Dexter Dennis saw himself as the complete basketball player. He always loved the game.
This past basketball season, he and his fellow teammates took the team to Elite 8 in the Class 3A High School Basketball tournament. Basketball at Baker High School was back and Dennis was the leader of the pack. The Baker basketball team brought big crowds to the games and ignited pride in the community. Reminiscing about his final season and the ever-present community support, he recalls, “You could feel how packed it was in the gym.”
The 6’5” Dennis earned the District 6-3A Most Valuable Player award and he was first-team All-State in District 3A. Dennis was also an honor student, amassing a 4.2 grade point average.
He was skilled at balancing the books and the basketball. In his opinion, that “…was not tough. Not tough at all.” On the subject of his grades, he attributes his motivation to his mother. “When I was young, my mom pushed me to get good grades.” The 18-year-old shared that he draws inspiration from reading about great players like Michael Jordan. But he said another story struck him. Dennis is also inspired by stories about athletes who have overcome challenging circumstances and hardships. He recounted the story of an NBA athlete whose family was once evicted from their home. “You never know what some people are going through.”
Basketball is not Dexter Dennis’ only passion. “I like to cook and I can cook anything I want to eat,” he said, professing that he is very skilled at preparing fried chicken, baked chicken, shrimp alfredo and a variety of other dishes. He is even considering taking culinary classes to hone his cooking skills.
When asked about his plans for college, Dennis indicated he’s “awaiting an offer from the right school, and then I’ll make a decision.” While he has not made a decision about the college he will attend, he has decided that he will major in mechanical engineering.
Before crossing the stage to receive his diploma, Dennis said he will be thinking about his basketball team, their camaraderie and how close they came to winning a championship.
Dennis said he can look back on his classroom success and basketball career and believe he did something good for the city of Baker.
