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Silas Demary Jr. with the Georgia Bulldogs on March 1, 2025
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NEED TO KNOW
- Silas Demary Jr.'s parents, Shanté and Silas Demary Sr., have been married since 1995 and have three children
- Silas Sr. played football and encouraged his son to do the same before accepting his passion for basketball
- Shanté, Silas Sr. and their two daughters moved to Connecticut to attend as many of Silas Jr.'s games as possible
Silas Demary Jr. has a "village" supporting him at all times.
The University of Connecticut point guard's parents, Shanté and Silas Demary Sr., encouraged him to play sports from a young age. Silas Sr. played football in college and professionally, so it came naturally for him to encourage his son to play the same sport and coach him.
Silas Jr. also had a passion for basketball, and by sophomore year of high school, he knew he had to choose just one of the sports to focus on. Although his ultimate choice of basketball was "tough" on Silas Sr., he got over it and did everything he could to back his son's career.
After Silas Jr. transferred to the University of Connecticut from the University of Georgia, his parents and siblings followed him to the school. His twin sister, Sierra, also transferred colleges and enrolled at UConn. The couple's elder daughter, Samara, joined the family in Connecticut for the adventure, as well.
“I still think the best is yet to come,” Shanté told the Hartford Courant in December 2025. "And we’re here for all of it.”
The family has cheered on Silas Jr. as he competes with the Huskies in March Madness and helped lead them to the NCAA Championship game on April 6.
Here's everything to know about Silas Demary Jr.'s parents, Shanté and Silas Demary Sr.
Silas Sr. played professional football
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Silas Demary Jr. with UConn on March 13, 2026
Credit: Ishika Samant/Getty
Silas Sr. played defensive line at Virginia State and continued his career in the Arena Football League with the Carolina Cobras, Buffalo Destroyers, Los Angeles Avengers and Cleveland Gladiators, according to Silas Jr.'s Georgia bio. In 2005, he was named the AFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Silas Sr. had hopes of having one of his children follow in his footsteps, so he coached his only son in football from a young age; Shanté was the "team mom."
“I mean, he was coaching Silas so hard that I got angry,” she told the Hartford Courant. “They typically would leave early and the girls and I would pack up, because I was always the team mom, dragging the coolers, dragging the snacks. I made up in my mind that day that I would always drive separately, just in case my son needed a ride home if he just didn’t want to ride with his dad after coaching him that hard.”
Silas Jr. played football until his sophomore year of high school when his basketball coach told him that he could risk an on field injury that would hinder his basketball performance. He decided to quit football, but was nervous to break the news to his dad.
“I remember I was like, ‘Mom, can you help me tell him?’ She kind of broke it down to him and I was there behind her," he recalled to the publication.
Silas Sr. also reflected on hearing the "tough" news but had to remember that his son's dreams came first.
"I had to realize it was his dream and not my dream, so I had to lean into his dream as well," Silas Sr. said. "I was like, ‘Yo, if that’s what you wanna do, I’m good with it. We’re gonna jump all-in here for this basketball thing and we’re gonna figure this out.' "
Shanté and Silas Sr. married in 1995 and raised their three kids in North Carolina
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Silas Demary Jr. as a child
Credit: Silas Demary Jr. /Instagram
Shanté and Silas Sr. married in June 1995. The couple reflected on their 30th wedding anniversary in a June 2025 Instagram post.
"We have loved, laughed, cried, grown, raised three amazing children, made mistakes, forgiven, supported and encouraged one another our entire adult lives," they captioned the post. "It’s your love, hugs, kisses, protection and strength that sustains us. Thank you for sharing this adventure with me!"
The couple became parents when they welcomed daughter Samara in June 2000 and later welcomed twins Silas Jr. and Sierra in June 2004. Silas Jr. and Sierra were born prematurely and spent over a week recovering in the hospital. Since then, the twins stayed together and had a pact to live as close to each other as they could.
“They have been inseparable since the very beginning," Shanté told the Hartford Courant. "They have a very special relationship and I think it’s a little bit beyond just being twins, their connection is almost unreal. They’ve always been together, even when they have their ups and downs, when life happens, their ability to connect is beautiful to watch because there’s this automatic reset where it’s this level of security, this judgement-free zone."
Silas Jr.'s family followed him to UConn
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Silas Demary Jr. with UConn on March 22, 2026
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Before graduating high school, Silas Jr. committed to the University of Southern California, and Sierra made the decision to also attend USC. However, Silas Jr. later changed his mind and pledged to Georgia instead, so Sierra enrolled in the nearby Athens Technical College, since Georgia's application deadline had passed.
After two years at Georgia, Silas Jr. entered the transfer portal and announced he was switching over to UConn. This time, his whole family decided to pack up and move to the area to fully support his dreams.
Silas Sr. and Shanté rented an adjacent apartment for their family. Samara got a job at a storefront in the town, while Sierra enrolled in UConn. The twins live next door to each other in the same apartment building.
“You could just feel the close-knit family ties and the love and support with the whole group on the visit,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “It felt truly like an organism that was moving as one.”
Silas Jr. called the experience of having his family move to the area to support him a "blessing."
“Starting to adult, live on your own, and to be able to do that alongside my twin, to be able to have her next to me is a blessing," he said. "There’s some days where it might not be my best and I can just go hang out with her, vent and we just chill. It feels like old days being back at home."
Silas Jr.'s parents pride themselves on being his "village"
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Silas Demary Jr. with UConn on March 7, 2026
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While Silas Sr. serves as the family's "shoulder to lean on," Shanté is "the one who keeps everybody honest," they said during an April appearance on We Need to Talk, per the News Times.
"Silas and I couldn't be any more proud of these three young people that we’ve poured in to," Shanté said. "They are a complete reflection of who we are, the foundation that we have, that we set for them and the level of accountability. We couldn't be any more proud of this moment, this journey and this experience."
She added, "He has a support system that will carry him for a lifetime."
The four family members have attended nearly all of his games and can often be seen seated across from the bench with white and blue pom poms.
“It’s that presence,” Shanté told the Hartford Courant. “We have a very strong village and our support system is beyond reproach. It is definitely a beautiful thing, and none of it we take for granted.”
Read the original article on People
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