Joel DeBortoli was a native of McCloud, CA who attended College of the Siskiyous prior to transferring to USF. He was a three-year letter winner for USF from 1987-1990 under Head Coach Jim Brovelli, averaging 13.9 points and 5.7 rebounds in 84 career games. He ranks fifth All-Time in program history in three-point percentage (.432), eighth All-Time in free throw percentage (.792), 16th All-Time in field goal percentage (.503), and 27th All-Time in scoring (1,170 points).
During his senior year, DeBortoli averaged 18.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, earning First Team All-West Coast Conference (WCC) honors for his efforts. He was also named WCC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year and a CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-American that same season. Amongst his peers, DeBortoli was a back-to-back winner of USF's Charles Harney Award, which is presented annually to the student-athlete with the highest GPA.
After his time on the Hilltop was over, he played professionally for 14 years, taking him from Quad Cities, IL, to Switzerland, Turkey, Macedonia, Belgium, and Qatar. He and his wife, Tammy, now serve as missionaries in Nepal. They work closely with people in the Himalayas, running a home with 20 orphaned children. They also travel and preach across the Kathmandu region.Â
He was inducted into the USF Hall of Fame in 2026.
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