Josh Dawson didn’t lead his team in scoring, didn’t provide highlight-reel dunks and didn’t wow Division I scouts. But what he did do was make all of those things happen.
All told, Dawson was the driving force behind Kinston’s state championship.
The senior’s leadership during games and in practice, and his unselfishness with the basketball got his teammates most of the glory in a historic season for both the Vikings and Dawson, who has been named The Free Press’ boys basketball player of the year for the second year in a row.
“Josh is a special, special player, not just the way he plays but because of how he plays,” first-year coach Perry Tyndall said. “He was the one that got everything going for us.”
Dawson, who averaged 13.9 points and 6.2 assists as a junior, netted 11.7 points and seven assists per game this season on a team that had more than its fair share of scorers.
So, instead of being the one who wanted the ball in his hands, he decided to be the one to put it in the hands of others.
Dawson’s alley-oop passes to senior Denzel Keyes ignited the crowd several times each game, and his court vision found sophomore Brandon Ingram alone in the corner for a 3 many times as Kinston captured its second consecutive NCHSAA state 2A title with yet another three-point win over Waxhaw Cuthbertson last month.
“I just love getting my teammates involved. That’s my role on this team. That and to be a leader,” Dawson said.
All too often Dawson, who was also named the player of the year for the Eastern Plains 2A Conference, would pass up an open shot or drive just to get an assist.
During home games, the 6-foot-1 guard would walk by the scorer’s table and ask not how many points he had, but how many assists.
He sat a career mark with 15 dimes in a win against Tarboro on Feb. 5.
“Josh just loves to distribute the basketball,” Tyndall said. “He’s a great teammate and a great asset to our team.”
After the Vikings’ last loss, Dawson put it on his shoulders to make sure they didn’t lose again.
Until the final possible game of the season, they didn’t come close to losing.
Already playing at a high level, Dawson stepped up his play even more following his team’s loss to Cuthbertson in late December. He was named the regional most outstanding player in Fayetteville, then followed that up with a 12-point, seven-rebound, five-assist performance in the title game on his way to being named the East’s Most Valuable Player.
Dawson, who’s played varsity since he was a freshman, will graduate this year as the school’s most decorated hoopster in terms of titles won.
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.