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The veteran Sandusky High School girls varsity basketball coach was one of eight coaching finalists for Girls Basketball Coach of the Year in his sport at the National High School Athletic Coaches Association banquet in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

DeMott, who is sixth on the all-time win list (517 victories) for Michigan girls hoops coaches, did not claim top honors, but did receive a plaque for his accomplishments.

"It was fun. It was a great experience," said DeMott, who flew to Colorado Springs last Sunday with his wife, Tammy.

"The guy that won it (Ken Cook from Freeman H.S. Neb.) has coached for 48 years and has won five or six state championships," added DeMott. "Another one of the guys (Scott DeJong, Ankeny H.S., Iowa) was national chairman of this committee the year before, but stepped out of that so he could be a candidate this year. He told me his school had four gyms and he had four or five assistant coaches. Then there was another guy that had been coaching 51 years. I was the young one out there. There were some people with credentials."

As being one of the national finalists, DeMott was also a speaker. He explained, "I had to give a talk. I did it about our change of seasons (in Michigan), and on the effect it's had on Sandusky basketball and other sports overall."

In 29 seasons as the head coach of the Lady Redskins, DeMott has garnered 14 league, 19 district, and seven regional championships. The 1999 team was Class C State Runner-Up. Now with a 517-151 record, he was a State Coach of the Year in 2007 when Sandusky went 20-0 in the regular season and finished 23-1 overall.