Trusting the process: Hard work paying off for YSU’s Dunn

YOUNGSTOWN -- Trust the process.

It's a phrase that's become commonplace in the sports world these days, and for Youngstown State forward Will Dunn, it's the story of his recent breakout.

Since YSU's Jan. 23 contest at Purdue Fort Wayne, Dunn has been on a tear. He scored 20 points in that contest -- directly leading to an increase in playing time -- and is averaging more than 16 points per game in YSU's last three games after pouring in 11 against Green Bay and 19 against Milwaukee last week.

He's also playing a huge uptick in minutes, as the most court time he had seen going into PFW was 20 minutes against Defiance. In each of YSU's last three contests, he's played 30 or more.

"I knew eventually when I got my chance, I would be able to perform and be the best that I could be just because of all the work I've been putting in," the sophomore from Quincy, Mich., said. "I wasn't too worried about when (that chance) came. I just tried to stay ready and continue to work until it was my time."

That initial outburst at PFW was made even more special by the fact that Dunn had several family members in attendance, many of whom he said don't often get to come see him play. He confesses, though, that he wasn't aware of how well he was performing until late in the game.

He shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the field that day.

"I had no idea. I just knew I was in a flow and things were going well," he said.

Of doing so in front of loved ones, he added, "Being able to play like that in front of them was a lot of fun, and it was nice to see them excited for me."

Dunn wasn't heavily recruited out of high school. In addition to YSU, he said he was looking at smaller Division II schools around Michigan. Youngstown State was No. 1 on his list going into his senior season, and he decided to commit to YSU before his final year of high school rather than wait and see what he had afterward.

Dunn, who's studying education and wants to become a high school social studies teacher after his basketball career concludes, said he was drawn by what seemed like a "family-oriented" atmosphere in the Penguins' program, and also liked the outlook of YSU's program at the time.

"I liked the future I could see being set up -- the team coming together and starting to get better and better each year," he said. "I loved all the coaches, and I liked the fit, how they wanted me to be playing and where they wanted me to be playing."

Since his arrival, he's kept that work-hard mindset. Teammate Michael Akuchie describes Dunn as one of the first players into the gym for practices and one of the last to leave.

Head coach Jerrod Calhoun, meanwhile, said after the PFW game that Dunn is "what the student-athlete experience is supposed to be about -- development, get better each day, be a good teammate, don't pout. He just does all the right stuff."

At a subsequent press conference, Calhoun added, "He's a kid that puts in a lot of time. He deserves (the success)."

In his freshman campaign a season ago, Dunn averaged 3.1 points per game. This year, he's up to 6.1. He feels his versatility of being able to play both inside and outside has aided in that jump.

As he was working and developing, Dunn said his conversations with YSU's coaching staff remained consistent.

"Really this whole time, the coaches just kind of (said) trust in the process. They just kept telling me to keep working. ... keep doing the extra work day in and day out and keep getting better," he said. "I finally started to come along, and it just started falling into the right places for me."

Even as he's hitting a groove for the Penguins, Dunn says his mindset remains the same.

"That's how it's been for me, and that's what got me here is just keeping working and not expecting too much, not promising myself too much," he said. "Just keep working, just try to be the best player I can be each day, and just keep trusting the process. It's gotten me this far, so I might as well keep going."