The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Brush alumnus DJ Dial commits to D-I South Dakota
DJ Dial received scholarship offers from Kent State and Cleveland State as an underclassman at Brush. By Dial’s senior year, those opportunities were no longer on the table.
Another chance to play Division I basketball materialized when Virginia Military Institute offered the Arcs’ point guard a scholarship during his final high school season. The academy in Lexington City, Va., didn’t present the right fit for Dial.
Some would leap at the chance to play D-I basketball, regardless of how well the player matches the program. But in Dial’s mind, if he earned scholarship offers in the past then he could earn more in the future.
Instead of accepting the VMI offer or chances to play at D-II and D-III schools, Dial placed a bet on himself. He traveled more than 2,300 miles west to enroll at Saddleback College, a junior college in Mission Viejo, Calif.
After a season spent with the Gauchos, Dial committed to D-I South Dakota
University on July 14.
“I feel like you’ve got to take the risk to get the reward,” Dial said. “To me, it wasn’t really a risk because I knew I would get another scholarship. I didn’t know where I was going to end up going but I knew that I was going to get another one.”
Dial averaged 14.3 points, 4.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game for Saddleback. He started 29 of the team’s 30 games and helped lead the Gauchos to a 19-11 record.
While in Orange County, Dial heard from a number of California’s state schools including UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Bakersfield. Cal State Bakersfield offered him during the 201920 season before South Dakota came calling at the end of the school year.
Dial said Coyotes coach Todd Lee liked the leadership he could bring to the program, a skill the 5-foot-8 point guard honed playing at Saddleback.
“If anybody knows anything about junior colleges, there could be guys from various ages,” Dial said. “Just being able to be the youngest guy on the floor, basically, and still be able to lead guys that are 23 years old, 24, 22, and be able to speak up for myself and have confidence in myself when I’m on the floor around guys that might be way older than me.”
A four-year starter for coach Chet Mason at Brush, Dial averaged 15.1 points and an area-best 9.6 assists per game for the Arcs in 2018-19. He received first-team all-district honors and All-Ohio special mention as Brush finished advanced to the Euclid District final for the first time in Mason’s tenure.
Dial compiled a successful high school career, yet many on the outside believed a D-II or D-III opportunity was best for him due to concerns over his height. Dial chose to forge his own path.
“That’s why I feel like my story is unique,” Dial said. “You don’t hear about somebody turning down a Division I scholarship to go to a junior college. That just goes to show how much confidence I have in myself and trust in my ability, I know what I can do.”
Dial said he chose the school for the opportunity to pursue a degree in computer science and South Dakota’s success on the basketball court. The Coyotes, members of the Summit League, went 20-12 in 2019-20.
The 2019 Brush graduate feels he’s ready to move on to the D-I level. The seven months spent far from home forced him to grow up fast off the floor and competition against faster, stronger players helped his game improve.
Dial returned to Northeast Ohio in March after the novel coronavirus pandemic shut down college campuses nationwide. He’s been back at Brush throughout the summer working out to prepare for his arrival at South Dakota.
“I feel like this is only the beginning,” Dial said. “I feel like this is the start of my career, now, this is where the real work begins. I’m just ready to get down on campus, get acclimated and just get ready to work.”