Dunn to run the show for Mustangs
Third-year point guard Tyson Dunn is looking to distribute — and score — his way to success and lead Western’s men’s basketball team into contention in OUA play this year.
(Photo: Barry Field Photography)
* * *
The One. The Point. The Floor General. It’s listed as ‘PG’ on your Yahoo! fantasy team app. Luka Doncic ranks as the highest one on NBA 2K23 (with a perfect offensive score, no less). And depending on your age, you had a poster of either Big O, Magic, AI, Steph, Diana, or even Nash on your bedroom wall.
The point guard position is, as Western Mustangs point Tyson Dunn describes it, “a lot.”
“It’s a lot of read-and-react. There’s a balance of knowing what you want to do with the ball versus what you’re able to do based on how the defense is playing,” he said. “I play that all out in my head, progressing through options. It’s a chess match all night long – and I love it.
“It’s one of those things that I don’t know if I’d be able to coach it or if I’d be able to explain it really well. I can just do it.”
Heading into his third OUA season, Dunn, one of the country’s top university point guards, is settling into a new role with the Purple and White, one that sees him leading both on and off the court.
* * *
He was the hoops standout in a hockey own.
Dunn grew up playing basketball, often against his older brother, in the driveway, on the street, in the gym. Wherever. Since he was 5, he had a ball in his hand.
“I fell in love with the game.”
It didn’t keep him from other sports, as his parents wanted him to test his interests. The Newmarket, Ont., native played on local club teams with his brother, and he vividly remembers weekend games where his parents were on the sidelines – dad as coach and mom the scorekeeper.
“It was a nice family event.”
Dunn played prep hoops for Newmarket High School in Grades 9-11, then transferred to Bond Secondary in Scarborough and Bill Crothers in Markham. The latter two stops, both playing in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA), put his game on display.
“Our high school team in Newmarket was pretty good as far as York region, AA ball, but I had a good feeling that if I wanted to play university or beyond, I had to go play prep ball and leave Newmarket,” he said.
“That experience did exactly what it was supposed to. It prepared me for what it’s like in university trying to balance the school and basketball. It’s a lot more. (OSBA) has a rigorous schedule, and it’s more like university ball in Canada than a local high school.”
On the court, Dunn grew his game quickly, thanks to seeing exceptional competition.
“The speed, the size, and the physicality of the game was definitely something to adjust to,” he said. “I like to think I made a pretty good adjustment. But it was a jump. You go down and play some of those teams down in The States, play those tournaments against big-time prep schools, it was a different thing. It wasn’t like going from Newmarket to Aurora to play a 4 p.m. game against a bunch of kids who don’t play basketball.”
Dunn laughed and continued, “It was a jump. But thanks to some good coaches, I learned a lot, picked up stuff pretty quickly and got the hang of it. It was definitely an eye-opening experience, to see that level of play, to see future NBA players. It was a cool experience.”
Dunn is the leading edge of a wave of Canadian basketball players coming up in a system that showcases their games while keeping them at home. Not long ago, an elite player living in Canada needed to eye an equally elite U.S. prep school to have a chance of continuing their career in university or as a pro.
Today, that is changing.
“If you look at university ball in Canada right now, compared to what it was even a few years ago, it’s gotten a lot better,” Dunn said. “A big reason is more guys are staying in Canada. Part of that is high school ball has definitely expanded. Now that we have the OSBA and other prep leagues and prep teams, you don’t have to go to The States. There are more opportunities for guys in Canada to showcase their game.”
(Photo: Barry Field Photography).
* * *
Western’s basketball culture was a huge draw for Dunn – from the coaching staff to the camaraderie among teammates. “It’s a good city for sports. It’s a good campus atmosphere. It was a great Kinesiology program.”
His Mustangs career didn’t get off to the quick start he’d hoped, as Dunn, a third-year point – but fourth-year student – will be among the last classes of COVID athletes to make their way through interrupted eligibility.
When he arrived on campus in Fall 2020, the team couldn’t use the gym. They worked out in their residence rooms. He was among the lucky ones, though, as his bottom-floor allowed for plenty of dribbling drills without complains from downstairs neighbours.
“It was weird because you saw guys fall off, you saw guys fall out of love with the game just based on not being able to play all the time,” Dunn recalled. “It took a lot out of you to know that eventually you’re going to get back, but for the time being you were just on your own trying to work out.
“For us in our first year coming into university, being in an entirely new experience, you felt a little bit alone,” Dunn continued. “You’re away from home. You’re in a residence with people you might not know and come to a new team and then, all of a sudden, you can’t actually play, you can’t meet anybody, you can’t develop that team camaraderie that you’re so used to throughout all your years playing basketball.”
Consider that Dunn wrapped the OSBA Finals on March 8, 2020. Just three days later, the world shut down. That meant the summer before he arrived on campus, Dunn played a lot of outdoor pickup hoops. (“Admittedly, a gray area if it was legal or not during COVID times,” he laughed.)
That experience, however, jumpstarted his scoring abilities. These were runs against guys at his level, or a bit weaker, and while winning always matters, the setting was better suited to working on skills that he rarely got a chance to explore in a more formalized practice or game setting (okay, and maybe a few streetball moves).
“It was a lost year for so many kids,” said Mustangs head coach Brad Campbell. “Then, we didn’t even play a full season the following year. So it wasn’t until last year, Tyson’s third year of school, that he got to experience a full season of play. These guys got short-changed until then.”
Campbell noticed the 6-foot-3 guard – and his primary standout skill – almost instantly.
“He’s an excellent decision-maker with the ball. He’s a very good passer in an era where passing is underplayed, an era with more hype and attention put on scoring,” Western’s coach said of Dunn, whose 139 assists ranked second in OUA play in 2022-23. “Passing is underrated, and he’s a phenomenal passer – and with that passing, he makes his teammates better.”
