Cody Dillon is pretty sure of himself on the basketball court.
When it came to his college decision, he saw it like a wide-open jumper - took the shot with a good follow through.
Dillon, a 6-foot-4 Newton Falls High School standout, is playing his collegiate ball at Mount Union University.
Dillon, the Trumbull County Coaches Association male basketball athlete of the year, had preferred walk-on offers at Cleveland State University and Youngstown State University. He also narrowed down his decision to Gannon University (Erie, Pa.) and Notre Dame College.
"Mount Union just blew away all of them," said Dillon, who averaged 19 points per game and was a Division III first-team Northeast Inland All-District selection during his senior season at Newton Falls.
Mount Union coach Mike Fuline, who is entering the second season with the Purple Raiders, mentored the Massillon Jackson Polar Bears to the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I state championship in 2010.
"He's a real down-to-earth guy and made me feel comfortable every time I was there," Dillon said. "Every time I visited, he gave me the tour. He made it real comfortable and made it a good feeling every time I went there. If felt like that when I visited, that should be the place to go."
Newton Falls coach Roy Sembach said Dillon will be in good hands with Fuline.
"I think he's a very good coach," Sembach said. "He's young and brought a lot of energy to the Mount Union program, revitalized it a little bit. Cody knows his style of play and hopefully would be a good fit for what coach Fuline wants.
"I just know he's a good fundamental coach - a young coach with a lot of enthusiasm."
Sembach said Dillon was a great fit for the Tigers' program, and more well-rounded that people realize.
"Obviously he was a scorer, but to me he did so much more than just scoring a basketball," Sembach said. "He was a very hard worker at practice. He was dedicated to getting better at the game. I thought all phases of his game were important to our success."
Sembach said Dillon will have more success at Mount Union.
"I think his best basketball days are ahead of him," Sembach said. "I've always said that because a lot of guys are really good in high school because they're physically mature and bigger and stronger than anybody else. That's not the case with Cody. He was good in high school because he had very good skills and was exceptionally talented. I don't think he's reached his peak as far as physical strength goes. He may or may not be done growing height-wise. He should be able to add pounds and strength over the next couple of years.
"If that happens, he'll get increasingly better each and every year."
Sembach said Dillon played both guard spots on offense, guarded the posts on man coverage and was a fixture under the basket in zone defense.
"If we were zone, he tended to play in the back where the big guys were and was our leading rebounder," Sembach said. "He was a player that could give us a little bit of absolutely everything."
Right now, Dillon is unsure of his role at Mount Union.
"We really haven't got to the season, yet," Dillon said. "I'll do whatever it takes to get on the court to play and help the team out. That doesn't really matter to me."
