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It all began for Dalton Knecht in Fargo, North Dakota, one of the most remote places in America known much more for ice dams caused by floods than basketball stars.
Then his life stayed out yonder. He ended up in Henderson High School in Henderson, Colorado, some 20 miles north of Broncos Town. In his sophomore year, he was only five foot eight – diminutive by basketball standards.
He grew, and that helped, and went on to have a reasonable – although nothing special – high school hoops career.
No big names came around offering him scholarships. Nor did medium names. So, he went 130 miles to play college hoops for Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, CO. He grew to six feet six, honed his shot, got quicker, and his stats became more impressive.
This all led to Tennessee offering him a scholarship to play for them this season
Then his life changed.
This year he scored 40 points against Kentucky, gave 39 to Auburn and Florida, 37 to North Carolina, and 36 to Georgia.
What?
First-Team All-American. SEC Player of the Year. On Friday night he’ll be the key guy for Tennessee in its Sweet 16 game against Creighton in Detroit, MI.
This guy – I prefer calling him Dalton Connect because he connects from three land and it’s how his last name is pronounced, has got to be First Team All Sportface.
From North Dakota to junior college to First Team All-American – a guy the basketball world hardly knew just a few years ago who now has burst onto the biggest stage in college basketball and stunned onlookers. From small places to giant courts. From a few people watching to tens of millions. A Sportface story all the way to its core.
A similar long-shot story is unfolding in the South Region when Tyler Kolek of Marquette will lead his team against NC State in Dallas Friday night in another huge Sweet 16 chance to go to the Final Four – college basketball’s wonderland – in Phoenix.
Phoenix is a lifetime, culture, and country away from Cumberland, Rhode Island.
Heard of Cumberland, Rhode Island? Maybe not but maybe you’re a convenience store junkie and have popped into Cumberland Farms, which gets its name from Cumberland Rhode Island because its business has origins there.
OK, fine, you say, stop and get a Slurpee, but what gives? What gives is Cumberland, which is eight miles north of Providence, is where Kolek grew up and started his basketball journey. Like Connect, he wasn’t widely recruited despite being the 2019 Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year.
Blue-blood coaches must have been skeptical of how good he was. They’re often wrong about who’s actually good. So, he went to George Mason College and then transferred to Marquette.
This year – get this – he also made the All-American team and won the Big East Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Now everybody knows how good he is. A point guard, he dominates the game with his controlled offensive approach, accurate passes, and slick shots.
A First Team All Sportfacer.
Let’s hope both these guys from small places do big things in the Sweet 16 and get to the biggest basketball stage they’ve ever been on.
The Final Four.
Two guys from Nowhere, America.
Hooping.
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Sammy Sportface, a sports blogger, galvanizes, inspires, and amuses The Baby Boomer Brotherhood. And you can learn about his vision and join this group's Facebook page here:
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