Recruiting Report 2019: Devon Dunn
Devon Dunn, 6’0″ CG,2019. St. Johns Cadets HS. Washington, DC.
Grassroots Team: Team Takeover
This summer Devon made a very loud statement in the DeMatha BSN Summer league with his outstanding 3 point shooting. Head Coach Patrick Behan took over the SJC summer league team in mid June after he was hired as the new St. Johns Head Coach after former Head Coach Sean McAloon accepted the Head Coaching position at the IMG Academy. However, there was a missing period of time for the SJC summer league team where the Cadets were in limbo without a Head Coach thru mid June. However, behind the scenes Coach McAloon accepted the IMG job on June 2, 2017 & called Head St. Mary Ryken Coach Patrick Behan the same day where an agreement was reached for Patrick Behan to become the new St. Johns Head Coach. This would prove to be an easy transition for the players & Coach Behan since he was an Assistant Coach under Coach McAloon in 2013/14. In mid June Coach Behan took over & coached the SJC summer league team at DeMatha BSN. Devon & his teammates thrived under Coach Behan as the Cadets played superb basketball & rolled thru the BSN playoffs to win the very prestigious DeMatha BSN Summer League Championship. Once Coach Behan took over the helms, Devon broke out. He impressed us in each outing showing us another dimension of his overall game. He knocked down shots from all angles & played with a very high IQ. Devon was so impressive we (I) named him a top 5 sharpshooter in the entire DMV. His range is well beyond the 3 point line & his shot mechanics are excellent. Devon possesses one the quickest releases we have seen & he drains his soft shot on a very, very consistent basis. This season Devon will play the role as the SJC 6th man & provide the Cadets with instant offense. We have nicknamed Devon Microwave due to how quickly he can light the scoreboard.
In mid June Devon came out of nowhere & quite frankly shocked us. However, his journey to reach his summer breakout is an interesting one which proves Devon’s determined & dedicated approach to basketball. Last September Devon began experiencing knee pain & two times weekly he would attend physical therapy at SJC & receive ice treatments. However, in October his knee flared up & Devon was diagnosed with a patella tendon injury. Electric Stimulation, isolation exercises& rangle of motion exercises were added to his PT curriculum. Despite periodic flareups Devon played very well for the SJC JV team while he continued his PT thru mid January. Head Coach Sean McAloon decided to move Devon up to the varsity while SJC was in thick of the WCAC race. Devon did not play any minutes on the varsity & in very late January, the Cadet Staff decided to shut Devon down from hard impact activities. However, he traveled with the team & suited up. Devon would warm up with SJC but would only watch the games to get a feel for varsity competition. The final game for SJC was on 3-11-17 at Alhambra ACIT Tournament which was played at Frostburg State University. In total Devon rested his knee for the entire months of February & March, but he was able to get shots up during his shutdown period.
During his sophomore year Head JV Coach Artie changed Devon’s shot mechanics which would allow Devon to become a dominant shooter. Coach Artie & Devon spent a lot time in the lab perfecting his new shooting stroke where the main agenda was to give Devon a lightning quick release. Devon adds” Coach Artie wanted me to become a one motion shooter much like Steph Curry. My previous shot release had to wait until my jump peaked & it took a lot of time to get it off. We worked on it daily & my shot became perfected in mid February. My new starting point is where I catch the ball & we positioned my legs a little to the left. Coach Artie helped me get more space in my palm so I could get a more consistent backspin rotation. He helped perfect my footwork for my shot preparation so I am in position when I catch the ball to let it go. Coach Artie did a fantastic job perfecting my shot & he is a great Coach.”
This past April Devon began working the varsity after his knee had fully healed. Devon adds, ” It took about 2 weeks to get my timing & aerobic conditioning back. Im April we performed basketball drills & ran 5 on 5 scrimmages. As my knee & legs got stronger my defense really improved. The SJC Coaches worked with with me on the court from April thru June.”
In mid June things really began to click for Devon. Coach Behan studied Devon & his game giving him an Identity. Devon adds, “Coach Behan instilled a great amount of confidence in my game. He wanted me to play the role of a lock-down defender & shot maker. My shot really got going in June & I was putting a lot reps. Coach Behan was very satisfied with my shooting mechanics & told me to let it roll. If I am open to shoot it or if I could make a quick move he wanted me to score. Coach took over in mid June & our whole team gelled. All our players understood & accepted their roles.” We witnessed the Cadets run their ball motion offense to perfection with superb ball movement in the DeMatha Summer League. SJC played extremely high IQ basketball & very high intense on ball defense. Every players’ game was thriving & the Cadets who already were a close knit team became ultra close. It was very easy to conclude the Cadet players are on the same page on & off the court. Devon gets it & so do his teammates. The Cadets are loaded of “IT” factor players on their tremendously deep roster.
We have been to SJC 6 times this preseason & have an excellent feel for their players & Devon. There is much more to Devon’s game than just shooting. This summer he proved he was a superb ball mover & facilitator who can make all the passes. Devon is very tough & he finishes at the rim thru contact. He performs all the intangibles by getting the 50/5o balls, rebounds in traffic, & playing with a very high motor. Devon is an excellent ball handler & is very capable of running the point. he is an expert at freezing his defender & going straight up on his jumper. He can break full court pressure with a straight blow bye or hesitation & go. Last week Devon made a spectacular play when he drove left & exploded in the air where he changed hands & converted a left handed bank shot. Also, Devon displayed several coast to coast plays off the dribble where he either scored or delivered a pint point pass. We believe his entire game will translate to live games this season & to college. Every aspect of his game is quick & compact. Devon reads the defense very well with his excellent court vision & IQ. He is a winner & despite being the Microwave scorer Devon can impact he game without scoring.
This Sunday we asked Devon how he works out & he says,” This summer & fall I worked out 6 plus days a week. Coach Butler worked with me on my ball-handling. We do a lot of strength & conditioning. Our team workouts focus on a lot of core work, & natural strength work such as pull ups & sit ups. Most if not all our players are at their target weights & the Coaches place a great emphasis of keeping our current weight. During our workouts we perform plyos such as ladders, resistance work & box jumps. We wear weighted chains when we do our push ups, pull ups & short quick burst runs. During the week we run 110 meters & 220 meter runs on the football field. On Saturdays we have hot yoga which helps with my flexibility & explosion. I am very happy with my current physical conditioning, but I want to get better.” The SJC players are very lean, strong & explosive. We have noticed several players who made excellent strides since summer & overall the SJC players are in elite condition.
Since March Devon discussed his improvements & says, ” I am jumping better with more explosion. My shot is more consistent & my ball-handling & defense have improved. My current goals are to get better on my 1 on 1 moves off the dribble & to continue working on my handle”. In his downtime Devon likes to study Steph Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook & Carmelo Anthony.
In the classroom Devon is an excellent student & maintains a 3.5 GPA. Possible college majors include Finance & Architecture. Deon is very close to his family & names his parents as role models. Currently Radford, Towson Sate & UMBC are showing heavy interest. Radford contacted Devon in July at he Hoop Group Tournament in PA, while Towson & UMBC made contact this fall during an SJC open gym. We currently rate Devon as a D1 mid major. Official practice begins this Wednesday to prepare SJC for their season opener on November 18 in an away game vs Calvert Hall in Baltimore. The Cadets play 3 more November games which are: November 21 vs Wise in a home contest, November 25 vs Philadelphia power Imhotep Charter away & November 28 at Bullis.
Please watch the videos below of SJC & Devon who is wearing #4.
Videos are courtesy of friend Marc Stern of Capitol Hoops