0-8.
That was Penn State’s record on the road as it headed to Piscataway, N.J. for a Big Ten clash with Rutgers.
To make things worse, sophomore standout, Kanye Clary, would miss the game due to injury. In need of scoring production, especially from the backcourt, Penn State went in with a team mentality.
“Find a way to win. You have to step up for your teammates because we’re already down one guy… there’s no secret formula,” head coach Mike Rhoades said following the Rutgers game.
And it was with this “together” mentality that junior D’Marco Dunn was able to step up big against a conference foe. Leading Penn State to a 61-46 win over the Scarlet Knights, Dunn dropped 14 points on 6-of-10 from the field, including two threes.
“He’s a talented offensive player,” Rhoades said of Dunn following the Rutgers game. “He just has to continue to make the game easier, which is what you do with [increased] experience. Continue to mature.”
During the postgame presser, Rhoades alluded to Dunn’s lack of consistency throughout the 2023-24 season; something Dunn was focused on improving during the offseason.
D’Marco Dunn, Penn State
NAME: D’Marco Dunn
HOMETOWN: Tucson, Ariz.
POSITION: Guard
YEAR: Senior
HEIGHT: 6-foot-5
WEIGHT: 205
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Over Dunn’s three years of collegiate basketball, he has increased his production each season with his career best coming while at Penn State. Dunn posted career marks in points (6.8), rebounds (1.8) and made threes (30). The 6-foot-5 guard’s shooting stroke came up big at different points throughout last season.
JUNIOR CAMPAIGN
In the conference opener against Ohio State, Dunn canned two triples en route to 16 points. Then, a week later he scored a career-high 17 points on 3-of-7 shooting from three. Those two performances were part of a four-game stretch in which Dunn scored in double figures.
However, the following seven games saw the junior guard only score over 10 points once, a mark he often struggled to reach (10 instances) in his 33 appearances with Penn State.
There was progress though, especially in the final 13 games of the season in which Dunn started 11. While the point production didn’t necessarily spike, his accuracy from deep did, as he converted on 44.8 percent of his attempts.
LAST DANCE
Now, as one of the five seniors on this roster, Dunn will look to grow in his leadership and his scoring consistency.
“I think mentally now, I’m just more prepared to take on a bigger role, take a leadership role,” Dunn told the Daily Item.
“On the court, I’d say [one of the things I’ve worked on is] … being more consistent with my jump shot and scoring performances…”
With one year left of college basketball, D’Marco Dunn will look to not only be more reliable as a scorer but also as a leader; setting himself up for success.
