Post by dex on Oct 11, 2015 8:43:53 GMT -5
PC BASKETBALL
COURAGE IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY
Kris Dunn had to overcome injuries, tragedy to be Friars’ top player
By Kevin McNamara Journal Sports Writer
PROVIDENCE — Ask Kris Dunn about the moment when life’s challenges seemed almost too great to face and he pauses for a few seconds.
Truth is, the star point guard at Providence College has a few answers to the question. Was it his years as a youngster in Virginia, living day to day with a mother who had lost her way? Was it meeting his father for the first time as a 10-year-old and starting a new life in New London, Conn.? Was it arriving at PC with his shoulder in a sling and hoping that surgery wouldn’t wipe out his freshman season?
One crisis, however, nearly brought Dunn to his knees. Back in the fall of 2013, Dunn appeared set to take the college basketball world by storm. With his shoulder finally strong, he looked like the most explosive player on a team that included Big East star Bryce Cotton. On Nov. 2, in an exhibition game against Rhode Island College, Dunn and RIC’s Austin Cilley dove for a loose ball in front of the Friars’ bench. When Dunn arose from a hearty collision holding his right shoulder, a groan rippled through the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
“My heart sank,” said PC coach Ed Cooley.”You knew right away it wasn’t good.”
After resting and then trying to return for four games, Dunn’s breakout season was over. As he prepared for a second labrum surgery in 17 months, Dunn received a lightning bolt of even worse news. His mother had died in Virginia.
“I thought I was in a good place,” Dunn said. “I had basketball and I was a mama’s boy. Then the two things I loved were taken away from me. I felt like nothing in my life was ever going to go the right way.” Two years later, Dunn has put those painful times behind him. With tender guidance from his extended family in New London and the comfort of his coaches and teammates at PC, Dunn persevered and then thrived. Last season saw the breakout campaign he longed for, the one players dream about: Big East Player of the Year, All-America mention, NBA Draft candidate.
With a stated desire to graduate from PC, polish his hoop skills and act as a role model for his two younger sisters, the 21-year-old Dunn surprised the basketball world last spring by saying no to the pros and a certain multimillion-dollar contract. Now he’s one of the brightest stars in college basketball, a national player of the year candidate and the Big East’s top drawing card when the conference gathers for its Media Day on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
“Kris has come so far,” said Cooley.”He’s gone from the lowest of lows in his life, faced those challenges, and matured into a great young man with an incredible future.”
ALTHOUGH HE TRIES to forget, Dunn remembers the first 10 years of his life growing up in Alexandria, Va., all too well. He lived with his mother but his brother John, older by five years, provided the guiding hand he needed to get by.”It was rough,” Dunn recalls.”As people would say, we were living through poverty.”
With Dunn’s mother struggling, the two boys navigated the streets and somehow stayed afloat.
“Life was very fast,” he says.”You had to keep your head on a swivel; anything could happen. My mom was in a bad situation. The thing to say is that no kid should be put in that situation. My brother was my father figure at that time, and we were supporting one another and just trying to survive.”
John Seldon, Dunn’s father and a former football star at New London High School, knew his boys needed help. He had a relationship with his oldest son and was sending child support to Virginia. But when he discovered that his boys’ mother had landed in prison, he knew he needed to act. Armed with a court order, he and a friend drove to Virginia, located the two boys at an aunt’s condo and told them they were coming with him back to Connecticut. Dunn says the first glimpses of his father remain burned in his memory.
“My dad had been looking for us for several years, but I had never met him,” Dunn said.”To see him for that first time was very shocking. I could see myself in him. It was an emotional moment, a lot of tears. As soon as I saw him, I knew he was my dad.”
Life in New London brought a strange, new world for the two boys. Seldon’s wife, Audra, is white. Their two girls, Ashley and Ariana, were newborns. Audra’s father, John Ferreira of Westerly, says”the whole dynamics of their family changed.”
“My son John was basically a parent when Kris was 5 years old. That should never happen,” said John Seldon.”In New London their world changed. My wife’s family is Italian from Westerly. Family is big with them. These kids weren’t used to eating at a dinner table or living like a family should.”
Dunn admits his life was a blur.
“I was lost. Not only was I going to a new school but I was in a new family and I was like ‘How am I going to fit in?’” Dunn said.”I was very angry then. I still only had my brother watching my back. I was in trouble at school a lot. I felt it was me and my brother against everybody else.”
Seldon became the parent the young boys needed.
“My dad did a great job with me. He taught me discipline. I was going on the wrong path, and he put me on the right path. He taught me how to be a man very quickly,” Dunn said.
One early outlet was sports. Seldon signed his boys up for football and basketball, and it didn’t take long to see what he had on his hands. John Dunn was a talented basketball player who enjoyed success at Montville High, but Kris was downright precocious in both sports.
“I signed up Kris for youth football, and his first game was in Killingly,” Seldon said.”They weren’t playing Kris, but it was late in the game and a long fourth-down play, so the coach puts him in and gives him the ball. He runs a sweep and it’s like Barry Sanders. He’s weaving in and out, he loses a shoe, he’s running by everyone and he goes for 70 yards and a touchdown.”