Western was also attractive because Dunn knew the Mustangs were graduating starting point guard Nikola Farkic. It was an opportunity to come in, fill a role, and contribute right away. He would also be playing alongside Western’s all-time leading scorer Omar Shiddo.
“I knew it was going to be good playing with him and learning from him – which I did,” Dunn said. “Then once Omar was gone, I would have the keys to the system. I saw that plan going in, which has all worked out to plan so far.”
Dunn was no stranger to playing side-by-side with scorers. At Crothers, he played alongside Kobe Elvis, the Brampton, Ont., native now playing for the University of Dayton. At that time, Elvis was one of the best pure scorers in the country. Like Omar, he could play point or shooting guard.
“It was a carryover to playing with Omar,” Dunn said.
Shiddo cast a long shadow over the program. On Nov. 5, 2021, he became the university’s all-time scoring leader. That year, he led the nation in points per game (28.2) and was third in total points (367) while playing three fewer games than the leader.
Playing with a pure scorer like Omar can often be a tough assignment for the backcourt partner.
“At times, it wasn’t the easiest. I’ll admit that,” said Dunn. “It wasn’t easy trying to figure out what he wanted to do – whether or not he wanted the ball in his hands or if he wanted me to create more for him, or create for others. It was a bit of a give-and-take in trying to figure out how to optimize both of us.
“We had an amazing scorer, a guy who led the league, led the country in scoring, an all-Canadian. But I come in and I have my talents, my skills that I bring to the table. It took a bit to figure out how to use us both to our full potential.”
(Photo: Barry Field Photography).
Sometimes things went well, other times they didn’t.
“There were moments where we naturally butted heads,” said Dunn. “There were times where it worked out well and other times where shit hit the fan. But it was a great experience for me. I learned a lot from him. I learned a lot about scoring from him. I learned a lot just watching him and practicing against him every day. If we had one more year, like if I was a year older, if he was a year younger, we could have done some damage.”
Following the shortened 2021-22 season, Dunn was named OUA West Rookie of the Year, only the fourth time in the program’s history that a Mustang had received the honour. He averaged just under 9 points per contest (8.2 PPG) on 46% shooting from the field. He was also sharp from distance, connecting on more than 30% of his three-point attempts. Meanwhile, he chipped in with 3.6 rebounds per game, posted 3.4 assists per outing, and finished just outside the conference’s top-10 with 27 steals.
“It makes everything easier when you have a point guard who is not only a very good passer, but also has a high IQ,” Campbell said. “That means you can have an extension of the coach on the floor at all times. Tyson not only knows his position and responsibilities, but he knows everyone else’s positional aspects. He’s another set of eyes and ears out there. That means I can put more control in the players’ hands. His understanding allows me to empower the whole team.”
* * *
A natural point, Dunn grew up undersized and playing a year up – a good formula to learn how to survive in the game quickly.
“I always had the ball in my hands. I was a pass-first point guard. That’s how I learned and developed,” he said. “Then I grew and moved down to my own age and started scoring a little bit more and learning the game from a scoring standpoint.”
Playing with scorers like Elvis and Shiddo, along with work alongside London-based player development coach Dave Sewell, refined Dunn’s scoring game this past summer.
“He’s an old-school player with a lot of the new school mixed in,” said Sewell. “He’s that old-school, pass-first point guard that you don’t see anymore. He’s an all-around guy; he rebounds well for a point; he can pass; he can score. He does it all.”
Even as a passer, though, Dunn has work to do. While he was in the top two for assists last season, he was also among the top two in turnovers with 85.
“He can pass. Sometimes those passes can get out of control,” Sewell said, “but that comes with the nature of the position.”
For a shot guru like Sewell, pass-first mindsets might seem like a challenge to help train and develop. But in Dunn, Sewell sees a scorer at heart.
“Tyson wants to open up his game a lot more by getting more consistent with his shooting. We talked about his game beyond university, and there’s lots of potential there. His game would really translate, especially in Europe. He could have a long career over there. He’s quite talented.”
Dunn agrees. “I have improved a lot, from shooting mechanics, in general, to my overall offensive bag. Along with passing and creating, I can playmake and use a ball screen any time I want. Knowing how to score off of it is something I’ve been trying to improve, and I like to think that I have.”
* * *
The Mustangs open the 2023-24 OUA regular season against the defending OUA West champion Windsor Lancers Oct. 31 in Alumni Hall. The squad returns its starting five from last year, including Aryan Sharma, the 6-foot-5 forward who led the team in scoring and rebounding (23.4 points, 6.1 rebounds per game) in 2022-23 – and played for the Montreal Alliance in the CEBL this summer.
From his own game, Dunn wants to continue working on his shot – different variations of coming off ball screens, catch-and-shoot stuff. Playmaking is still top of mind, and that means nudging that assist-to-turnover ratio in a better direction.
“I’m hoping to clean some of that up, take care of the ball a bit better, and then overall just finish better,” he said.
Additionally, Dunn sees himself as having a new role – leader.
“I’m taking a bit of a more leadership role and trying as much as I can to lead our team, especially defensively,” said Dunn, who was named a team co-captain along with Sharma and forward George Horn. “I’ve always enjoyed leading guys, putting them where they’re supposed to be, teaching them stuff they’re not too sure of, and just helping guys out. I’ve always kind of just felt like that natural-born leader.”
The defending champion London Lightning begin their title defense Nov. 23 on the road vs. Sudbury, the first of a 34-game schedule that runs thru March. Home opener happens Nov. 28 vs. Newfoundland.