Girls’ Hockey Tournament Class A Championship.

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Van Hong ’11

Enterprise risk analytics consultant at Deloitte & Touche LLP in Minneapolis; youth soccer coach at Park Valley United and co-founder of Spam F.C. College Scholarship Foundation in St. Louis Park, Minnesota

I’ve always enjoyed working with kids, teaching the game, and mentoring players off the field. Being a student-athlete at Augsburg taught me many valuable lessons and allowed me to strengthen my leadership skills. Many people from my athletic upbringing have influenced the way I teach young men about soccer and life. I must admit, Auggie soccer coaches , , and Nate Hitch had a profound influence on me during college.

The most gratifying thing about coaching is seeing my boys grow into young men and become contributing members of the community. I was a kid who was influenced in so many positive ways by several people in my athletic path. For me to have the opportunity to give back a fraction of my time is the most gratifying thing in the world.

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Sue (Meier) Ziegler ’80

Physical education and health and wellness teacher and head volleyball and track coach at Lincoln Lutheran Middle/Senior High School in Lincoln, Nebraska

I was involved with basketball and track as an Auggie. I would credit the whole Augsburg Health–Physical Education Department and coaches for supporting me—people like longtime athletic director and men’s basketball coach were always looking out for athletes’ best interests. I believe I received a quality education in a Christian environment, and feel blessed to be in a similar situation now. I hope I have had an impact on helping shape young people’s lives through education and athletics, too.

Students teach me life lessons every day. The impact that they have had on my life has been invaluable—on relationships, commitment, and learning. I love seeing where my former students and athletes go on in the next step of their lives—from college  to starting their families to excelling in their careers.

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Whitney Restemayer ’10

Physical education teacher at Challenger Elementary School and assistant girls’ softball coach and head girls’ hockey coach at Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls, Minnesota

Everything I got from sports as a player—the love of the game, the friendships, the teamwork, the cohesion—sparked a desire in me to coach. I started playing sports at a young age and experienced coaches who I really clicked with, and I knew that I wanted to be able to give back to athletes in the same way. I had a great experience at Augsburg. Playing two sports, being a health and physical education major, and working within the Athletics Department allowed me to meet many people who had a great influence on my life.

I have been very lucky to achieve a lot of success in my short coaching career. Being able to be a part of something so great on ice allowed me to also be a part of something great off the ice. The relationships that I have developed with many of the girls I have coached is second to none.

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Jamell Tidwell ’05

Assistant administrator, athletic director, and middle school football and track coach at Valley Middle School of STEM, and high school wrestling coach at Apple Valley High School in Apple Valley, Minnesota

I feel like God put athletics in my life to keep me out of trouble so that I could get to where I am today. If I didn’t have wrestling in my life, there’s no way I’d currently be working toward my doctorate. I didn’t have a dad growing up, so when I was a student-athlete at Augsburg, Auggie wrestling coaches Jeff Swenson ’79, Sam Barber, and took me under their wings and taught me how to be a student, how to be an athlete, how to be a man, and how to be successful.

I hope that by being a coach, I can show kids that, through athletics and working hard in school, you can achieve anything. I always tell my players, you have to be a student first and an athlete second.