Performance: Quincy's William Dunn
January 18, 2019
William Dunn
Quincy junior – Basketball
The 6-foot-8 forward had 30 points to lead Quincy past Reading 55-46 on Jan. 8, pushing the Orioles to 9-0 this season while becoming just the third player in program history to go over 1,000 career points. He entered the game needing four to reach the milestone, and he also grabbed 12 rebounds on the way to earning the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.”
Over 2½ varsity seasons, Dunn has lead Quincy to a combined 47-10 record, two league titles and a District championship, earning all-state honorable mention from The Associated Press after both of his first two seasons. This winter he’s averaging 25.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 3.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per game, making 55 percent of his shots from the floor and 42 percent of his 3-point tries. Heading into tonight’s game against Concord, Dunn has 1,026 career points, trailing only 1995 graduate Jeff Bell (1,071 points) and 2003 grad Dominic Lopez (1,707) on the school’s all-time scoring list. Both of those players went on to compete at the college level – Bell at Olivet and Lopez at Navy – and Dunn already has scholarship offers from three Division I or II programs, including Division I American University in Washington, D.C.
Dunn has worked over the last year to get stronger and has upped his endurance as well, necessities especially as he deals with two and three defenders at a time aimed at stopping him. He also played football as a freshman and sophomore, making the varsity as a receiver his second season, and carries a 3.2 GPA with history his favorite academic interest. He could help his 380-student high school make some before his career is done; the Orioles are seeking their first Regional title in boys basketball and made the Regional Final his freshman season.
Coach Scott Rodesiler said: “William Dunn is a unique talent who has been on the varsity team since his freshman season. During his first season, you could see that there was something special about him as a player. … (He) brings a unique blend of size, skill, athleticism, work ethic, competitiveness, and unselfishness to our team. Dunn's game is extremely versatile because his skill set allows him to score in so many different ways: fastbreaks, posting up, shooting a 3-pointer, driving to the hoop, shooting a mid-range jumper, (putting back) an offensive rebound, or hitting free throws. You may see him filling a lane on the fastbreak or getting the rebound and leading the fastbreak himself. William is basically a guard in a big man's body. I would not hesitate to play him at point guard if I needed him to do so. His ball handling and vision of the court are outstanding. The great thing about having William on the team is that you always know going into a game that you have a great chance of winning because he is capable of scoring 30+ points, pulling down 15+ rebounds and forcing other teams to change their defensive game plans. ... William's biggest improvement since last season has been his outside shot, in my opinion. Dunn made thousands of shots in the past year to take his game to a new level. He always had a nice shooting stroke, but the work he put in has allowed him to shoot with greater consistency. William has achieved at a high level all while facing double and triple teams, as well as numerous 'junk' defenses. One of his greatest abilities is making the right decisions with the basketball when faced with these types of defenses.”
Performance Point: “I just thought it was pretty cool that I was the third player to get (1,000), and so that means that not many people get that opportunity,” Dunn said. “(Reaching it as a junior) just shows all of the work that I've put in. It's just reflecting that. It's another step to everything that's been going on.”
On the radar, and the map: “It's nice for people to start recognizing some of the stuff that I've been able to do, or some of the stuff that I've accomplished. After my freshman year I had gone to some camps, and some people asked who I was and said they had heard of me. It's funny, because a lot of times they'll ask me where I'm from, and I tell them and they have no clue. They don't know where (Quincy) is. I ask them (if they know) where Coldwater is, because we're right next to that and it's a little bigger town, and if they don't know where that is, I just say it's right next to the Indiana border. ... Sometimes I hold up my hand like the mitten and point to it.”
Small town, big support: “It's kinda unique. … It feels like when we do something special, it's means more because it doesn't happen as often. I like the community aspect (of being small-town). Everybody knows you, everywhere you go. You go in town, go out to eat, there's people that you have no clue who they are but they've heard about you, seen you in the newspaper. It's real cool.”
Hard work pays: “It's really exciting to do this for the school and for the town. We work hard. We come into practice every day, practice extremely hard. We bond really well. There's nobody butting heads or anything; we mesh really well.”
School in session: “I’m been thinking about going into education and trying to be a teacher. Both of my parents are teachers; my dad is a weight training teacher and (teaches) health class and personal finance, and my mom is a fifth-grade science teacher. … They’ve always stressed (education), that school always comes first. Sometimes it gets a little hectic, but I've always adjusted to it. I always have known I have to get my work done.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2018-19 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard recognizes a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Past 2018-19 honorees
November 29: Dequan Finn, Detroit Martin Luther King football - Read
November 22: Paige Briggs, Lake Orion volleyball - Read
November 15: Hunter Nowak, Morrice football - Read
November 8: Jon Dougherty, Detroit Country Day soccer - Read
November 1: Jordan Stump, Camden-Frontier volleyball - Read
October 25: Danielle Staskowski, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep golf - Read
October 18: Adam Bruce, Gladstone cross country - Read
October 11: Ericka VanderLende, Rockford cross country - Read
October 4: Kobe Clark, Schoolcraft football - Read
September 27: Jonathan Kliewer, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern soccer - Read
September 20: Kiera Lasky, Bronson volleyball - Read
September 13: Judy Rector, Hanover-Horton cross country - Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Quincy's William Dunn goes to the basket against Jonesville on Dec. 9. (Middle) Dunn rises to the rim during the 35-29 win. (Photos by Expressions Photography Design.)
