Dudzinski brings a work ethic that matches talent

David Dudzinski has a single-minded purpose as the opening of a new basketball season and Thanksgiving are once again intertwined.

"If mentally counts, it would be 24 hours a day," the Kaneland 6-foot-9 post player said when asked his physical devotion to the sport during preseason. "From the moment the horn sounded in the regional (loss) last year until now, all I have been thinking about is my senior year."

It would be grossly unfair, however, to stereotype the Knights' three-year varsity standout as the Kaneland boys basketball team prepares for its season opener against Aurora Christian at the eight-team Sycamore tournament next Tuesday.

Dudzinski excels in the classroom as well, where he is ranked second in his class, and the combination of academic excellence and athletic prowess has earned the Knights' big man a scholarship to Holy Cross, a noted liberal arts college in Worchester, Mass.

Dudzinski selected the Patriot League member over similar offers from Loyola, Austin Peay and "a bunch of Ivy League schools."

"It's a great, unique situation for me," Dudzinski said of her his Division I scholarship. "(Holy Cross) felt the best for me."

Competing at the next level is well down the list of his immediate concerns, though, and Dudzinski is a common thread in not only the current state of the Knights' program but also the predicted course of the Western Sun Conference. The league will dissolve at the conclusion of the current school year, but Dudzinski could very well be at the epicenter of its basketball denouement.

With heavy graduation losses to defending champion Geneva and league standard-bearer Batavia, much of the media glare literally centers around Dudzinski and DeKalb senior Jordan Threloff, who recently committed to Illinois State.

"I have been playing against him since fifth grade," Dudzinski said of his 6-foot-10, 260-pound DeKalb counterpart. "We have a pretty good competitive relationship. It is going to make the rivalry with DeKalb all that much better."

"I think both of them are very fine players," Batavia coach Jim Roberts said. "They will both be forces to reckon with."

But their respective playing styles could not be in greater contrast. Threloff is a classic back-to-the-basket post who overpowers with his brute strength; Dudzinski, though, is the studied case of a small trapped in a larger body. In other words, Dudzinski showcases range with the jumper while refusing to abandon the historic duties of a center: rebounding and defensive intimidator.

Dudzinski enters his third year on varsity after posting team bests of 17 points and nearly 10 rebounds a game last season, which ended with the Knights posting a break-even 13-13 mark.

"I'm not too concerned about my (offensive) numbers," Dudzinski said. "Individually, I'd like to be more confident with my outside game. Overall, that should help diversify my game."

The Knight also have a new program director; Brian Johnson, who was on the staff at West Aurora last year after six years at Dundee-Crown, takes over for Dennis Hansen.

"I didn't know much about David until the position opened up," Johnson said. "I knew I was going into a situation with kids who are tough-minded, who play multiple sports. Knowing I was going to have someone like David was a nice piece of the puzzle to have."

Dudzinski is fully aware much will be expected of him, especially as the last line of defense in the paint as Johnson incorporates a new look.

"It's a big switch from what we did last year," Dudzinski said of the Knights' philosophical departure. "We were probably a 95 percent zone team."

Johnson intends to employ the lockdown man-to-man defense, with Dudzinski as its linchpin, that West Aurora coach Gordie Kerkman inculcated in him his during his brief tenure with the Blackhawks.

"I don't think I could be the coach I am without that year at West Aurora," Johnson said. "I preach to the guys that good shot-blockers are good help defenders - and that's exactly what David is."

It is a message Dudzinski and his teammates have already digested.

"Coach keeps stressing that we have to own up to our roles," Dudzinski said.

Dudzinski also offers his team a security blanket, the one known commodity who has the pedigree to be a difference-maker down the stretch.

"We can rely on him to close out games," said senior guard Steve Colombe.

He also provides opposing coaches with game-planning neutralizing difficulties.

"(Dudzinski) is a big, young man who can move, a space eater with strength and agility," said Roberts. "Obviously, a good combination to have."

In addition, his work ethic in the classroom and gymnasium is equally indistinguishable. The Knights' Friday afternoon practice session was rapidly turning into the early evening hours when he was asked if he had any looming social engagements.

"These," he said, cradling a basketball while practicing free throws, "are my plans."