By Simone Midgett, Features Editor
Holding a starting position on the varsity basketball team as a freshman, reaching 1,000 career points as a sophomore and managing to sink 107 3-pointers in just one season – all three of these things have been achieved by junior Dylan Blake.
When spectators see Blake playing, they are in awe at his ability to make it from nearly anywhere on the court. They even turn to Twitter to rave about his striking shooting range.
“In range even when he (is) laying on his bed,” a person that goes by the Twitter handle @ianesthesia1914 tweeted about Blake’s shooting.
In a tweet by Elon basketball player Kris Wooten, he responded to a video of Blake playing: “3 threes in 30 seconds, I’m impressed.”
Blake began playing basketball for the Parks and Rec league when he was 4 years old and as he got older and his passion grew for the sport he began playing for a local travel basketball team, the First Flight Ballerz, in third grade.
“Basketball is my favorite thing to do, even in my free time, so I practice just about every day, including weekends,” Blake said.
As Blake’s love for the game increased, so did his skills. Last year, he made a big change to help further his basketball career. He joined the Flight 22 17-U Elite basketball team and made the commute of 4 hours and 45 minutes to Wilmington for practices and tournaments.
“The tournaments we went to were bigger, which meant more opportunities to get recruited (by college coaches),” Blake explained.
One of the tournaments the Flight 22 team attended over this summer’s season that helped with the recruiting process was the Under Armour Finals in Atlanta.
“Just about every Division I and Division II coach was there, because there were a lot of big-time players there, so the other kids playing really helped get the coaches there to see me and other kids play,” Blake said.
Junior Zion Nobles, who has played with Blake since he was in kindergarten, has seen him improve as a player while their friendship has grown through basketball.
“We have been going to practices together since we were little and going to all of the games together,” Nobles said. “I describe (Blake) as an all around player because he does everything and helps the team out in every way.”
A mutual goal First Flight’s team has going into this season is making it further in the NCHSAA 2A playoffs after losing in the second round last year.
“This season we are working harder and trying to get to know each other’s strengths, so we can help each other get better,” Blake said.
The majority of the players attend tournaments and continue practicing in the offseason to maintain their skills so they are prepared for the new season.
“We practice every day after school and over all of the breaks and during practice we do a lot of shooting and running to prepare us for the games,” Nobles said.
This year in particular, the team has a rigorous schedule and is facing many highly competitive teams across the state.
“We have been playing harder teams to get ready for this season so that we can already be prepared for when we get to playoffs,” Blake said. “We play some 4A teams and we also play the No. 1 seed from the 2A playoffs (Farmville Central) last year.”
Added Nobles: “You have to beat the best to be the best.”
Striving for success is nothing new for Blake. When he was in eighth grade, his team went undefeated and won the conference tournament for the first time in First Flight Middle School’s history.
When Blake and his teammates, who had been playing together since third grade, entered high school, coach Chad Williams decided to place seven freshmen on the varsity team so the clique wouldn’t be separated.
“They were the best players – they were better than the kids who were older than them,” Williams said. “Knowing they would get better going against the best players instead of the kids at the junior varsity level, we would not be at the level we are today if I didn’t make that decision.”
Starting on the varsity team as an underclassman allowed Blake to polish his playing strategies by playing with more experienced players.
“I used to not be that good at shooting, but I just kept practicing,” Blake said.
People have noticed. In another tweet, “Scout Clark” said, “Best shooter in the state… no debate needed… but also heck of an all-around player!!!”
He and his teammates have come a long way since those Parks and Rec days, and there’s plenty of fun ahead on this basketball journey together.
“I have met a lot of new people (through basketball) and it is helping me further my education after high school, which is probably the biggest impact it has had,” Blake said. “I hope to go Division I, but as of right now I only have Division II offers and some coaches from Division I schools have shown interest.”
Junior Simone Midgett can be reached at midgettsa0827@daretolearn.org.
