Mercury All-Area: Dorsey delivers on and off court in historic Hill School career

Seth Eilberg has seen some special players come through his program over the past two decades.

The Hill School’s athletic director and boys basketball coach has also witnessed some special people come and go in his 20 years.

Blues senior Gabe Dorsey checked both those boxes during his time at Hill.

Whether it was watching him reach scoring marks or seeing the way his peers on and off the basketball court were impacted by his words, Eilberg knew Gabe Dorsey — the 2020-21 Mercury All-Area Boys Basketball Player of the Year — was special.

“There’s a lot of moments, where you’re just like, ‘Wow, I’m really grateful to have a chance to coach a kid like this,’” Eilberg said.

“The way he represents our program off the court, in the community, he’s not just a team basketball captain, he’s a school leader who represents the best of what the Hill community is all about,” he added.

Mercury All-Area: 2020-21 Boys Basketball Teams

Dorsey’s introduction to the Hill School came as an elementary school kid heading to Blues’ basketball camp with his cousins. A decade later, Dorsey leaves the program as one of its best. The 6-foot-6 wing, ranked amongst the top players in the state and the country, is headed to Vanderbilt University to play college ball in the Southeastern Conference.

The accomplishments and accolades for Dorsey have piled up throughout his career at Hill. As a freshman he came off the bench to help the Blues win a Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association championship.

As a sophomore, Dorsey set the program’s single-season record for 3-point field goals made … for the first time. Last year, he led the Blues in scoring and earned second team all-state selections, also breaking his own 3-point record.

Dorsey averaged 15.5 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Blues in his senior campaign, in the process becoming just the third Hill boys player in the last 10 years to reach the 1,000-point milestone.

“On a personal level, ultimately crossing that 1,000-point threshold was really huge for me because so few players were able to achieve that,” Dorsey said. “ I’m just so grateful to be at a great school for four years and play for Coach Eilberg and Coach (Phil) Canosa, Coach (Marques) Green and coach (Kevin) Roussey. I’m just really grateful.”

Dorsey’s defining on-court skill is his shot. His ability to put the ball through the net has been apparent since those days heading to Blues’ basketball camps.

Gabe said his father Stephen Dorsey was more of a leaper when he played at Virginia Military Institute and Towson University. But Stephen made sure Gabe, who also inherited his father’s athleticism, had a picture perfect shooting stroke as well.

Eilberg said Dorsey wowed the Blues coaching staff and his teammates throughout his four years with his shooting ability even outside of games. During a free-throw fundraiser, Dorsey missed his first foul shot then sunk 98 of the next 99. During another competition, he sunk 40 straight corner threes in a row.

By the end of his junior season, Dorsey held the program record for career 3-pointers made. He shot 40 percent from deep for the second straight season this past year.

“There’s things he does where we’re all kind of like, ‘Woah! Wow,’” Eilberg said. “… His ability to shoot the ball and shoot the ball from really deep is I think pretty unique. It was not unusual for him this year to pull up on the break off the dribble from NBA range.”

Dorsey arrived on campus as a freshman at Hill able to knock down shots right away. Rounding out the rest of his game is what’s made Dorsey’s Hill School basketball career so special.

Each summer he tried to add a layer to his offensive game, going from a spot up shooter to someone able to create for himself and teammates.

The past two seasons more often than not Dorsey spent games matched up with opponents’ best player — a far cry from his freshman season when he couldn’t keep opponents in front of him.

“I was strictly a standstill shooter and back then I was a defensive liability as well,” Dorsey said. “I did not provide much help to my teammates on that end.”

Dorsey attributes his growth on defense to studying film and his physical and mental maturation. Eilberg mentioned his commitment to Hill’s strength and conditioning program.

A Westminster, Md. native, Dorsey spent his offseasons playing AAU against top competition for Team Durant on Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League circuit, where he felt improvement on defense helped him standout among other top prospects.

“I was hungry for more offers, more notoriety,” Dorsey said. “And I knew college coaches didn’t just want to see me knocking down jump shots. I had to hold my own on the defensive end. Whatever position you are, you’re only that position based on who you can guard.”

Some of Dorsey’s growth as a player in 2021 came in other less tangible ways. He said he’s always felt confident in his voice and people have always seemed to listen when he speaks, but his leadership ability was put to the test as a senior.

It was the first time at Hill playing without older brother Caleb, now at Penn State University playing hoops. Already a co-captain with his brother as a junior, Gabe held the title once again as senior — this time without his brother by his side.

“It was the next step in my development as a player and a young man, just taking more responsibility on my own,” Dorsey said. “I’ve kind of always been behind my brother in a sense. It was a new experience having to lead a lot more and not be under my brother’s wing so to speak.”

This past season the COVID-19 pandemic presented a situation that called for leaders like Dorsey to guide the team.

Hill’s campus was — and still is — under strict protocols. Hill’s basketball team was bubbled by itself on campus. The Mid-Atlantic Prep League cancelled its season. Other tournaments and postseason events shared the same fate.

The Blues were fortunate to have a 15-game season unlike some other prep schools and even other programs at Hill, but there were still things missing and additional challenges from seasons past.

“Gabe set an incredible tone for our group being grateful for what we are able to do, taking advantage of that, making sure he did all he could to keep himself and his teammates, happy, healthy and motivated,” Eilberg said.

This past September, some of that special in Dorsey that Eilberg and others have witnessed up close throughout the past four years reached a broader audience.

During a 15-minute Chapel Talk — speeches by seniors or faculty during nondenominational chapel services that are a requirement of student life at Hill — Dorsey gave a speech to the Hill community about his experiences as a Black American.

Dorsey shared his experience as a Black student at Hill and detailed an instance of racial profiling from his past as he highlighted the importance of speaking out for racial equality.

“I knew with everything going on in the spring and summer of 2020, I knew I had to say something,” Dorsey said. “I was already set to give a Chapel Talk at the school and I knew I had to speak about that just because in my heart and soul I felt it needed to be said as one of the few black male faces here.

“I can definitely see myself being an advocate for change in the future, continuing to push the needle for equality, not just for Black people but everybody dealing with some source of struggle or oppression. I can definitely see that in my future because I feel like I have such a powerful voice and people want to listen to what I have to say. That’s a pretty good feeling.”

Eilberg anticipates Dorsey is ready to step on the floor and make shots right away at Vanderbilt next season. That’s exactly what he plans to do.

For the Blues and the rest of the Hill community, Dorsey’s presence will surely be missed. The senior said the feeling is reciprocated.

Dorsey took his time to rack through his mind for each coach and teammate he’s had at Hill when recollecting what’s made his career so special and helped the special in him shine as well.

“I’m just very grateful to come to this school,” Dorsey said. “I can’t thank my parents enough for sending me here.”