Tracking the College Basketball Stars of the Future=====

ECU & C-USA Hoops Recruiting Report Saturday, March 29, 2003 By Thad Mumau Special Correspondent

Oak Hill combo forward produces on and off court

©2003 Bonesville.net

Big reputations do not always guarantee big production in athletics. Sometimes, kids who work hard end up outplaying others with more natural ability. What you see, in print at least, is not always what you get.

Dion Dacons is a prime example of this scenario, according to Steve Smith, his basketball coach at Mouth of Wilson (VA) Oak Hill Academy. Although certain teammates carried more newspaper clippings in their pockets, Dacons enjoyed a better season.

"He was our most consistent player," Smith said, "and our best frontcourt player. He was our leading rebounder and our second-leading scorer."

Dacons, who stands 6-6 and weighs 215 pounds, averaged 16 points and eight rebounds as Oak Hill finished 31-4. He scored a season-high 29 points against Asheville (NC) Christ School and 22 vs. a tough Coastal Christian team out of Virginia. He grabbed 14 rebounds in a game twice and took down 13 in a contest.

He had a great tournament in the Mountain State Coal Classic held in January in West Virginia, scoring 28 points against Anchorage (AK) Christian and 24 vs. Parkersburg (WV) South. He averaged 22 points in three games as Oak Hill won all three to take the tourney title.

"They didn’t name a Most Valuable Player," Smith said, "or he would have gotten it."

Dacons has attracted interest from East Carolina, Boston College, Wyoming, Davidson, Appalachian State and Southern Cal. He has ruled out Bowling Green and Pennsylvania, schools that pursued him back in the fall.

"Somebody from East Carolina is coming to see Dion work out in April," Smith said. "That will be right after the Final Four, when college coaches can get out and see kids again. They didn’t see him during the season.

"I know he is very interested in East Carolina. Coach (Bill) Herrion has good things happening there, and Conference USA is a real attractive league in which to play. They have some well known programs and get a lot of exposure. Dion is intrigued by the conference."

Dacons’ home is Statesville, N.C., where he played for his dad. His father retired from coaching after Dion’s sophomore year, and Dacons then spent his junior and senior years at Oak Hill.

"Growing up the son of a coach, he was around basketball all the time," Smith said, "and he really knows and understands the game. He knows how to play. The thing about Dion is that he plays extremely hard all the time, every game. He boxes out and plays good defense. He plays with a lot of energy and intensity. Because of that, he gets more done than some kids who may have more ability, but don’t put as much into it.

"There were games he didn’t score as much because our guards were getting the points that night, but that was okay with him. He is a team guy who wants to win, so he was always playing tough defense and making good passes. He has good feet and good technique. He was a captain for us and was a team leader.

"Dion is a four/three," Smith said. "He played power forward for us, but he can play on the perimeter. He is a real good passer and handles the ball well. The main thing he needs to play small forward is to shoot threes more consistently.

"And he’s working on that. He is always working to get better. He needs to get stronger, and he’s in the weight room working on that, too.

"I would never sell Dion short. He will continue to work hard and get the most out of what he has. He will always do the right thing out there on the floor and off it as well. Somebody will be pleasantly surprised."

Dacons has taken two unofficial visits to Appalachian State, which is not far from Statesville.

"I think being in North Carolina would be important because his parents want to see him play," Smith said, "and Appalachian State is close. But East Carolina is in the state, too. I think he definitely wants to visit East Carolina.

"Somebody will get a good one in Dion. I keep telling coaches that this is a kid you want on your team. You can’t go wrong with him."

Dacons, whose parents are both teachers, has a 3.8 grade-point average and has scored 1,100 on the SAT.

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02/23/2007 02:40:28 PM
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