Caddo boys 2024 guard DJ Dill back at "The Big House" going for gold again
OKLAHOMA CITY - DJ Dill is back on the big stage.
After knocking out rival Seiling in the semifinal round of Friday's Class A state tournament, the talented guard for Caddo will look to defend his championship crown Saturday at "The Big House," of State Fair Arena.
Dill is exactly where he planned to be when last season ended and he led the Bruins to their first-ever state championship in basketball.
However, the path Dill had to take was not what he had envisioned. That included starting the season off as bad as he could have imagined.
“I wanted to go undefeated this year. I didn't want to lose a game,” Dill said. “We lost six out of seven games. But we haven't lost the game in a while, so it feels good.”
During that horrible stretch, the Bruins competed in the Mustang Holiday Classic and didn’t win a single game. That included losing to Seiling to see which one of them would not fall into last place.
However, since that loss, the Bruins went 17-1. Their lone defeat came Jan. 4 to Rattan.
Caddo senior guard DJ Dill drives toward the basket during the Bruins' Class A semifinal win against Seiling on March 1, 2024.
Dill credits being able to learn from those early losses and remembering exactly what got them a championship the previous year.
“We lost to Seiling by one up there in that Mustang Classic,” Dill said. “We didn't win a game up there. So, we come down here, everybody's doubting us and we're winning games, so that's what matters.”
At the same time as the Bruins were re-learning how to play championship ball, Dill was dealing with various injuries that forced him to miss games for the first time in his career.
“The season has been fun, but a little hard, though,” Dill said. “I've never really got hurt before. I've dealt with probably three or four sprains of my ankles. Missed probably four games this year.
"I never want to have to do that, but yeah, they're coming back, so it's been a little difficult. But it's been very fun.”
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One of the things that has driven the 6-foot-2, 170-pound Dill during his senior season has been to prove wrong those who have doubted him. Even after the show he put on during the 2023 postseason, naysayers had things to say.
“I just wanted to, if anybody had any doubt in me, just prove them wrong once and all,” Dill said. “I just heard a little bit from people that, 'He's not as good as they’re saying,' and so I just wanted to let them know I am up there with them guys.”
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Because Dill plays at a Class A school, his talents often get overlooked compared to players from much bigger programs. Yet, Dill says he plays against them all during the AAU season and has made sure to let them know he can do it against all levels.
“I've been in the gym lifting weights,” Dill said. “I've gained about 20 pounds, so bumping people, and finishing around the rim is a little bit easier for me.”
Dill will be heading to Southeastern Oklahoma to continue his basketball after he graduates high school. It’s a goal he has had since he first realized he had the skills to play at the next level.
Caddo senior guard DJ Dill releases a shot during the Bruins' Class A semifinal win against Seiling on March 1, 2024.
“It's always been a dream of mine, but it was in my sophomore year that it hit,” Dill said. “I grew a little bit, got stronger and I just stayed in the gym and got more skilled.”
That has landed Dill back in the Class A title game. He and the fourth-seeded Bruins will face No. 5 Okarche for the title at 5 p.m. at the State Fairgrounds.
For the Bruins to defend their title, Dill will once again have to raise his game. And if they win it all again, he knows it will put an exclamation point on an impressive career.
“I think it would just solidify me as what I want to be; one of the best for sure around the Caddo area, and hopefully people can see it as in the state, too,” Dill said. “That's all I wanted.”
-- Michael Kinney | @SBLiveOK