By high school, Dunn had dropped football and had become a star on the hardwood at New London. He led a storied Whalers program to the Class L title game as a sophomore. He averaged 25.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 5.0 assists for an undefeated state champion team as a junior, and 31.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 8 assists as a senior. The McDonald’s All-American finished his career with 2,201 career points, breaking the school scoring record of former URI great Tyson Wheeler.
WHEN IT WAS TIME to pick a college, nearby Connecticut, Florida and Louisville all worked Dunn hard. But he remembered that Cooley had begun recruiting him when he was just a high-school freshman while Cooley was the Fairfield coach. When Cooley was allowed to first visit with Dunn, he found out about his early years in Virginia. He then shared his boyhood story of growing up on the streets of South Providence, hopping between the houses of family members and friends for years.
“ H e a p p r e c i a t e d t h e fact that we both grew up tough and used our survival skills to get by,” Cooley said.”The trust factor was key with Kris, and we built that quickly. That was our connection.”
As one of the bluest blue-chippers in the country, Dunn committed to Providence before Cooley had ever coached a game for the Friars.
“He knew I didn’t believe in just anybody,” Dunn said,”and loyalty is key with me. When he told me his story and opened up to me, it really touched me. I knew I wasn’t the only person to come through a tough situation, and to see how far he had come in his life was good to see. I knew he’d help me become a man.”
Last spring Dunn faced another major life decision when it came time to weigh his NBA Draft options. While Cooley gathered info from pro executives and worked on securing an injury insurance policy (which PC was allowed to pay), Seldon offers insight on how the final decision was really made.
“We talked, and I said to Kris, ‘I’d take the money, but it’s not me. This has to be your decision,’” Seldon said.”Kris had seen his brother graduate [from Central Connecticut State] and become an accountant. We stress education. My wife and I work [at Mohegan Sun Casino] and we save our money. We’re not poor.”
After growing up before his time, adjusting to a new family as a 10-year-old and bouncing back from two major shoulder surgeries, Dunn said his NBA deliberations didn’t last all that long.
“People close to me know I always make the call and go with my gut,” said Dunn, who is on track to graduate with a social science degree in June.”As soon as I told my family I wanted to come back and finish school, improve my game on the floor and be a role model for my little sisters, they didn’t fight the situation. Nobody wanted to tell me differently, because if I did it and it wasn’t the right move, then I’m going to hold a grudge against them. I was going to make my own decision.”
— kmcnamar@ providencejournal.com On Twitter: @kevinmcnamara33
COURAGE IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY
Kris Dunn had to overcome injuries, tragedy to be Friars’ top player
By Kevin McNamara Journal Sports Writer
PROVIDENCE — Ask Kris Dunn about the moment when life’s challenges seemed almost too great to face and he pauses for a few seconds.
Truth is, the star point guard at Providence College has a few answers to the question. Was it his years as a youngster in Virginia, living day to day with a mother who had lost her way? Was it meeting his father for the first time as a 10-year-old and starting a new life in New London, Conn.? Was it arriving at PC with his shoulder in a sling and hoping that surgery wouldn’t wipe out his freshman season?
One crisis, however, nearly brought Dunn to his knees. Back in the fall of 2013, Dunn appeared set to take the college basketball world by storm. With his shoulder finally strong, he looked like the most explosive player on a team that included Big East star Bryce Cotton. On Nov. 2, in an exhibition game against Rhode Island College, Dunn and RIC’s Austin Cilley dove for a loose ball in front of the Friars’ bench. When Dunn arose from a hearty collision holding his right shoulder, a groan rippled through the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
“My heart sank,” said PC coach Ed Cooley.”You knew right away it wasn’t good.”
After resting and then trying to return for four games, Dunn’s breakout season was over. As he prepared for a second labrum surgery in 17 months, Dunn received a lightning bolt of even worse news. His mother had died in Virginia.
“I thought I was in a good place,” Dunn said. “I had basketball and I was a mama’s boy. Then the two things I loved were taken away from me. I felt like nothing in my life was ever going to go the right way.” Two years later, Dunn has put those painful times behind him. With tender guidance from his extended family in New London and the comfort of his coaches and teammates at PC, Dunn persevered and then thrived. Last season saw the breakout campaign he longed for, the one players dream about: Big East Player of the Year, All-America mention, NBA Draft candidate.
With a stated desire to graduate from PC, polish his hoop skills and act as a role model for his two younger sisters, the 21-year-old Dunn surprised the basketball world last spring by saying no to the pros and a certain multimillion-dollar contract. Now he’s one of the brightest stars in college basketball, a national player of the year candidate and the Big East’s top drawing card when the conference gathers for its Media Day on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
“Kris has come so far,” said Cooley.”He’s gone from the lowest of lows in his life, faced those challenges, and matured into a great young man with an incredible future.”
ALTHOUGH HE TRIES to forget, Dunn remembers the first 10 years of his life growing up in Alexandria, Va., all too well. He lived with his mother but his brother John, older by five years, provided the guiding hand he needed to get by.”It was rough,” Dunn recalls.”As people would say, we were living through poverty.”
