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‘A student of the game’

Omot making quick transition to college basketball

Southwest Minnesota State University’s Dunwa Omot has had no problem picking up the college game. The Minnesota Valley Lutheran redshirt freshman is one of many former Tomahawk Conference players in the Northern Sun Intercollege Conference. He is averaging 21.5 minutes per game off the bench for the Mustangs.

By no means has basketball always come easily or just naturally to Dunwa Omot.

But the 2020 Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School graduate seems to always make it look that way.

Omot, a 6-foot-3 redshirt sophomore at Southwest Minnesota State University, is making an impact already in his young college career. He’s averaging 8.5 points per game as of Dec. 15. He’s also shooting 57% from the floor and 88% from the line. But what’s most impressive is his ability to get open and shoot from 3-point range. There, he’s hitting 69% of his shots (18 of 26), an unbelievable number at any level.

“We always create looks for others and once my teammates drew a couple of guys, I just always have my hands ready and I’m fortunate enough to have unselfish teammates and they do a good job of finding me,” he said. “That was one thing I was working on was to have a quick release, especially at this level, guys are a lot stronger and quicker and they can get to it.”

His coach at MVL, Craig Morgan, knew that Omot was a special player. But even he was surprised by how much work he put into the game at the next level to earn immediate playing time.

Southwest Minnesota State University’s Dunwa Omot has had no problem picking up the college game. The Minnesota Valley Lutheran redshirt freshman is one of many former Tomahawk Conference players in the Northern Sun Intercollege Conference. He is averaging 21.5 minutes per game off the bench for the Mustangs.

“What really surprised me was how much stronger he is and looks,” Morgan said. “He has the drive and work ethic to succeed at that level, but two years ago when he was in high school, I thought it would a couple of years before we would see him play the minutes he is now. He’s always had good court sense and basketball skills, but the strength that he processes now has only added more to his game than many can imagine.”

A basketball family

Omot is the second-oldest of eight kids and the kids all played basketball at a young age. The family lives in Mankato, but he and his older sister Cham both attended MVL. The son of Jokoni Omot and Teresa Ochalla, he has two younger brothers who play basketball for Mankato East. His brother B.J. is a senior and is Division 1 recruit, and Dunwa said he’s narrowing his list of schools down to about five or so. He also has a brother who is a sophomore on the team and he has some younger sisters that also enjoy playing the sport.

“Ever since I can remember, our parents always had a ball in our hand,” he said. “It’s a sport they fell in love with and they wanted us to get hooked to the game. They did a good job of giving us tools and opportunities to play the game we love, whether it be in high school or next level, so we just stuck with it.”

The love for basketball continued to grow for Omot as he got older. He watches the game very closely, even when he’s on the bench, because that helps him study his opponents, giving him an advantage. That anticipation has made him a solid player defensively, as well.

Southwest Minnesota State University’s Dunwa Omot has had no problem picking up the college game. The Minnesota Valley Lutheran redshirt freshman is one of many former Tomahawk Conference players in the Northern Sun Intercollege Conference. He is averaging 21.5 minutes per game off the bench for the Mustangs.

“I just think ever since I was young, just knowing what’s ahead is something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. “I was always hungry to learn and see what I could improve on.”

Morgan said he’s very open to making changes, too.

“Dunwa is a student of the game,” Morgan said. “When he’s on the floor or sitting on the bench, he’s always thinking what he or his teammates can do to be successful. Dunwa is a quick learner because he’s coachable. He understands he doesn’t know it all. He’s willing to listen, learn and make changes and adjustments to his game to be successful.”

His career at MVL

Omot played three varsity seasons at MVL. During that time, he scored 1,157 career points and was named All-Journal Player of the Year his senior year, a season in which he averaged 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3.9 steals and 3.6 assists per game. He shot 56% from the field that year and hit 44% from 3-point range and he helped the Chargers to a share of the Tomahawk Conference title and a 26-3 record.

Southwest Minnesota State University’s Dunwa Omot has had no problem picking up the college game. The Minnesota Valley Lutheran redshirt freshman is one of many former Tomahawk Conference players in the Northern Sun Intercollege Conference. He is averaging 21.5 minutes per game off the bench for the Mustangs.

His career also came at a time when the Tomahawk Conference had some incredible talent in the conference. Omot, fellow MVL teammate Jake Kettner (University of Sioux Falls), Springfield’s Isaac Fink (Augustana University), fellow SMSU players Jon Zinniel (New Ulm Cathedral) and Alex Hillesheim (Cathedral), and Sleepy Eye graduate Kegan Heiderscheidt (SMSU) all are playing in the NSIC. Heiderscheidt is a redshirt this year.

“I think that’s pretty cool that we’re representing the Tomahawk Conference pretty well and staying the course and staying with it,” he said. “It’s just fun seeing all of us keep growing as basketball players and people.”

The next level

The Mustangs (6-4, 2-3 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) finished 3-8 last year (1-6 in NSIC) after a shortened COVID season. During that time, Omot also broke his foot mid-December, so he missed about eight weeks overall and got a late start.

“It was tough,” he said of the foot injury. “It was just be patient and trust the process, it was a huge thing.

“Ever since I can remember, our parents always had a ball in our hand. It’s a sport they fell in love with and they wanted us to get hooked to the game. They did a good job of giving us tools and opportunities to play the game we love, whether it be in high school or next level, so we just stuck with it.” Dunwa Omot Southwest Minnesota State University basketball player

“The first thing I did was just worked on my conditioning, because getting back in shape was my No. 1 goal,” Omot said. “Then, getting my speed back. Just going how I normally play, getting different cuts.”

Omot didn’t get a ton of playing time last year, but he used the experience to learn and get better.

“It’s a lot different than high school, everything is just faster, all the guys are just faster and stronger,” he said. “The game’s at a different pace, getting used to that is probably the No. 1 challenge coming in as a freshman, you just gotta adjust to it.

“I’ll say probably the first couple possessions coming in, but you just have to trust yourself mentally, but I think after that, you just kind of get a flow of how it’s going to be throughout the years,” he said.

He’s found his role early on in the current season and it helps knowing that his teammates know what they’re expected to do.

“Everyone has their own role on the team,” Omot said. “I just give the guys a breather, give it my all when I’m on the court and just do my best.”

He’s gotten stronger physically, but there’s still work to do as he works on fine-tuning his game.

“I think I’m just working on getting stronger first of all,” he said. “I was trying to change my body to get used to the game and also getting quicker here. Just knowing what moves to put on guys and having a quick first step is always important in this conference.”

Fully healed and stronger this year, Omot took off immediately and is averaging about 21 minutes a game off the bench. He scored 15 points in 19 minutes in the second game of the season against Newman, then scored 16 a week later, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range in a game against Davenport.

Omot puts in a lot of work both on and off the court. He said that scouting takes up some time and they’re always well-prepared for their games.

“The coaches do a great job of giving us scout sheets and giving us and idea of what each guy can do,” he said. “Then it goes to us, in the game, remembering what they said to just get it down.”

As of now, Omot’s role is a player off the bench. But by next year, that role will probably continue to grow and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he takes on more of a scorer’s mentality.

“I think just staying aggressive is something I’ll always want to do,” he said. “College happens, it goes quick, but at the same time, it’s a process. I think my time will come and just playing with a lot of unselfish teammates really helps and I love playing with these guys, we can do well if we play together.”

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