May 27, 2007 By Rob Burchianti 5 min read

Demniak on target in hoops and classroom Marquis Demniak offers no magic potion when it comes to explaining how she evolved into one of the area’s best outside shooters in basketball.

“I started playing when I was in third grade,” the 17-year-old Demniak said. “I sort of taught myself in the beginning. It seemed like I was always a good shooter, and I got better as I got older.

“My dad always pushed me to do better. He and a couple of my coaches showed me how to hold and shoot the basketball when I was young. Then it was just practice, practice, practice.”

Demniak, one of the WPIAL’s top 3-point shooters, led the Lady Colonials in scoring the past two seasons and was voted to the FCCA All-County team both years.

The sharp-shooting guard ranks high in academics, too. Her 3.80 grade point average puts her at No. 22 in her class of 295.

Demniak, the daughter of Mark and Cindy Demniak of Leckrone, was selected as the top female student/athlete at Albert Gallatin Senior High School and will receive a $500 scholarship through the Fayette County Student/Athlete Scholarship Program.

The program, sponsored by Davis and Davis Attorneys at Law in conjunction with the Herald-Standard, will provide $7,000 in scholarship money to 14 of Fayette County’s best and brightest student/athletes. A banquet will culminate the program on Sunday, June 3, at the Historic Summit Inn.

At that time, each of 14 honorees will receive $500 toward a college education. HSTV will videotape the program.

Demniak is on target in basketball and in the classroom. She is a member of the National Honor Society, FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), Young Astronauts, Who’ Who Among American High School Students, and the Bleacher Creatures. She is president of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and was president of her class as a freshman, sophomore and junior. She also earned the Health and Fitness Award.

Demniak didn’t need to be prodded to stay up with her studies. “My parents really didn’t have to push me,” she said. “I study on my own. I don’t like to fail. I always try to do my best. I’ve always known there’s a time for sports and a time for academics.”

Demniak was always a success in basketball and talented beyond her years.

“When I was in seventh grade I got moved up to the eighth grade basketball team at Albert Gallatin North, and started there,” Demniak said. “I felt like I was good enough to play with the older girls, and when I got there I proved that to myself”

Demniak commended some of her junior high coaches.

“Lud Kopec did a good job of teaching me fundamentals, and Paul Jones taught me everything about basketball,” Demniak said. “(Jones) followed me throughout my entire basketball career and offered a lot of support to me.”

Demniak was a three-year letterman at Albert Gallatin, but a merry-go-round of coaches – Shea Fleenor, Dana Ross and Jeremiah Powell – prevented the program from gaining any consistency and the team struggled to records of 5-17, 5-19 and 2-22 in that span.

Despite her individual accomplishments, Demniak was frustrated because of her team’s lack of success.

“I had to prove myself to each coach, and each one taught a different approach to the game,” Demniak said. “It was hard to get used to, and once we started showing some progress, it seemed like we had to start all over again with another coach.”

There was no quit in Demniak, but losing tends to take its toll on teams throughout a season, and that was the case with the Lady Colonials, especially during her senior year.

“I tried my best to be a leader and keep the team motivated,” Demniak said. “I tried to offer help to the teammates who were receptive. But … it was just a tough situation.”

The Lady Colonials saved one of their best moments for senior night against Penn-Trafford on Jan. 25 when they upset the Lady Warriors, 58-50. Demniak hit four 3-pointers in tallying 18 points in the game, which was Albert Gallatin’s only section win of the season.

“The team came together that one game and performed really well,” Demniak said.

Demniak shot 50 percent from 3-point range as a senior, even though defenses often focused on her. There was no stopping her when she began entering individual events, however.

“I got asked to go to some invitational camps and shootouts in different states,” she said.

Demniak made the Top 40 All-Stars in a Maryland competition. The blonde bomber also won 3-point competitions at Penn State University in 2004 and 2006 – she didn’t enter in 2005 – and won a Hot Shot competition there in 2006.

“When I started winning some of those things, I was pretty excited,” Demniak said. “It definitely got my confidence up. It gave me confidence and motivation in games, too.”

In her high school basketball finale, Demniak easily won the 3-point shootout at the Fayette-Westmoreland High School Senior All-Star Basketball Games held at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus in March, and also scored 11 points in the game with a couple more treys.

Demniak caught the attention of Waynesburg College women’s basketball coach Terry Acker. She’ll attend that school in the fall on a Presidential Scholarship and will major in nursing while playing basketball.

Demniak, who has a sister, 16-year-old Jordan Demniak, is appreciative of her family’s support over the years.

“I want to thank my parents, sister and grandparents,” Demniak said. “They came to every game. They supported me and motivated me to succeed.

“They always believed in me no matter what, and I just wanted to thank all of them for that.”