Remembering Provo High: Devin G. Durrant
Devin G. Durrant, First Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency, prepares to close the morning session of the 186th semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Latter-day Saints on Sunday in Salt Lake City.
Provo's talented Devin Durran (35) works on Logan's Bob Berntson (32) in Wednesday's 3A basketball tournament in Ogden. Provo defeated Logan to advance to semifinals in the tournament. (Daily Herald archive image from 1978).
Provo's Devin Durant heads to the glass as American Fork's Bart Hawkins falls backwards during Friday's Region Six championship game. (Daily Herald archive image from 1978).
Devin G. Durrant enjoyed a solid basketball career at BYU and played professionally in the NBA and in Europe, but said he learned about high expectations in basketball when he got to Provo High School.
“Those were wonderful days,” Durrant said. “I moved back to Provo just before the beginning of my sophomore year. The summer prior to my sophomore year, I walked into the gym, and I was the new kid in town. Coach Jim Spencer gathered all the new players during his summer camp and he introduced me to the other guys. His comment was that here at Provo High, we are the UCLA of Utah high school basketball. This was at a time when UCLA was winning every NCAA championship. The message was clear for me that at Provo High, the sports program and the basketball program had very high expectations. It was a wonderful introduction to my experience as a Provo High athlete and it lived up to all of my hopes and dreams.”
Durrant, who is now a member of the Sunday School General Presidency of the LDS Church, remembers how he had some of his best experiences at both ends of the Provo High building.
“It was interesting because at the north end was where the basketball gym was and I spent a lot of time there, but at the other end of the building was the seminary building,” he said. “I had marvelous experiences in the seminary building as well. There were different feelings at each end but it was a nice contrast and both helped me learn and grow.”
Durrant feels like Provo High was an excellent place for him at that time in his life.
“I look back and it’s hard for me to imagine a more perfect setting for the high school experience,” he said. “My classmates couldn’t have been any better and the teachers and administrators were excellent.”
He said that the legacy of Provo High has been a big part of his family members’ lives as well.
“Some of my children went to Provo High, playing basketball, volleyball, track, cross country and tennis,” he said. “It is very much a part of the Durrant family history. For years, as we would drive by Provo High, I would tell everyone to put their hands on their hearts and occasionally I would sing the fight song to them. When that building is gone, I don’t quite know what I will do when I drive past.”