Grant senior guard Madelyn Dunskis may have been well prepared for younger teammates this season.
Dunskis, the second-oldest child in her family, has two much younger brothers, 7-year-old Anthony and 5-year-old Landon.
“It definitely makes it fun with two young brothers,” she said. “I’ve watched them grow. They definitely have a lot of energy. They’ve taught me to be patient and also to kind of trust the process in a way.
“I think with them always watching me play basketball, it also motivates me to do the most I can because I know they are looking up to me.”
Teammates also look up to the 5-foot-7 Dunskis, a third-year varsity player who is averaging 7.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 4.0 deflections for the young Bulldogs (2-7, 2-2) this season. Her presence on the court is particularly important given that two other seniors are sidelined with injuries.
“We’re definitely a young team with a freshman and a couple of sophomores,” Grant coach Andrea Weaver said. “We have four seniors, but two of them are out.
“Madelyn is a leader. She’s giving pointers in practice to the girls without us asking her. She also came to me in the offseason asking things — even now does — to improve as a team. It’s nice to see her step into a leadership role.”
Grant junior Mya Clark also noted Dunskis’ role as a leader for the Bulldogs.
“Madelyn is great at communicating and keeping herself and her teammates accountable on the court,” Clark said.
Arielle Mitchell, one of the injured seniors, appreciates how Dunskis goes about it.
“She always helps out everyone in a positive way,” Mitchell said.
Weaver said Dunskis is helping the Bulldogs weather some growing pains this season. Dunskis, who was named to the all-tournament team at the Mundelein Thanksgiving Classic, then scored 23 points against North Chicago and 16 points against Grayslake North during Northern Lake County Conference wins this season.
“She’s got a very sharp shot,” Weaver said. “She’s easily our best 3-pointer shooter and is able to shoot floaters. She’s an annoying defender. She doesn’t want people to push her around, so she has a hand on the player at all times on defense.
“She’s having a great season.”
Dunskis averaged just 3.4 points as a junior and decided to work on her shot during the offseason.
“I learned a lot last year and picked it up toward the end of the season,” she said. “I’ve always been a shooter, but I knew I had to improve that skill even more and to also work on handling pressure with the ball and to get more assists. I had to become overall stronger.”
Dunskis has been doing that since she made her varsity debut.
“I was definitely nervous playing varsity in my sophomore year, especially me and another teammate being the youngest on the team,” she said. “My role models from that year helped me grow more confident as a player. I felt I had to step up and prove I belonged to play with them.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
