Tuesday, November 7, 2017
TIP OFF 2017
4B
Jillian Dunston: The unsung hero
‘Coach, they made a mistake.’
At the Michigan women’s basketball
team’s Media Day, coach Kim Barnes
Arico reminisced about the day after
her team wasn’t selected to the 2017
NCAA Tournament. As the players
circled up before practice, with tears
in their eyes, Jillian Dunston made one
thing clear – the Wolverines should’ve
been included in March Madness.
But the then-junior knew their
season wasn’t over and that there was
still work to be done.
“It’s our job to go out to prove to
everyone in the world that they made
a mistake,” Barnes Arico recalls
Dunston saying. “Michigan is one
of the best teams in the country. We
should be represented in the NCAA
Tournament.”
Under the leadership of Dunston,
the Wolverines went into the Women’s
National
Invitation
Tournament
with a chip on their shoulders. That
mentality carried them throughout
the competition. Michigan won six
straight games – including a triple-
overtime win in the finals over Georgia
Tech – to claim the program’s first ever
WNIT title.
“Not
being
selected
to
the
tournament
was
heartbreaking,”
Dunston remembers. “To think that
our year was in the power of a few
peoples’ hands, and they just tossed it
like that was crazy.”
And with a smile on her face,
Dunston is quick to point out that
proving the tournament committee
wrong and playing a role in winning
the WNIT Championship is the
highlight of her career. But finding her
role wasn’t always easy.
Highly recruited players such as
Dunston were used to being the go-to
players – they expect to be the one
scoring the ball. That’s not Dunston.
She’s the one doing the little things.
***
Playing at Academy of the Holy
Cross in Silver Spring, Md., Dunston
was a highly-touted recruit – ranked
by ESPN.com as the No. 24 small
forward nationwide and by ASGR as
the No. 98 overall prospect. Given
her achievements in high school, a
successful career at the college level
seemed likely. But for Dunston, it took
time to develop.
As a freshman, Dunston didn’t start
once. In fact, she spent most of her
time on the bench – playing only nine
minutes per game and averaging a
pedestrian 1.7 points and 2.6 rebounds.
“The early part of her career was
tough. It was a journey,” said Joe
Dunston, Jillian’s father. “Learning
to be a major player on the floor and
contributing is hard work. She had
to get to where Coach (Barnes Arico)
wanted her.”
Going from a high school star that
received college offers from over 60
schools to just another player may be
difficult for anyone. But that is the
harsh reality many college athletes
face, and Jillian was no different.
“(Freshman year) was frustrating,”
Dunston said. “Especially coming out
of high school where I rarely came out
the game.”
But Dunston had an advantage
others didn’t: her father.
Growing up, Dunston learned from
Joe, who played college ball at Tufts
University. Despite strong basketball
ties, Joe took a more hands-off
approach by surrounding her with the
best coaching possible.
But Joe did coach Dunston in certain
ways. As he explained, he implemented
a strong sense of work ethic, a lively
personality and an appreciation for the
game. And while Joe takes credit for
Dunston’s personality, he gives kudos
to his daughter for putting in the hard
work necessary to elevate her game.
A lot has changed over the years. Joe
admits that Dunston is a better player
than him, but he could “possibly” beat
her in a game of HORSE.
Backyard
competitions
aside,
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Then-junior forward Jillian Dunston celebrated Michigan’s victory in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament championship game last year by cutting down the nets. Dunston collected 13 rebounds in the contest.
Michigan’s senior forward has grown to embrace her role as the Wolverines’ steady emotional leader
HUNTER SHARF
Daily Sports Writer