Dallin Bachynski – King of the Paint

www.krammag.com
Jonas Emilsson

Dallin Bachynski still remembers the day he watched is older brother Jordan throw down five dunks in one game.

He has been on a mission to one-up that performance ever since.

“He’s the one who actually got me started about thinking to dunk,” said Dallin about his brother’s influences. “I watched him get five dunks in a game and I was like ‘you can’t do much better than that’, and now I want to see if I can do more than him. I want to see if I can get six dunks in a game.”

The similarities between Dallin and his older brother go well beyond dunking a basketball.

Both brothers are big – really big. Jordan is 7’1” and weighs in at 245 pounds. Dallin is currently 6’10” and tips the scale at 220 pounds, but according to some recent x-rays his growth plates are still open, meaning he’ll most likely be a seven footer by the time he’s finished growing.

Dallin Bachynski

Jordan has yet to commit to a post secondary school since he’s currently serving a Spanish speaking mission in southern Florida with the Mormon church, but interest from some big-time NCAA Div I schools have been steadily rolling in.

Dallin is also fielding plenty of interest from the basketball programs at Louisana Tech, Brigham Young University and Southern Utah University, but he’s likely to head out on a mission of his own before deciding where he wants to play.

For now, his main priority is helping the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs defend the city championship they won last season.

On last year’s team he was one of the go-to inside guys, but as a grade 11 student on a team with players like Trevor DeBolt (currently playing ball for the U of C Dinos) and Jordan Tudor leading the way, Dallin had the luxury of being able to sit back and learn what it takes to be an effective leader.

He’s obviously a good student, because this year he’s embraced the role of a leader.

Dallin Bachynski

“We haven’t named a team captain in a number of years because we’ve been fortunate enough to have basically 10 or 12 captains,” said Bulldogs’ head coach Mike Fullerton.
“This year’s team is young and somewhat inexperienced and for the first time in a lot of years we’ve named two team captains, and Dallin is one of them.”

Jinil Kim is the other player named a team captain.

Besides stepping up and becoming a leader, Dallin has been working hard on his low post game to get himself prepared for battles he’ll face at the next level.

One man Dallin feels has the know-how to make him all that he can be is Southern Utah Universities’ head coach Roger Reid, a man that has spent many years producing quality big men in the US.

Before taking on the coaching reigns at SUU, Reid was an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns, so the man obviously knows a few things about the game of basketball.

Judging by the improvement in Dallin’s game it’s obvious that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to reach his full potential.

“He’s come so far since last year,” said Fullerton. “His mental game is probably what has improved the most and when things don’t go well he doesn’t let it affect him.”

Fullerton also credits some technical improvements in Dallin’s game, mainly his footwork and how he’s finally starting to use his massive frame to his advantage.

“He is on balance now and he’s worked hard at that,” stated Fullerton. “He has a wide base and as a result he’s definitely improved his game.”

When he’s not backing his opponents into the paint Dallin has been showing off his ability to square up and hit the open jump shot.

“He’s our best shooter but we never give him a chance to show it,” said Fullerton with a smile.

In last week’s Kram Game of the Week, a 101-84 victory over the Bishop McNally Wolves, Dallin was able to unleash his entire offensive repertoire to the tune of a game-high 24 points. Along with the hoops he also pulled in 14 rebounds and added three steals.

As for his goal to beat his brother’s five dunks in one game record, Dallin was held to just one two handed flush.

But the dunk did help him in another season-long competition he’s having with his teammate Brad Clark, another high flying Bulldog big man, to see who will have the most dunks by the end of the season.

“I’m up by five dunks,” said Dallin. “But it helped when I had three dunks in one game earlier this season.”

KRAM 5 With Dallin Bachynski
What is your favorite pre-game meal? Creamy Bacon Carbonara with a little bit of chocolate milk and some bread.
What is your favorite TV show? Pushing Daisies
If you could play at any college of your choice, which one? North Carolina or UCLA
Who is your favorite NBA team? Toronto Raptors
What is your sneaker of choice? Nike Hyperdunks