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‘New’ Jefferson guard proving himself again

After relocating to Louisiana for a year, Foster a force.

HANDOUT Jefferson star Devin Foster says his dream is to play in the Big East, like his father Cal did at Providence.

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By Marc F. Pendleton, Staff Writer Updated 1:22 AM Friday, February 10, 2012

JEFFERSON TWP. — It’s not as if Devin Foster is Jefferson’s unknown basketball standout. But he sure causes opponents to take a double look.

“I hear things like, ‘Hey, I thought that guy graduated,’ ” he said. “Most people don’t know. It’s pretty nice to see the shock on their faces.”

A starter on Jefferson’s 2010 Division IV state championship team as a sophomore, Foster moved with his family to Louisiana for his junior year. With Foster’s return as the go-to centerpiece, Jefferson (14-4) is loaded up to make another deep postseason run.

A clutch 52-49 win at Beavercreek this week likely assured the Broncos a No. 1 seed on Sunday for the upcoming sectional at Troy. Beavercreek was the Dayton Daily News’ No. 1 Division I team at the time.

Foster followed his family and father, former Patterson High School and Providence College player Cal Foster, to Lafayette, but his heart never left Ohio. His cellphone bill rocketed after staying in daily contact with Jefferson coach Art Winston and former teammates.

“I was crying to (Winston) day and night,” said Foster.

Winston could be excused for doing the same. He could only muse what might have been last season had Foster stayed.

“We would have won the state,” Winston said without hesitation.

“I told him, it’s almost like going away to college. You’ve got to prove yourself all over again. He had to make the best of the situation and he did a real good job.”

So much so that LSU showed interest following a 24-9 season at Comeaux High School. Now Akron, Toledo, Murray State, Indiana State, Southern (La.), Findlay and Alabama State have joined in the hunt to land the physical 6-foot-2 guard.

He averages a team-leading 18 points, four assists and three steals. He also has a 3.5 GPA.

“My dream would be to play for anybody in the Big East like my dad did,” he said.

It was a dream come true for Winston when he found out Foster had re-enrolled at Jefferson last summer.

Always blessed with an athletic body (even during his freshman season at Trotwood-Madison), Foster elevated his game several notches during his year away.

Winston liked what he saw when Foster sent him a YouTube highlight clip.

“Everyone was ecstatic about him coming back, but we hadn’t played with him,” Winston said. “He was basically a new player. He wasn’t the same player he was as a sophomore.”

With three state titles and a couple of runners-up, Jefferson has often been a major player on the state level since the late 1970s despite a steady enrollment decline.

An independent, Jefferson has just 66 boys at the high school. But that hasn’t prevented the Broncos from bulking up their schedule and extending that run of basketball excellence.

City League rivals Dunbar, Thurgood Marshall and Meadowdale, and even Beavercreek, all play the Broncos. On Saturday, Jefferson will host neighboring rival Trotwood-Madison.

Playing “up” like that is rough on a record, but is the best way for a team to be D-IV tournament ready.

“It’s what we do,” Winston said. “When you put the Jefferson jersey on, you represent a real proud tradition of athletics.”

No one is more happy than Foster to do just that once again.

“I wanted to finish where I started,” he said, “and help keep the tradition going here at Jefferson.”

Contact this writer at (937) 225-2381 or mpendleton@ DaytonDailyNews.com.

Quick facts:

Personal: 6-2 senior guard

Stats: Averages 18 points, 4 assists, 3 steals

Notable: Father is former Patterson High School and Providence College player Cal Foster

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