How a ‘cup half-full’ life approach led James Dickey to TBT success with AfterShocks
James Dickey is an eternal optimist, which explains how he became a professional basketball player.
Long before the springy, 6-foot-10 center became a pivotal piece to the AfterShocks in their run to The Basketball Tournament quarterfinals, where they will host the Gutter Cat Gang at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Koch Arena with an ESPN2 television audience, Dickey was so unsure of himself on the basketball floor that he was cut from his eighth-grade team.
“I lived and breathed basketball, I just wasn’t good at it,” Dickey said. “But I loved playing it and I’ve just always had a really good mindset. I view life as a cup-half-full kind of guy.”
Even though the Raleigh, N.C. native entered high school as a 6-4 freshman, he was dismayed when he failed to make the junior varsity team. He ultimately transferred to a local private school, Word of God Christian Academy, where he had success, but garnered just one Division I scholarship offer following his senior season from nearby UNC Greensboro.
Rather than feeling bitter about the lack of attention in the recruiting process, Dickey said he felt grateful that a coach, Wes Miller, believed in him.
“Going to UNCG was the best decision I could have ever made,” Dickey said. “Wes Miller saw something in me that he could work with. He was an amazing coach and he just taught me the game of basketball. He had this confident swagger about himself and I was able to grab off that energy. I realized while I was there that we’re so much alike, me and Wes Miller. We were like Bonnie and Clyde.”
Dickey was 6-8 and all arms and legs, weighing less than 180 pounds, when he arrived on campus without a single recruiting star next to his name. But when no other Division I program believed Dickey capable at that level, Miller saw potential in Dickey’s length, energy and positivity.
And being around Miller, who is now the coach at Cincinnati, brought out the very best in Dickey.
After redshirting his first year with the Spartans, Dickey grew two more inches and was an immediate contributor, averaging 6.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 22.1 minutes for a 25-win UNC Greensboro team. The next season he averaged 8.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, while being named the Defensive Player of the Year in the Southern Conference on a team that nearly beat Gonzaga in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
“I think I always had the potential, it just took me a long time to figure it out,” Dickey said. “I owe so much of my development to (Miller). I was definitely a late bloomer and I’m happy to be a late bloomer.”
In Dickey’s four seasons at UNC Greensboro, the team won a total of 97 games and he ended his career as the program’s all-time leader in rebounds and second in blocks. He was also just the second player in SoCon history to finish with at least 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 200 blocks in a career.
Watching Dickey total 24 points, 21 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and score two finishing baskets in the Elam Ending in his first three games with the AfterShocks, it’s hard to believe this is the same player who only had one Division I offer out of high school.
“I don’t think we win without him,” AfterShocks coach Zach Bush said. “It’s unbelievable, and this is no knock on the Southern Conference, but it’s incredible that (a power-conference team) didn’t scoop him up. He’s one hell of a player.”
The transfer portal was still in its infancy toward the end of his college career, which wrapped up in the 2019-20 season, but Dickey said the thought of leaving UNC Greensboro would have never been considered.
“There was so much loyalty there and we had an extremely tight-knit family, from the coaches to the players,” Dickey said. “I had so much fun there and I truly had an amazing connection with my head coach, which I know is unique. It doesn’t happen a lot.”
It’s been said often around Koch Arena this past week, but many of the former Wichita State players have joked with Dickey that he would have been the perfect Shocker with his blue-collar mentality and passion for defense. He has also impressed his teammates with his verbal communication on the court and energy during practices, traits that are even more invaluable for a team with limited time together.
But most importantly, the aggressive, in-your-face, full-effort style of defense that Dickey prefers has fit right in with this group of former Shockers, which is what he suspects has allowed him to transition seamlessly with the AfterShocks.
“I’ve watched Wichita State on TV and the energy and mindset of this program aligns perfectly with mine,” Dickey said. “I feel like I’m a really good glue guy and I fit in really well because I’m super unselfish and I don’t mind doing the dirty work.”
The combination of Dickey, a vertical threat on offense and a tenacious defender, and Darral Willis, who still earns his “machine gun” moniker for his offensive firepower, has elevated the AfterShocks in their third run together as a legitimate TBT contender for the $1 million prize.
“He’s definitely changed the dynamic of this team,” Bush said.
“Having (Dickey) back there helps us out so much on defense because the guards can press up a little more than we could in the past,” said AfterShocks star Conner Frankamp. “If someone gets by you, then we have him back there to protect the rim. He’s been such a great addition for us.”
This summer has given Dickey some perspective on just how far he has come in his journey, from being cut from his eighth-grade team to just finishing up his second professional season in Israel’s top league, where he played against former Shocker Joe Ragland and current AfterShocks teammate Tyrus McGee. He’s already signed to a team in Serie A in France, one of the top professional leagues in the world.
Now when he goes back to UNC Greensboro, there is a life-sized poster of him hanging in the practice gym. He can’t wait to tell his former teammates the stories of this summer’s TBT run, which he hopes continues to Dayton this weekend for the Final Four.
“I’ve finally started to reflect on what I’ve done and I’m proud of myself,” Dickey said. “I’m proud of myself because I know the journey I’ve had. I really am living a dream right now. Nobody would have ever thought I would be where I am today. That’s why I’m always appreciative of what I do have and what I have accomplished.”
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