Dollar Bay Adding to UP's D Dominance
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
March 6, 2018
DOLLAR BAY — Small school. Huge tradition.
That’s pretty much the way it is with the boys basketball program at Dollar Bay, a high school of 100 students in this tiny community in the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Dollar Bay completed a perfect regular season Thursday night with a 70-59 victory at Painesdale Jeffers and opened District play Monday with a 47-24 win over Chassell in Class D.
The Blue Bolts (21-0) hope to go deeper into this year’s tournament and next host Baraga in a Wednesday District Semifinal.
A year ago, they reached the Regional opener at Negaunee where they dropped a 75-73 decision to Powers North Central. The Jets then went on to capture their third consecutive Class D title.
“The biggest thing I took from that game is what we can do as a team,” said senior forward Jaden Janke, an all-Upper Peninsula Class D second-team pick last season. “That got us excited for this season. It made us want to work that much harder.”
Senior guard Devin Schmitz, an all-U.P. Class D first-team selection, had similar thoughts.
“We wanted to show we had good Class D teams up here,” he said. “We didn’t have Brandon (Thompson) for that game. Just having all the guys coming back made us excited for this season.”
If the Blue Bolts win the District, they would be shooting for the school’s first Regional crown since 1979.
“To have a successful program at Dollar Bay, it has to start from the ground up,” said coach Jesse Kentala. “The kids love basketball and play it on their days off. It’s really a joy being around these guys every day. In a small community, you get to know the families real well. There’s a lot of basketball history here.”
Pete Dix, a 1994 graduate, holds the all-time career scoring record at Dollar Bay with 1,556 points.
Schmitz scored 30 at Painesdale on Thursday, running his career total to 1,537. But Kentala said the players have always put the team before their personal goals.
“I’ve been coaching for 11 years and these are some of the most competitive practices I’ve seen,” he added. “The strength of our team is we have all five guys working together. This is the most unselfish group of guys I ever coached. For them it’s all about sharing the ball.”
“Our second unit is also real good,” Schmitz added. “Having these guys to practice with helps the starters. It’s kind of like playing with your little brother. They’re going to beat you sometimes.”
Dollar Bay already has some experience playing on a big stage this season. Last month it earned a 51-42 victory over Ewen-Trout Creek in front of a crowd of nearly 3,300 at nearby Michigan Tech.
“We were originally scheduled for Tuesday (Feb. 6) at our place, then we changed it to Wednesday night because nothing else was going on,” said Kentala. “We thought they would draw 1,000-1,500 people. None of us expected that kind of atmosphere. They were at capacity. There were people sitting on the hardwood. That might have been the biggest attendance for a jayvee game in the U.P.”
The contest was heavily promoted by Houghton Daily Mining Gazette sports editor Bryce Derouin and got media attention statewide.
“Bryce promoted the game real well,” said Kentala. “We had two real good basketball teams, programs that have had success for years. I think it was great for both programs.
"Moving the game to Tech is a decision we’ll never regret, and that’s something the kids will remember for the rest of their lives. I even talked to a writer from the Detroit Free Press who did a small article on our team. You can’t help but chuckle when you think about it.”
What was it like playing in front of so many fans?
“It was real exciting,” said Schmitz. “We never played in front of that many people before. It was very loud. We couldn’t hear the coaches. When we went out and saw that many people, we said, ‘This is going to be fun.’ It made us want to dunk before the officials came to the floor. We could feel the building shake. We were lucky to experience that.”
Dollar Bay had a close call two nights later, edging Ontonagon 62-61 on its home floor.
“The week before, (the Ewen-Trout Creek game was) all people were talking about,” said Janke. “We’re trying not to make that game our peak. It was exciting to play at Tech, but we were glad to be on our home floor. Ontonagon has a good team. They’re not to be taken lightly.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Dollar Bay's Devin Schmitz goes up for a layup during Monday’s District win over Chassell. (Middle) Dollar Bay's Jacob Iacono drives to the basket. (Below) This season’s Dollar Bay boys basketball team, after its win Monday. (Top and middle photos courtesy of Bryce Derouin/Houghton Daily Mining Gazette. Below photo courtesy of the Dollar Bay athletic department.)