Once A Bulldog, Always A Bulldog : An Interview with Dean College Basketball Stars.
- bantoch99
- Mar 4, 2019
- 4 min read
Everyday, professional athletes open up to tell their stories detailing their successes and struggles leading up to their professional careers. Some of the most interesting stories, however, come from the athletes in our own backyard. These talented, driven, dedicated men and women have a lot to share.
The Dean College men’s basketball stars Armani Baker and Dayvon Russell are perfect representations of two such athletes who take extreme pride in their craft between, and outside, the lines.
Our interview together began with the more comical side of being an athlete. I asked a couple questions about pre-game rituals and funny things in their gym bags that people might not expect to find. While Armani might not have had anything out of the ordinary, Dayvon was more than happy to tell me about the Shea lotion and comb he uses for his hair, along with the Snickers he eats while watching film before ever game.
Then, I asked what moment really stood out to them over the course of their college careers. Without hesitation, Armani Baker replied, "One game I had seven assists, before then, I'd never had more than five in a game." While he has games with twenty points and nearly twenty rebounds, his answer is telling of how unselfish of a teammate he is, that his stand-out memory included his teammates efforts.
Dayvon, who was most certainly on the other end of some of those seven assists, highlighted the incredible moment he scored his 1,000th career point. He told me it was a milestone that represented all of his hard work and dedication to the sport paying off.
While every athlete has their favorite moment, we all know there are moments we would have done differently. Dayvon suggested he would have been more of a leader and made sure ever practice was played with 100% effort by everyone. Armani added that because it was senior year, he took advantage of every moment and, “cherished the process, and enjoyed it from the beginning to the end.” It's without question that these two were not only captains, but true leaders of the team. While their answers might make you believe they didn't do enough as senior captains, they maintained exceptionally high standards for themselves and everyone around them every day.
Both players agreed that one of the most exciting, meaningful, and fun games to play in was their first ever NCAA playoff game this past season against Newbury College. While the result was a loss, they undoubtedly played their hearts out on the court They are clearly proud of their team’s efforts despite the loss.
While it’s fun to reflect on the past seasons, Dayvon Russell isn't called "Showtime" for no reason. He works on his game everyday balancing school, work, and everyday responsibilities. I asked him what he has been working on and what he feels has improved on the court. He clearly takes pride in his defense and emphasized that it’s something he has worked on tremendously hard. Conversely, he said he needs to improve on his three point shooting and be more consistent, despite shooting over forty percent on the season. While he wants to focus on these individual aspects of his game, he continues to work on all facets in order to evolve into an unstoppable force down the road. He told me, "you can always improve, and have to be willing to work harder than the next man."
Would you be surprised if I told you Armani Baker was the same way? Neither was I. He knows he rebounds well; in fact, he grabs them over eleven times per game on the season. What he’s concentrating on now is to be able to expand his ever-growing arsenal of ways to score. He said his biggest improvement this season was free-throw shooting, and he's proud of the developments he's made even as he continues to work on it. His next step is to shoot well from mid-range, and who knows, maybe even develop a three-point shot.
Motivation and resilience are key for athletes to be able to forget about tough losses and remember the big picture moving forward. During the interview, I asked them how they stayed motivated after losing a game, especially in the fashion of how this season ended.
They were both stumped for a few minutes until Armani Baker respond with, "A game you just watched me in. If it's your first time watching me play, I want you to walk away and think wow, that kid works hard.” While Dayvon was still coming up with his response at the time, he decided that Armani's answer was something similar to what he was trying to say as well. They give their all, every time, the whole time, no matter what happened in the game before or where they are going next.
After hearing their response to that question, it was clear to me that they have accomplished more than just success on the court. From where I sit, it is easy to see that they have led by example and inspired others by keeping their personal expectations high on and off the court. They are aware that they represent their team and their school. They have tremendous gratitude towards Dean for giving them the opportunity to play at this level and to be part of this tremendous team of athletes, coaches, and staff.
As the interview was concluding, I asked them to give young athletes advice about not only basketball, but what basketball has been able to teach them.
Showtime says that to be successful in whatever you do, you have to be yourself. If you try to fit in, you will only find it more difficult to grow, because it is impossible to be the best at everything in a sport, you can’t do it without your team. He also emphasized that basketball is something you cannot play if you don’t love it. In addition, he said to be sure to enjoy every minute, because you only have so long to do it, and "it goes by so quick."
As I was interviewing Davon and Armani, learning about their personalities on and off the court, I had been dying to ask them one final question:
What's next?
Their answer did not disappoint.
"Stay tuned."
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