Demetri Santiago, a high school sophomore from Framingham, Mass., returns to the Pride as part of a partnership between the Regis men's basketball program and Team IMPACT.

During a Draft Day ceremony Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, head men's basketball coach Nate Hager said Demetri "is high class, and is someone that is really going to add to our team's culture."

Through Team IMPACT's program at Division III Regis College, Demetri will become an official member of the men's basketball team, attending Pride practices, games, and other events.

Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston, Mass., that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes. Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 1,800 children with more than 600 colleges and universities in 48 states, reaching over 55,000 participating student-athletes. The child joins the athletic team and the student-athletes join the child's support team. Throughout the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie, and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency, and perspective they can't learn in a classroom.