STOCKTON — The gravity finally hit Dell Demps when he was introduced to speak before an audience of family and admirers.
As he thanked those who have helped him over the years: his wife, Anita; his son, Jordan; his coach, Bob Thomason; and Bob Thomason Sr., who taught him how to shoot; and Rick Paulsen, a former Pacific student-athlete, who introduced him to the world of business, the emotions caught up to him.
“I’m really excited,” said Demps, a standout guard for University of the Pacific from 1988-1992, who’s in his ninth season as the senior vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the New Orleans Pelicans.