With the signing of three five-stars, two four-stars, and three players through the Transfer Portal, Arkansas Basketball and head coach [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag] are setting up for future success by winning on the recruiting trail.
One of the new additions to the 2022-23 roster will be freshman [autotag]Barry Dunning[/autotag], a 6-6 small forward from McGill-Toolen Catholic High School in Mobile, Ala. In his senior season, Dunning averaged 25.3 points and 12.9 rebounds, which led him to be named Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Alabama for the second straight season, as well as being named Alabama’s Mr. Basketball.
In the latest episode of the “AHSAA Podcast” Dunning, as well as his high school head coach Phillip Murphy, joined host Caleb Brooks to discuss the 2021-22 season for the Yellow Jackets. While Dunning played a key role in McGill-Toolen’s run to the Alabama High School Athletic Association Final Four, his biggest contribution was moving the ball and helping his teammates perform to the best of their abilities. Dunning says on the podcast that moving the basketball and seeing his teammates score brings him as much joy as scoring 25 points himself in a playoff game.
“Just seeing everybody eat, it’s the best thing ever,” says Dunning. “I smile when I see someone shoot a three, or even get a dunk, everyone will be surprised if I do some type of flashy or crazy pass and they get a layup. It’s just a good feeling.”
Helping teammates achieve their goals of having great stats is something that Dunning has applied his entire career. Dunning’s high school head coach, Phillip Murphy, says that is the first thing he teaches his players when they begin playing in his program, to play basketball “the right way.” Murphy has taught this mindset well, as Dunning has balanced being a great player as well as being a great teammate.
“You can see by his career stats that he has scored over 2,000 career points, he’s the all-time leading scorer in school history and has over 1,000 rebounds, he’s the all-time leader there,” says Murphy. “You can play the right way, and still get numbers.”
Why does Murphy work tirelessly to instill this mindset into his players? He says that its all about helping them in the next step of their career.
“When they get (to college), we would like to think that they are ready to go as soon as they walk on that floor. They understand terminology, and learn to play the game the right way.” says Murphy.
Listen to Caleb Brooks’ entire interview with Barry Dunning and his high school head coach Phillip Murphy below, starting at the 34:25 mark of the podcast.
[lawrence-related id=7569]