With Dunn’s mother struggling, the two boys navigated the streets and somehow stayed afloat.
“Life was very fast,” he says.”You had to keep your head on a swivel; anything could happen. My mom was in a bad situation. The thing to say is that no kid should be put in that situation. My brother was my father figure at that time, and we were supporting one another and just trying to survive.”
John Seldon, Dunn’s father and a former football star at New London High School, knew his boys needed help. He had a relationship with his oldest son and was sending child support to Virginia. But when he discovered that his boys’ mother had landed in prison, he knew he needed to act. Armed with a court order, he and a friend drove to Virginia, located the two boys at an aunt’s condo and told them they were coming with him back to Connecticut. Dunn says the first glimpses of his father remain burned in his memory.
“My dad had been looking for us for several years, but I had never met him,” Dunn said.”To see him for that first time was very shocking. I could see myself in him. It was an emotional moment, a lot of tears. As soon as I saw him, I knew he was my dad.”
Life in New London brought a strange, new world for the two boys. Seldon’s wife, Audra, is white. Their two girls, Ashley and Ariana, were newborns. Audra’s father, John Ferreira of Westerly, says”the whole dynamics of their family changed.”
“My son John was basically a parent when Kris was 5 years old. That should never happen,” said John Seldon.”In New London their world changed. My wife’s family is Italian from Westerly. Family is big with them. These kids weren’t used to eating at a dinner table or living like a family should.”
Dunn admits his life was a blur.
“I was lost. Not only was I going to a new school but I was in a new family and I was like ‘How am I going to fit in?’” Dunn said.”I was very angry then. I still only had my brother watching my back. I was in trouble at school a lot. I felt it was me and my brother against everybody else.”
Seldon became the parent the young boys needed.
“My dad did a great job with me. He taught me discipline. I was going on the wrong path, and he put me on the right path. He taught me how to be a man very quickly,” Dunn said.
One early outlet was sports. Seldon signed his boys up for football and basketball, and it didn’t take long to see what he had on his hands. John Dunn was a talented basketball player who enjoyed success at Montville High, but Kris was downright precocious in both sports.
“I signed up Kris for youth football, and his first game was in Killingly,” Seldon said.”They weren’t playing Kris, but it was late in the game and a long fourth-down play, so the coach puts him in and gives him the ball. He runs a sweep and it’s like Barry Sanders. He’s weaving in and out, he loses a shoe, he’s running by everyone and he goes for 70 yards and a touchdown.”
By high school, Dunn had dropped football and had become a star on the hardwood at New London. He led a storied Whalers program to the Class L title game as a sophomore. He averaged 25.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 5.0 assists for an undefeated state champion team as a junior, and 31.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 8 assists as a senior. The McDonald’s All-American finished his career with 2,201 career points, breaking the school scoring record of former URI great Tyson Wheeler.
WHEN IT WAS TIME to pick a college, nearby Connecticut, Florida and Louisville all worked Dunn hard. But he remembered that Cooley had begun recruiting him when he was just a high-school freshman while Cooley was the Fairfield coach. When Cooley was allowed to first visit with Dunn, he found out about his early years in Virginia. He then shared his boyhood story of growing up on the streets of South Providence, hopping between the houses of family members and friends for years.
“ H e a p p r e c i a t e d t h e fact that we both grew up tough and used our survival skills to get by,” Cooley said.”The trust factor was key with Kris, and we built that quickly. That was our connection.”
As one of the bluest blue-chippers in the country, Dunn committed to Providence before Cooley had ever coached a game for the Friars.
“He knew I didn’t believe in just anybody,” Dunn said,”and loyalty is key with me. When he told me his story and opened up to me, it really touched me. I knew I wasn’t the only person to come through a tough situation, and to see how far he had come in his life was good to see. I knew he’d help me become a man.”
Last spring Dunn faced another major life decision when it came time to weigh his NBA Draft options. While Cooley gathered info from pro executives and worked on securing an injury insurance policy (which PC was allowed to pay), Seldon offers insight on how the final decision was really made.
“We talked, and I said to Kris, ‘I’d take the money, but it’s not me. This has to be your decision,’” Seldon said.”Kris had seen his brother graduate [from Central Connecticut State] and become an accountant. We stress education. My wife and I work [at Mohegan Sun Casino] and we save our money. We’re not poor.”
After growing up before his time, adjusting to a new family as a 10-year-old and bouncing back from two major shoulder surgeries, Dunn said his NBA deliberations didn’t last all that long.
“People close to me know I always make the call and go with my gut,” said Dunn, who is on track to graduate with a social science degree in June.”As soon as I told my family I wanted to come back and finish school, improve my game on the floor and be a role model for my little sisters, they didn’t fight the situation. Nobody wanted to tell me differently, because if I did it and it wasn’t the right move, then I’m going to hold a grudge against them. I was going to make my own decision.”
— kmcnamar@ providencejournal.com On Twitter: @kevinmcnamara33