Ex-Irmo standout Devontae Shuler enjoys return to area

It seemed like old times for Devontae Shuler. The former Irmo standout returned to the Midlands with national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy as part of Day Two of the Chick-fil-A Classic, and showed why he is one of the top-rated players in the Class of 2017.

Shuler scored 20 points off the bench, a season-high, and did it in a variety of ways as the Warriors exploded in the second half for an 83-66 victory over Arlington Day in front of a sold-out crowd Saturday night at Richland Northeast.

Three-pointers, pull-up jumpers, floaters in the lane and a highlight reel dunk had the quiet Shuler all smiles afterwards.

“I’m used to this court and atmosphere, so that helped,” Shuler said. “I didn’t want to come down and put on a show by myself, I just want to win the whole thing.”

The return home couldn’t have come at a better time for Shuler. The 6-foot-2 guard had been struggling in recent games and his season average was just over 6 points a game after averaging over 20 points last season at Irmo.

Oak Hill coach Steve Smith was pleased with effort as well. He knew there would be extra added pressure on Shuler playing in front of his hometown.

“He’s been a little up and down the last two weeks, but he played great the first month of the season. He had a good game tonight and hopefully will have a good tournament,” Smith said.

Shuler had topped his season-high by halftime. He came off the bench for the first time with 6:44 remaining in the half and missed his first shot, a 3-pointer from the corner.

He hit his next shot, a three-pointer from the corner, then scored off of an offensive rebound before connecting on two more three’s before the half to give him 11 at the break. He was 4-for-5 from the field in the first half and finished 8-for-14 from the field – 3-for-6 from the 3-point line - with three rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 16 minutes.

“I told him to not put pressure on himself because he wants to look good,” Smith said. “He’s been gone for four months and people haven’t seen him play. He just needs to let the game come to him and he’ll l be fine. Sometimes he rushes a little bit, and I thought he might do that here being home, but he played great.”

Smith has only coached Shuler since August, but knows how explosive he can be.

“If he makes shots from the perimeter, he’ll be hard to guard because he’s so quick,” Smith said. “I like the way he plays defense. His tenacity and the way he pressures the other teams point guard gets them out of their offense.”

Shuler hasn’t had a chance to make it home since the team arrived on Friday. He plans to do that on Sunday, an off-day for the tournament. But he was happy to be back in the Midlands playing in familiar surroundings.

“It feels good to be home to see all my friends and old teammates,” Shuler said. “It seems like half of Irmo was here.”

Ty-Shon Alexander scored 26 points and was 6-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc for Oak Hill (14-1). A 10-0 run to open the second half that was highlighted by two three-pointers from Alexander, allowed the Warriors to erase a one-point halftime deficit and cruise into Monday’s semifinals.

Oak Hill will face Blythewood at 7 p.m.

This story was originally published December 19, 2015 at 11:05 PM with the headline "Ex-Irmo standout Devontae Shuler enjoys return to area."