Recruiting Report: DJ Dial (2019)
One of the best freshmen in Northeast Ohio is Brush point guard DJ Dial. The 5-foot-7 floor general leads the team in assists and is second on the team in points, while leading the Arcs to a 3-0 start in…
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Continue ReadingOne of the best freshmen in Northeast Ohio is Brush point guard DJ Dial. The 5-foot-7 floor general leads the team in assists and is second on the team in points, while leading the Arcs to a 3-0 start in conference play.
Dial is already on a good path towards many of the goals he has for his four years at Brush.
“I want to be the all-time assist and points leader at Brush,” Dial said. “And for team goals, I want to win a conference championship every year down there.”
Dial first got into basketball when he was two years old and started playing with his cousin on a Fisher Price hoop. It wasn’t long after that when he started showing others what he could bring to a team.
“I started to get in my own groove in 1st grade, when I played up two grade levels,” Dial said. “Before I got there, we had a losing record. When I got there there, we went 8-0 and won two CYO championships.”
An attacking point guard who can get the basket, Dial has continued to show he can play against older competition by being a reliable scorer from Brush despite often being the youngest player on the floor. To take his game to the next level, he’s trying to adjust to the speed and size of his opponents.
Initially, one of the biggest obstacles he had to overcome was being vocal enough to get the upperclassmen to follow him. It’s something that he now has under control.
“It’s a big adjustment because at first they don’t want to listen to you because you’re a freshman,” Dial said. “They want to do what they want to do. As a point guard, I have to be the one that sets everything up.”
Dial wants to be a point guard who can do everything. He loves watching Kyrie Irving and Rajon Rondo because he wants to be able to score and get to the basket like Irving and set up his teammates like Rondo.
His coach, Chet Mason, has a longtime affiliation with the Cleveland Cavaliers and has played with Irving in the past. Learning from Mason as helped Dial a lot.
“I have someone who’s been where I’m trying to go,” Dial said. “Him being as successful as he was and being my coach allows me to have a mentor that I can learn from everyday.”
As only a freshman, Dial hasn’t received too much college interest yet, although Mason said discussions have picked up lately. Still, it’s on Dial’s mind, and he believes that he can be the type of young man that every program is looking for.
“I’m a good humble kid who likes to come early to the gym and leave late,” Dial said. “And in school, I’ve been an honor roll student my whole life.”