DLN All-Area Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Downingtown West’s Dylan Blair
On the basketball floor the most special players are the ones their team cannot do without on the floor. This season Downingtown West junior point guard Dylan Blair was on the floor the entire 32 minutes in the majority of whippets games, driving his team to capture the regular season Ches-Mont National Division title and a first round berth in the PIAA 6A playoffs. Blair averaged 21.5 points per game to go along with five assists per game as he was the main target of opposing coaches but still his immense talent shined through the entire season. it is for these exploits that Dylan Blair is the Daily Local News Player of the Year.
“I like being out there the whole game because i have a great team around me,” Blair said. “To have the ball in your hands with a chance to make everyone on the floor better is what i am about on the basketball floor. the coaches put me in good position on the floor and that winning as a teams all that matters.”
Downingtown West coach Stu Ross depended on his point guard to be a coach on the floor and he trusted Blair to execute theme plan and make everyone on the floor better during the successful Whippets season.
“From a basketball standpoint, obviously Dylan is a big part of what we do,” Ross said. “He guards the best player on the other team and he is always under pressure. He is the leading scorer and he is very versatile. He will be the set up guy, he will rebound and mix it up inside and he is very coachable and has a very high basketball IQ. And he is valuable more than scoring points and doing things on the court. He is a dynamic leader also. His leadership extends beyond the court, in the classroom, in the community and among his peers.”
West Chester East was the Whippets and blair major foe this season and the Vikings used multiple defenses in an effort to slow down blair when the two teams met. West Chester East coach Tom Durant talked about his teams efforts to slow down the mercurial Whippets star.
He is such a dynamic player that can do so many things you have to throw the kitchen sink at him,” Durant said. “We used everything we had at him defensively because he is such an impactful player.”
Downingtown West qualified for the PIAA playoffs by defeating perkiomen Valley in the district playback round, in a game Blair had 22 points and four assists. Vikings coach Mike poysden talked about Blair after the Whippets victory.
“Dylan Blair is one heck of a guard,” Poysden said. “He is such a forced the court, he can score, distribute the ball and he gets the other guys involved in the game. He is one of the premier guards in District 1.”
Dylan Blair went over the 1,000 point mark at the end of his junior season and he was the driving force in the Whippets season. A dynamic playmaker, scorer and defender, he, being only a junior, has a very bright future next season and beyond and he is ready for the responsibility to be the main man for the Whippets. it is what real leadership is all about.
