Central MVPs: Where are they now?

By Mary Olsen ‘24

Source for photo above: instagram.com 

Central has always been known for having one of the top athletic programs in the state and numerous star athletes. But everyone is wondering, where are these stars now?

 

Dominic Keegan Class of 2018

 

Dominic Keegan, a former MVP for Central Catholic’s baseball team, currently thrives as one of the top prospects for the Tampa Bay Rays. In a recent phone interview, he said, “my favorite memory playing professionally so far has been playing with the major league guys during spring training.”

While Dom’s ultimate goal is to reach the big leagues, he also has other aspirations in mind. He hopes “to play as long as [he] can” and “see how far [he] can get.” He has big plans for his near future and is bound to make an impact on the NBL. 

Before joining the Rays, Dom caught for Vanderbilt University and obtained his undergraduate degree in communications alongside a minor in business. Due to the COVID setback, his first real year of playing was delayed until his junior year. One of his biggest decisions came during this year: an opportunity to play for the Yankees. 

“My junior year was really my first year to experience college baseball and I really enjoyed it. It was something that I knew I had one more opportunity to do. I knew if I played professional baseball I would lose that opportunity. I also wanted to finish my degree,” Dom explained. While Dom had the chance to go straight into the big leagues he knew that finishing college was best for him and his future. 

In high school Dom thrived and achieved many accolades, including the Eagle-Tribune All Star. Both his junior and senior years, the baseball team competed in the state championship tournament to finish in the super eight! He still connects with some guys from high school and they even work out together when they’re all back home. 

 

Tyler Nelson Class of 2014 

 

Tyler Nelson, a well known MVC shooting guard, is now all the way in Germany playing professionally for the Rostock Seawolves. He travels all over Europe living his professional basketball dream. 

He says his goal is to “make it to the euro league (top league in all of Europe) or get signed in the NBA.” While he does want to set future goals, his main focus at the moment is to remain healthy and continue thriving in the league. 

Tyler played for Fairfield University where he became the school’s all time leading scorer player with 2,172 points! “Playing basketball at the D1 level in college was an amazing experience and it set me up for life after college,” says Tyler. 

He had always known his vocation. Tyler explained in a phone interview that “I knew from a young age basketball was going to be my sport,” and as for CCHS, “a big reason I went to Central was because of the great basketball program there.” He certainly thrived at Central as he led the team to the Division 1 championship and also won the Gatorade player of the year as a senior. 

 

Cam Devanny Class of 2015

 

Cam Devanny, a strong MVC shortstop during his years at Central, now plays for the Omaha Storm Chasers on the path to the major leagues. He claims one of his favorite parts of playing professionally is “playing with or against guys you grew up watching on TV.” Having the experience to play with guys he looked up to his whole life makes him feel surreal. 

Cam played at Elon University, which was a big transition from Central. He says, “it was a challenging transition from Central to Elon since it was far away. Managing baseball and school was challenging at first but once I got used to it I loved it there.” Cam was extremely reliable and gained much recognition, such as the Danieley Memorial Sportsmanship Award during his senior year at Elon. 

Despite the injuries throughout Cam’s high school career, he managed to make a difference. While all of his years at Central were successful, one year in particular really stood out. He says “my senior year while Coach P. was still coaching we had a really good group of guys and we won a lot which was a big highlight of my high school career.”