City of Basketball Love

By Mark Jordan (@mnjsports)
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When Dylan Blair steps onto a basketball court for the West Chester University men’s basketball team, he knows beyond a doubt that his father will see everything he does. Every move. Every time. His dad makes every game, home or away.

Damien Blair, Dylan’s father, is the head coach of the Golden Rams. And right now, he must be feeling pretty good. 

Together, they make a pretty dangerous combination. 

“We maybe have a little bit closer connection between us than the rest of the guys on the team” Damian Blair said with a laugh. “When I’m yelling and cursing at him, I know what he’s thinking in his head. You know, it’s good, and he understands me too.”

The younger Blair chuckled, saying “It’s an interesting dynamic. Teammates will come up to me and say, ‘Your dad said this’ and I’ll say, ‘Yeah, that sounds like my dad.’”

Dylan, a Downingtown West grad and sophomore transfer from Army West Point, led a 78-70 victory on Thursday over previously undefeated Jefferson University with a stat line any parent would be proud of. 

Blair finished with a career-high 21 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the field, including a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. Given his six assists, three steals, three rebounds and only one turnover in 29 minutes of play, he’d be happy to rely on such production on a regular basis. In the first three games of the season, Blair had struggled from the outside, going a combined 1-9 from 3-point range.

“He’s got a real feel for the game, and he’s a true point guard,” Damien Blair said. “When you’re knockin’ down shots from the perimeter, then they gotta run at you, and then he can get in there and make some plays.”

The game got off to a sloppy start, with both teams turning the ball over and missing shots. Gradually, Jefferson eked out a four-point advantage at the 12:34 mark. Then the Golden Rams started hitting their shots, and the visiting Rams didn’t. Over the next ten minutes, West Chester erased their deficit and led by as many as twelve points before closing out the first half ahead 36-31.

The second half didn’t get much better for Jefferson (4-1). They struggled to pull even in the first ten minutes of the half, forging their final lead of the game at 53-51 with 10:46 remaining in the game. After that, West Chester (2-2) shot back into the lead and never looked back. 

The only bright spot for Jefferson was the performance of Ashton Miller, who poured in 21 of his game-high 26 points in the second half. Jefferson came in tonight averaging 43% from 3-point range, but could only connect on 7 out of 28 long-range attempts. 

Executing a frenetic defense, the Golden Rams stymied Jefferson time and again, forcing them into 21 turnovers and almost 15 points below their 84 ppg average. They successfully cut off passing and driving lanes, contested nearly every shot, and constantly swatted at the ball whenever a Jefferson player put it on the floor. It was all the more remarkable considering their 6-8 senior leader, Joshua Walker, was unable to play. The team hopes that he’ll be returning for one of the weekend games. 

West Chester had their best shooting night of the young season, nailing 29 of 55 attempts for almost 53% from the field, and 7-14 (50%) from distance. In addition to Blair’s 21, Elijah Allen contributed 14 points on 5-11 (45.5%}, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, and Anthony Purnell Jr. added 13 points on 6-7 (85.7%) sharpshooting. And when Jefferson tightened their perimeter defense, Davante Dennis and Moro Osumanu (Reading High) delivered big points down under the basket.

“I have a passion to win,” Blair stated, “and he [Dylan] has the same passion too. And you see it in the way he’s all over the floor, trying to make a steal, whether it’s an assist, whether it’s a big play at the basket, a big rebound, and we need guys like that.”

Everywhere you looked, you could see Golden Rams flying around the court like fish in a feeding frenzy.

“Our philosophy is to be in your face for forty minutes and try to wear you down because we have enough guys on the bench that can come in and give a really high level of effort,” Damien Blair said. Thinking about the final seven or eight minutes of the game, he mused, “One kept attacking us, but the rest of them got a little bit tired and then they shut down a bit, and they were bowing [their heads] and I thought that was the difference in the game.”

Dylan Blair added, “I think they get most of their threes from attacking and kicking, and we really honed in on staying in the gaps, forcing them to pinch a second earlier, and then get back to our guy, holding a high hand over the ball. I think we frustrated them a little bit.”

Overall, West Chester brought an exceptional team effort, putting truth to Damien Blair’s opinion that “the team is starting to figure out who they are.” 

As for father and son, this should be a happy Thanksgiving. Asked if Dylan had earned the right to carve the turkey next week, Blair just laughed, saying “That’s not my decision — that’s not my job. He’ll have to ask his mom,” cementing the notion of who is the real boss of this effective duo.