LeMoyne-Owen student-athlete Deyquan Nesbit overcame the odds to become 142nd graduating class valedictorian

MEMPHIS, Tennessee -- The valedictorian for LeMoyne-Owen College's 142nd graduating class is a young man who has overcome challenges on and off the court. Deyquan Nesbit is not only this year's MVP of LeMoyne-Owen College's men's basketball team, but also the top student on campus with a 3.93 grade point average. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Finance on May 12, 2012.


Deyquan Nesbit
Hometown: Harlem, New York
2012 Valedictorian (142nd Class)
LeMoyne-Owen College

Nesbitt joined the LeMoyne-Owen College Magicians in 2010 after transferring from Monroe Community College in Louisiana. Originally a shooting guard, at 5' 10”, he was a bit small for the position in LeMoyne-Owen's Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). An assistant coach at the time, Antonio Burks convinced Magician's Coach William Anderson to take on Nesbitt at the point guard position. Burks took him under his wing and helped him make a smooth transition from a sharp shooter to a floor general.

This year Nesbitt finished the season with the following stats per game:
• Points: 5.6
• Assists: 5.7
• Steals: 2.8
• Rebounds: 2.4
• Minutes played: 23 minutes No injuries

Nesbit was born and raised in Harlem, New York. He developed a passion for basketball in his teens. He began his collegiate basketball career at Hostos Community College in Bronx, New York and transferred to Monroe Community College before arriving at LeMoyne-Owen College.

Nesbit not only has been the Magicians' team captain for the past two years, but also was selected as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Academic Team for 2010/2011 and 2011/2012.

LeMoyne-Owen's student athletes are required to participate in community service as an important part of their education. Nesbitt's service has included speaking to student athletes at Manassas High School and participating in the campus clean up event for the past two years. He also served as a skills development instructor for potential student athletes this past spring.

Coach William Anderson lauds Nesbitt for being so coachable. “His leadership abilities on and off the court begins with his supreme work ethic. He goes hard in every practice and works on his game in his free time. He truly leads by example. He is the epitome of coachable. Early on in this season, we realized the key to our success was going to be the point position and DeyQuan. He rose to the challenge which is why we voted him MVP.”

COURTESY LEMOYNE-OWEN COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION