MarshallÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Mikal Dawson (23) defends against PikevilleÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Conner Lane (3) in an exhibition game on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington.
MarshallÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Mikal Dawson (23) defends against PikevilleÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Conner Lane (3) in an exhibition game on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington.
HUNTINGTON ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Merely coming back home to play basketball was never going to be enough for Mikal Dawson, who transferred from Akron to play his final season at Marshall.
He wanted to make a difference on a Thundering Herd team with renewed energy after a coaching change and that is eager to prove itself after falling well short of its ultimate goal a year ago.
Dawson was the first transfer brought in by first-year coach Cornelius Jackson after he replaced Dan DÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™Antoni following the 2023-24 season. He has brought more to the table that Jackson anticipated.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œMike Dawson, heÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s a winner. He won at a high level at Akron, and IÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve been so impressed with his maturity,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Jackson said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI knew Mike, but I didnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t (truly) know Mike until he got here, and his work ethic is unbelievable. His maturity, the way he approaches things day in and day out, has really stood out to me since heÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s been here in a short time.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s reminiscent of how DÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™Antoni talked about Nate Martin after he transferred to the Herd from Texas State before last season. Martin, whom Jackson recruited, made an immediate impact, averaging a double-double in 2023-24 while leading the Herd in rebounding by a hefty margin, with 158 more than the second-highest rebounder on the team.
Dawson said JacksonÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s energy and passion sold him on the Herd, combined with the opportunity to continue a long history of basketball for the Huntington native.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI think itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s probably the best the best fit ever,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Dawson said during MarshallÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s media day event. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI mean, to start out playing here, Huntington High, Huntington Middle, into Huntington Prep, then going away, it was kind of difficult because I couldnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t play in front of my friends and family, and just to do it here for my last around (is special).ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s a far cry from where he sat just a handful of years ago, sitting in the crowd at the Cam Henderson Center watching former players from Damier Pitts and DeAndre Kane to Ajdin Penava, Jon Elmore and CJ Burks.
The scenario is now flipped, and a younger generation with college basketball aspirations will have the chance to watch him play in the same arena ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” a feeling he said ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œoverwhelms him with joy.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI do think itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s gonna be a fun year. ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s funny, because I was talking to some of my friends in the summer that it hasnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t really even like hit me that IÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™m actually playing for Marshall,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Dawson said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œLike, it wonÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t hit me until that first game. I just canÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t wait.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
Sunday was his first chance to play in front of the home crowd during an exhibition win over the University of Pikeville. Marshall opens the regular season slate Monday evening against Davis and Elkins.
Luke Creasy is a sports reporter for HD ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥. He can be reached by phone at 304-526-2800.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
