Eagles Basketball Logo D-D D-U-N, L-L L-A-P, D-U-N, L-A-P, DUUUUUUUNLAP! Man, I am going to miss that cheer. To say the least, this basketball season was quite the journey. With a new coaching staff led by Tony Thomason and his father Jim Thomason, nobody really knew how the season was going to turn out. Although people had their doubts about whether a new coaching staff and players with little varsity experience could turn things around this year, we fought, and we succeeded. Honestly, our record sucked. We finished with 5 wins and 27 losses. But, this record tells people NOTHING about what we went through every day in practice and how much we grew as a team. Coach Thomason preached that everyone on the team was going to be a family from the first open gyms all the way until our last regional game. This meant that we had each other’s backs on the court and off the court, no matter the situation. Losing as much as we did is obviously frustrating, so it took some major guts and dedication to keep battling to keep our season alive. Out of our 5 wins, 4 of them came from teams in the Mid-Illini conference. We beat Metamora, Limestone, Pekin, and East Peoria. The win against Pekin was the biggest win for us in my opinion. Every year, Dunlap hosts something called Pack the Place on a night of a home basketball game. Pack the Place brings in a TON of people from the community to watch the basketball program and they literally “pack the place,” filling up the whole gymnasium to where you can barely hear the ball bouncing on the court. To say the least, we definitely pleased the crowd with a 49-42 win. I remember coach Thomason telling us how the fans watching game and other coaches praised how hard we worked as a team, and that it is hard to get kids to play with the effort and grit that we played with. The next game I want to talk about is senior night. What a game. It was against Metamora, who was out for blood after we beat them in a close game at their place earlier in the season. This was the only game of the year that I started, even though I was one of the “fan-favorites.” Coach T. designed a play for me where I would take the first shot of the game from the top of the three-point line, and when the game started… Splash. I remember how the crowd went wild after I hit the shot, which really set the tone for the rest of the game. We played 4 outstanding quarters, keeping the game generally within one possession every time. It was a tie game with 20 seconds left to go, and we had the ball. What could go wrong? Well, due to mental mistake, a player called time out when we didn’t have any left, which constitutes as a technical foul. Therefore, Metamora got to shoot 2 free throws and then got possession of the ball. They in-bounded the ball and the clock ran out, and we lost 49-51. I think that the Metamora game defined our season to an extent. We played our hearts out, but always ended up just short. The other team always made a few more plays than we did. But in the end, that’s okay. The relationships that I formed with the dudes on the team will endure for the rest of my life. Nobody else sweat, bled, and gave up the time that we did. All of the adversity that we pushed through made us better men. So when the season came to a close, all the guys were ready to tackle whatever would come next for them, and we know how to prosper through tough situations. Our record was flat out bad, but in the end that didn't really matter. The way we approached the game of basketball and our lives outside of it served as a role that the underclassman can take in the coming years. We sparked the fire for the future years of Dunlap basketball, and I gladly ended the season knowing that good things are to come. So, while basically everyone else was asking why I went out for basketball and how I could possibly get through a season like that, I am extremely glad that I played. It taught me that when you’ve reached rock bottom, it is better to continue to improve yourself than give up. The bonds that I made with the players and coaches will never be broken. I’m in killer shape now too, which is always a plus. The team in a huddle before a game starts
4 Comments
Dawson Hoffman
3/6/2017 07:03:23 am
I loved this article. It was a great read. I liked how you turned something that from the outside looking in is a downright unfortunate situation to a learning and growing experience. It shows how mentally tough of a person you are that you could get through a season like you had. However, I have a couple questions about the blog. What are your favorite relationships made within this season? What was your favorite part/moment about this season? Lastly, what could have made this season a better one?
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Wes Jockisch
3/6/2017 08:53:22 am
Honestly this was one of my favorite blogs. It really showed to me how much you cared about basketball and the team. Even though the team was obviously not that good, you proved to me in this article that it doesn't matter what your record is. Sports are always a hard thing to go through when the season is over. But, nothing can compare to when your senior season ends. I remember when I went through this during football season, and to me it was awful because I realized that I would never be playing with my brothers again. Overall this was a great piece that showed how honest you are and how much you cared about the game of basketball. I really enjoyed reading this.
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Ben Hopkins
3/6/2017 11:41:21 am
Wow. I can't believe the basketball season is already over. It seemed like just yesterday we were talking about the first practice and how you were looking forward to your senior season. I enjoyed reading this blog as it brought back memories to when I used to play basketball. The sport is a straight up grind, and I respect anyone who makes it through the season no matter their record. Looking back over the season, I have a couple of questions for you. If you could do it over again would you play senior year? Did you develop a good relationship with the coach even though he was new? I wondered about these things as I attended all of the games. My favorite memory of the season was also when you hit that 3 pointer against Metamora. I was proud of my best friend, for ignoring all of the bullshit and just doing what he loves (splashing threes). Overall, this post was a good read with a lot of meaning behind it. Congratulations on a successful season even though the record may have not shown it. It's good news that you had a good learning experience and made some unforgettable friendships along the way. Sometimes I wish I was on the squad with you. Love you brother.
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Brody Adreon
3/6/2017 07:35:20 pm
Look there I am! Haha. Man was it a grind but a fun season. I know we didn’t have the best record but at least we had fun. Thank you so much for taking me under your wing and introducing me to everyone and quickly becoming one of my good friends here at Dunlap! All of the long van/bus rides to Jacksonville and Taylorville only to lose 4 games in a row were still very fun because all of the guys made the best out of unfortunate situations. I think one of the best memories of this season was when we all had to go to the ICC game as a team and watch Jake Stephens from Robert Morris light up treys hahahaha. I don’t know about you but I also had a lot of fun chilling in the hotels watching TV and playing 2k all night! Before coming to Dunlap, I had no idea I would make so many friends on the team and meet so many people who were just great and solid guys.I think your blog post did a great job of summarizing our season! Great job bro.
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AuthorHey ladies and gents! My name is Nate Hinnen and I am a senior at a high school in central Illinois. My life is a busy one; I play 3 sports, do lots of homework, and I use whatever time I have left to enjoy other things/hobbies. My blog will consist of discussions about things that bring me happiness: weightlifting, television, movies, video games, books, nature, sports, and more! With college and making career decisions in my near future, it feels good to slow down and enjoy the little things every once in a while. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |