Austin Dufault

[PlayCaller]

uThis kid really has made a name for himself in Class B bball the last 2 years, but will he really be able to play with the D1 kids, or even Big 12 athletes in this day and age. Is he fast, strong, or quick enough? Or will he just end up not making the team and end up back in good old North Dakota playing NAIA ball?

[project-pat]

I think it all comes down to one thing...strength....and I'm pretty sure he knows that...The kid has all the talent in the world to excel at that level, but it will come down to how hard he is willing to work to prepare for the big 12....I wish him the best of luck in the next stage of his career and hope that he makes ND proud!

[PlayCaller]

project pat, dont you think he needs to get stronger mentally as well? i saw the game against DT and he was constantly yelling at his teamates, the refs, and his opponent. and the absolute mental breakdown at the end of the game pushing over the morey kid is a little out of hand. but i do admire he had the guts to go into DTs locker room entrance and call morey outside to appologize to him

[project-pat]

no comment....

but yes, Dufault is hands down the best ball player this state has seen in a while....he is so dominant out there, it's insane....I've never seen a player dribble down the court and hit a good 3 NBA range 3 pointers in the span of 3 minutes, as he did against Bowman County...the kid is a freak out there and he should have no problem at Boulder if he can just make on a little more muscle.

[baseball]

he will be mainly a pick and pop 4 man at the college level, the only place the strength with be a factor is on defense. right now i dont think he is strong enough to bang on the blocks but that will come with maturity.

[letsgosox]

i think he has a good shot at making the team being they gave him a full ride scholarship. you dont see many colleges giving out $25,000 a year scholarships to kids that might not make the team. austin will be an impact role player next year. not starting, but a solid player that can come off the bench and hit some 3's in a big situation. i don't think we will be seeing him in a dickinson state jersey.

[bigpoppakdog]

anybody that is recruited from North Dakota should get all our support...ND went along time as a state where athletes were thought of as average...high school ball is not an accurate tool to measure an athletes future in college....

[Wild Wolves]

Is there any other tool?
Doesn't past performance determine (or at least play into) future achievment?

[baller01]

project pat, dont you think he needs to get stronger mentally as well? i saw the game against DT and he was constantly yelling at his teamates, the refs, and his opponent. and the absolute mental breakdown at the end of the game pushing over the morey kid is a little out of hand. but i do admire he had the guts to go into DTs locker room entrance and call morey outside to appologize to him

Austin has a couple things you can't teach. 1: Height. 6'8" is God given and that is that. 2: Love of basketball. The kid loves the game. He plays it every chance he gets. He wants to get better at it too. The guy will never back down from a 1 on 1 game or anything like that. If there is a chance to play, he will be there.

As for getting mentally stronger, it comes with time. This is Austins first year without having a guy like Wheeling beside him. He doesn't have the BEST team in the world either. Not that Killdeer is bad they just don't have a lot of help to go along with him. Frustration is bound to happen in any athlete. Great or not. Just because he was yelling at teammates, refs, oppents, doesn't mean he isn't mentally strong. The guy is a competitor. He wants to win more then anything. Sometimes emotion can get the best of person. You say he pushed Morrey at the end of the game. Obviously it was the heat of the moment thing as he went and apologized right after. All great competitors sometimes let their emotions get the best of them. Get him in Boulder with a solid group of guys and he will mature just fine. You also have to realize there is a lot of pressure being put on him. He is expected to produce every game by fans, coaches, teammates, oppents, media, everyone. Everyone expects him to go out and score 30-10 every night. Boschees issue going into college was his height. That is something that can't be changed. Dufaults issue going into college is strength. That is something that can be changed.

[cutter90]

Isn't he going to Arizona State or NDSU? Or is that just a rumor?

[letsgosox]

Isn't he going to Arizona State or NDSU? Or is that just a rumor?

what???where have you been. he signed with colorado some time ago

[letsgosox]

austin dufault at his finest

[booyah]

im not gonna lie....that looks painful for the defender haha

[bigpoppakdog]

Is there any other tool?
Doesn't past performance determine (or at least play into) future achievment?

Michael Jordan-cut as a sophomore in hs....need I say any more?
Hakeem Olajuwon-soccer player in hs
Marty Macdonald-Mr. Basketball in hs....college...didn't play...
Les Jepsen-probably never heard of him have you? Bowbells ND, Iowa University, NBA
Voth-hs stud...college dud-mommy's boy...
Voth(#2) hs stud...college...yet to be determined...

all great examples of how hs ball(especially class B) doesn't reflect things accurately...

nobody really knows if an athlete will reach their potential...when choosing an athlete you look at dedication, perseverance, intelligence, things that aren't measured in the box score on saturday morning...how can you argue against his stats anyway? They are solid not? If he whines, and had a pushing episode the other night...he'll get over it quickly in college. The biggest thing for Class B players to get use to in college is the fact that everyone in college can score..it's the people that can stop others from scoring that sets you apart...a lot of times offense is more of a focus than defense in class b(i'm a class b alumni so i'm not trying to rag on class b..but just stating the truth).

[scruffy]

Yes he's dominant but remember it's class "B" basketball. VERY few North Dakota players make the jump to division 2, yet alone division 1. It's gonna be a huge challenge for Austin, especially mentally. Now, if defended he gets frustrated..In Colorado everyone he faces will make it difficult . I think he has the tools to make it and I hope to see it happen, but it's gonna be tough...

[NDSportsFan]

CU played the other night on TV and the home crowd atmosphere looked incredible. Their record isn't that great right now but I could see them playing on nationally broadcasted games with regularity in a few years.

Good luck for the rest of the year Austin, you will always have a lot of fans here in North Dakota.

[Wild Wolves]

Is there any other tool?
Doesn't past performance determine (or at least play into) future achievment?

Michael Jordan-cut as a sophomore in hs....need I say any more?
Hakeem Olajuwon-soccer player in hs
Marty Macdonald-Mr. Basketball in hs....college...didn't play...
Les Jepsen-probably never heard of him have you? Bowbells ND, Iowa University, NBA
Voth-hs stud...college dud-mommy's boy...
Voth(#2) hs stud...college...yet to be determined...

all great examples of how hs ball(especially class B) doesn't reflect things accurately...

nobody really knows if an athlete will reach their potential...when choosing an athlete you look at dedication, perseverance, intelligence, things that aren't measured in the box score on saturday morning...how can you argue against his stats anyway? They are solid not? If he whines, and had a pushing episode the other night...he'll get over it quickly in college. The biggest thing for Class B players to get use to in college is the fact that everyone in college can score..it's the people that can stop others from scoring that sets you apart...a lot of times offense is more of a focus than defense in class b(i'm a class b alumni so i'm not trying to rag on class b..but just stating the truth).

It is easy to pick out the guys that are glaring examples.
Jordan grows 6 inches, Hakeem hadn't been exposed to BB, Marty was a better baseball player, Les Jepson hadn't grown into his 7'1" frame until his sophmore year at Iowa, Voth kids are still in the works, mommy's boy is not nice..(Jaden is averaging 13 pts., 3.5 rebounds and has 87 assists on the year)
But how many guys are recruited each year, I will bet a dollar they are recruited based on past performance. That being said, give an example of a better tool. Athletes go through tremendous changes from HS to college, not just physically but mentally. Some can handle the changes some can't. Some are going to blame a coach for only playing his guys, some are going to decide they would rather chase skirts, some might even get jobs and decide they aren't going to persue athletic endeavors. Bottom line is there is no better predictor of future success than past performance.

[project-pat]

Austin will go into Boulder mentally ready and prepared to do work...and I see him being a key role player next season for the Buff's...and I look forward to watching him excel!!

[project-pat]

I need to clear some things up.....I am in NO way an Austin Dufault hater, as I seem to be portrayed on this board...I'm just upset about hearing about some of the bad stuff he does on the court and people let him get away with it...BUT...I read the story in the dickinson press and my mind has changed...I can't think of anyone else who would have the guts to apologize to the whole Dickinson Trinity roster after doing such a thing...Austin Dufault is an OUTSTANDING basketball player...he may get a little emotional, on rare occasion, but that happens to the best of us, including myself...I don't think we'll ever find a basketball player who can say that they have not been one bit emotional during a game, and the game against Trinity was huge for them, so I really don't blame him for being so upset, he just didn't quite think it through before he did it, in which he immediately regretted his actions and helped Morey up and gave him a hug.

so to letsgosox, balla45, and of course Austin Dufault...I HAVE NOTHING BUT RESPECT FOR AUSTIN DUFAULT, and I am amazed at how much he has matured and how he has become the most prolific scorer in ND and I wish him the best of luck when Tournaments start up, and I hope the best for him at Boulder next season!

[letsgosox]

well said pat

[bigpoppakdog]

Is there any other tool?
Doesn't past performance determine (or at least play into) future achievment?

Michael Jordan-cut as a sophomore in hs....need I say any more?
Hakeem Olajuwon-soccer player in hs
Marty Macdonald-Mr. Basketball in hs....college...didn't play...
Les Jepsen-probably never heard of him have you? Bowbells ND, Iowa University, NBA
Voth-hs stud...college dud-mommy's boy...
Voth(#2) hs stud...college...yet to be determined...

all great examples of how hs ball(especially class B) doesn't reflect things accurately...

nobody really knows if an athlete will reach their potential...when choosing an athlete you look at dedication, perseverance, intelligence, things that aren't measured in the box score on saturday morning...how can you argue against his stats anyway? They are solid not? If he whines, and had a pushing episode the other night...he'll get over it quickly in college. The biggest thing for Class B players to get use to in college is the fact that everyone in college can score..it's the people that can stop others from scoring that sets you apart...a lot of times offense is more of a focus than defense in class b(i'm a class b alumni so i'm not trying to rag on class b..but just stating the truth).

It is easy to pick out the guys that are glaring examples.
Jordan grows 6 inches, Hakeem hadn't been exposed to BB, Marty was a better baseball player, Les Jepson hadn't grown into his 7'1" frame until his sophmore year at Iowa, Voth kids are still in the works, mommy's boy is not nice..(Jaden is averaging 13 pts., 3.5 rebounds and has 87 assists on the year)
But how many guys are recruited each year, I will bet a dollar they are recruited based on past performance. That being said, give an example of a better tool. Athletes go through tremendous changes from HS to college, not just physically but mentally. Some can handle the changes some can't. Some are going to blame a coach for only playing his guys, some are going to decide they would rather chase skirts, some might even get jobs and decide they aren't going to persue athletic endeavors. Bottom line is there is no better predictor of future success than past performance.

you know more than I thought you did about past players....as far as the voths...one is still playing..and the other handed in his jersey with his mother.......anyway past performance in class b means very little...hard to compare class b performance to div. 1.....many many things will be different for him....swanson from halliday did very well and he was a class b player who had more weapons around him in hs....i've never seen dufault play...so you might have a better idea of his game than I do..so you might have more to judge than me...

[Wild Wolves]

Swenson "Dunkin dougie Swenson"

[letsgosox]

Swenson "Dunkin dougie Swenson"

alot of people forget about him. he was a solid player at the d1 level. he even got a tryout with the bulls, but unfortunately, never got signed

[whocares?]

if doof can get playing time, i believe he will be able to contribute right away

[9manfootballmom]

1 question 1 comment

What is this thing about Voth and his mom? Please explain.

comment
I spent two summers as an ECI mom with Dufault. He traveled in my car for hundreds of miles and was never anything but a gentleman. He is, however, an 17-18 year old young man in an adult man's body.As someone stated earlier, he is expected for perform night after night because he can. But he is young and young people make mistakes just like us old codgers do. I agree that the hardest thing for kids , anyone for that matter, to do is apologize. I know lots of adults that can't handle that part. Never heard about the run in with Morey, just have seen fine young adult manners.

I know the topic was whether Austin has enough Moxie to make it in D1 and I for one wish him all the luck in the world. IF for some reason he does come back and play in the D2 schools then so be it. Then at least we could have the chance to watch!

Hope Austin and his Killdeer teammates can make it to the big show. It would be great to see him play again.