Pittsburgh Recruiting

CATCHING UP WITH DARNELL DODSON

DC-native will return to Pittsburgh after season at Miami-Dade

The college basketball career of Darnell Dodson took a detour on the path from high school star to Division 1-A player when a qualifying snafu forced him to leave Pittsburgh early in his freshman year and transfer to Miami-Dade Community College. Now, Dodson is preparing to return the court this year for Miami-Dade and coach Matt Eisele to finish off his detour and return to the Division 1-A college basketball ranks.

“Darnell Dodson is doing great,” Eisele told the NBE Basketball Report. “He visited Pittsburgh over the summer and will return to Pitt after this year.”

After leaving Pittsburgh last fall, Dodson sat out the season at Miami-Dade as a redshirt to get his academics in order and to preserve a year of eligibility upon his return. So, far, everything seems to be going as planned.

“Right now it’s looking like I’m going to be at Miami-Dade another year,” Dodson said. “My grades have been good, now I think it’s around a 3.0 (GPA).”

Sentiments echoed by his current coach.

“He will have three years (at Pitt),” Eisele said. “He is a Big Time Player (capitalized for emphasis) and very excited about joining the Pitt family.”

Currently Dodson stands 6-foot-7 and weighs in at an estimated 210 pounds. Always known as a tremendous shooter with deep range, Dodson has worked very hard at elevating his complete game to be ready for a big season ahead and the change to make an early impact at the next level as well.

“All summer I was working out at Miami-Dade with the weights and in the gym with shooting drills, ball-handling, conditioning etc,” Dodson said. Since I’ve been home I have been working out up at my old high school with coach O’Connell.”

Even though his shooting is his biggest strength, he continues to put in the time working on it. It is other areas though that make him more of a complete offensive threat that he is excited to show off beginning this year.

“Actually there is two areas of my game that has improved the most since high school,” Dodson explained. “My ability to get to the basket and finish and my strength, I’m bigger than I was in high school. The best I can say about what area (I am) improving on the most before I go back is to continue to get stronger and ball handling.”

In high school, Dodson decided on Pittsburgh the summer before his senior season over burgeoning interest from Maryland, Georgetown, Florida, Virginia Tech and others. He had a very strong connection to the Pitt coaching staff, including Mike Rice, the main contact in his recruiting, and Pitt Director of Basketball Operations, David Cox, who worked within the DC Assault program where Dodson played his AAU ball. Since that commitment, the Pitt staff has undergone several changes as Rice is now the head coach of Robert Morris College, Cox is an assistant and Georgetown and another Pitt assistant, Orlando Antigua has moved to Memphis, where Miami-Dade CC teammate Will Coleman recently committed to. Dodson still feels a connection to the new-look staff and understands the process that happens with assistants.

“I mean things happen you know and I knew both of the coaches well and we were close,” Dodson said of coach Rice and coach Cox. I would say a better opportunity came up, I wanted them to take the jobs. “(Now) I talk with coach (Brandin) Knight and (Tom) Herrion…often.”

Even with his future at Division 1-A seemingly within reach, do not expect Dodson to mail it in this coming season while looking ahead to a bigger stage. He has the attitude coaches love and goals are set high and he will work to attain them.

“I mean it’s basketball, I’m going to be excited to play anyway, whatever jersey I’m in that game I’m playing to win,” Dodson stated. “Yeah I know it’s around the corner,” Dodson said of his return to Division 1-A, “but I have a commitment to the Miami-Dade program right now.”

“My goals this year are just to continue to get better and become a better all-around player and win a national championship.”

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