SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 26, 2010) – Walking through the hallowed halls of the National Basketball Hall of Fame, Stephen Dennis pinched himself a few times upon spotting the sight of the actual brown hardwood floor and the actual location where Michael Jordan made his game-winning shot in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz.
“I made sure I rubbed that spot like four times,” Dennis said. “I also got a chance to see all six of Michael Jordan's championship rings. I had never been to the Hall of Fame before so it was a great experience just visiting.”
Dennis was in western Massachusetts competing in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)/Division II All-Star Game. Dennis, the newly-minted Daktronics Division II National Player of the Year, had a blast playing among the nation's best players. Dennis more than held his own as he was one of three players on the East squad to score a team-high 17 points in a 131-125 overtime defeat to West Friday in a game played at the Basketball Hall of Fame.
“I didn't think they let anybody play on that court at the Hall of Fame,” Dennis said. “That was real cool and it was just an honor to be a part of this contest. It was weird at first because I kept saying to myself, 'this is the Hall of Fame and I am playing on this court'. It was a good game and I had a lot of fun.”
Dennis sizzled and did a great job of representing Kutztown. The silky-smooth 6 foot, 6 inch senior guard made 8-of-11 shots from the field, grabbed three rebounds, handed out three assists and made one steal in 21 minutes. Wearing the number 23 in tribute to his favorite player, Dennis also made all three of his shots in the first half.
His first basket with 11 minutes, 58 seconds remaining in the first half gave the East a 24-22 lead. Dennis' next shot 28 seconds later -- a jumper -- extended his team's lead to 26-22. He scored his third basket with 9:32 left in the first half and that gave the East a 32-27 edge. In the second half, Dennis scored a layup 26 seconds after intermission that extended the East's lead to 60-53. At the 17:30 mark of the second half another Dennis layup cut the East's deficit to 65-64.
Later in the second half, a Dennis tip-in with 9:30 remaining gave the East an 88-87 lead. Dennis' only 3-pointer of the game with 6:44 remaining in regulation cut the West's advantage to 94-93. His final basket came with 45 seconds left in overtime and proved to be the East's final points of the game.
Dennis did bring the crowd to its feet with a wicked crossover dribble and dropped in a sweet one-handed floating jumper. He also practiced some windmill dunks in the pre-game layup line. In addition to touring the Hall of Fame, Dennis and the all-stars had a nice time interacting with the kids in attendance and signing autographs.
“Seeing the reaction of the kids when you sign autographs or give them some of your time makes you feel appreciated,” Dennis said. “Sometimes, you don't realize the impact that you have on little kids when you're playing and focused on the season.”
With his impressive all-star outing, Dennis is preparing for his future. He is excited about the opportunity to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a showcase in which scouts from every NBA team attend, in two weeks.
However, for one night, Dennis savored the opportunity of being surrounded by some talented players in a relaxed atmosphere.
The teams combined for some ridiculous numbers: launching 206 shots, with 72 of them coming from 3-point distance, grabbing 102 rebounds, delivering 45 assists and scoring 256 points. The most amazing statistic was that during the high-flying, fast-paced game was that there were only six dunks. Thirteen of the 20 players who played reached double figures.
Mike Domiguez of the East forced overtime when he swished a game-tying 3-pointer with four seconds remaining. The West outscored the East, 16-10, in overtime. Named the Most Outstanding Players for their respective squads was Laurence Ekperigin of Le Moyne (East) and Sanijay Watts of Central Missouri and Kyle Moore of Tusculum (West).
“There were no slouches out there on the court tonight,” Dennis said. “We all played hard and nobody wanted to lose so that's what really made it a great game. Just being able to play with some of the best players in Division II is something I will always remember. I still got a chance to show what I can do as well.”
--KU--
