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Basketball, college and a strong spirit:
Equipped with these, a tribal member's son is poised for success
By Oscar Johnson, Staff Reporter
alias Husak has got the ball in his court
Jand is running with it. Son of Grand Ronde
tribal member Kenneth Husak, his 36 inch
vertical jump, 14 point game average and tena
cious love for basketball won him top team honors
at Milwaukee High School and first team Three
Rivers League honors last season.
After recovering from a knee injury two years
ago that left some wondering if he would ever play
again, Dallas Husak made a stellar comeback al
lowing him to pick from
nearly a dozen college
scholarship offers and
sign with Lane Commu
nity College in Eugene.
"Everybody starts off at
a similar point," says the
hoopster, recalling that
when he took up basket
ball in fifth grade he was
far from impressive. "But
I kept sticking with it and
now it's paying my tuition
for college."
At 6-foot-6, the 18-year-old
highpointwing
forward for the LCC Ti
tans says he averages 10
rebounds per game in ad
dition to scoring record that seems to be getting
better and better.
A strong player with a proven knack for scoring
three-pointers from outside who is also not afraid
to muscle inside for a slam-dunk, Dallas Husak
says his strength is that he is a "well rounded
player."
"A lot of people can either play outside or in
side," he says. "But I can play both."
He chose Lane Community College because he
liked the team's coach, Jim Boutin, who he says
also seemed to be well connected to the world of
college basketball. Although for the time being
his career plans are a toss up between marine biol
ogy or a physicians assistant, Dallas Husak admits
"it would be nice to play pro ball."
But for now the young rookie has a lot of work
ahead of him according to Boutin.
He says Dallas Husak "will play some this year"
but he is more enthusiastic about what the up and
coming rookie's game will look in a year or two,
after he has spent his first college season building
up strength.
Boutin says in his 31 years of coaching he has
developed an eye for spotting a good ball player
and he thinks young Husak has the right stuff but
warns that what seemed strong in high school may
not be strong enough in college without a lot of
hard work.
"There's a huge comparison between high school
and college," Boutin says. "The guys in college
are much more physical, stronger and bigger. Dal
las has to make up some ground."
But this is not the first time in the up and coming
ball player's career that he will have to meet a tough
challenge.
He showed dazzling perseverance after tearing
a knee ligament while playing for the Milwaukee
Mustangs during his high school sophomore year.
The injury required intensive surgery that in
cluded removing and grafting a tendon; inserting
4
metal screws to hold the joint in place; and five
months of painful physical therapy.
But by the starting season of his junior year -months
before his doctor thought he would be
ready to play again Dallas Husak was showing
up for practice and showing signs of speedy re
covery and an amazing comeback.
He ended the year with a average score of 5.6
points per game but by the following year his av
erage jumped to 13 and now, nearly two years
later, an injury that would still worry most is the
furthest thing from his
mind.
"The knee is doing
great. It hasn't given
me any problems to ,
me it's just another
knee," he insists.
What inspires this
hoop-shooting star?
"My dad used to play
basketball," Husak
says.
He also says the sup
port he gets from his
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parents and grandparents have helped a lot. How
ever, passing on the inspiration to other youths also
seems to motivate the young star the most.
"I guess I'm kind of a positive role model. After
a good game kids come up to me and say 'good
job,'" he says. "When I was a little kid I used to
remember every dunk and how it was done. Now
a lot of little kids come up to me after the game and
I'm sure they will remember too."
As Dallas Husak gears up for the Nov. 27 pre
season Southwest Tip Off Tourney in Roseburg,
there seems to be no stopping him now. And proud
fan and father, Kenneth Husak, hopes more mem
bers will get a chance to see his son in action.
, "I'd like to express encouragement for all young
Native American students that are involved in
sports programs," says Kenneth Husak, who en
courages fellow members "to turn out and support,
others who are making a difference."
And if you do get a chance to see the promising
rookie and find yourself asking 'how does he do
that,' the answer is easy.
"Stick with your goals, don't give up and keep
trying," says Dallas Husak. "Because some day it
will pay off."
Photos courtesy of the Clackamas Review
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Dallas Husak during one of his many games for Milwaukie High School.