His sophomore year, he averaged 11.2 points per game and played with two-time All-American Dick Groat.

On December 1, 1951, Duke played Temple, whose roster included black Philadelphia native Sam Sylvester, in what is believed to be the first integrated game in the South.

[6] After college, D'Emilio was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors as the 3rd pick in the 5th round (39th overall),[6] but was not ultimately signed to the team.

In 1954, he was signed to join the college All-Americans as part of the Boston Whirlwinds, a traveling team that played against the Harlem Globetrotters.

[1] In 2011, he was named as an honorable mention on a Bleacher Report list of the top 50 players in Duke history.