Bringing versatility to the court

JEREMIAH BARTZ

Frontiersman sports editor

For the last four years Cade Dickey has worked with Total Package Pro Training, fine tuning his basketball skills. As a senior, Dickey proved to be the total package for the Colony Knights, showing his ability to work outside and create pressure in the post.

Now Dickey has the opportunity to make a name for himself at the college level. Dickey has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Olympic College in Bremerton, Wash.

The Olympic coaching staff took note of Dickey while he was working in the Total Package program. One of the trainers has a contact with the Olympic staff, and Total Package routinely sends players Olympic's way. Total Package is a personal training service for prep and youth basketball players, and is based in the Lower 48. Dickey started in the program as an eighth grader, and travels down to Seattle several times each year to work out with the trainers. Dickey said the personal instruction helped him improve his skills.

"You can do stuff on your own, but having someone who knows what they're talking about helps you fix the little things," Dickey said.

Dickey said he would travel to Seattle once during the season and a few times each spring for a weekend filled with basketball.

At Colony, Dickey was arguably the most skilled player on one of the most athletic teams in the state. He helped the Knights capture the 2005 Northern Lights Conference championship, and earn a spot in the 4A state title game. Dickey played virtually every position on the floor for Colony, and was asked to do everything from bringing the ball down the court to posting up in the paint.

"That definitely helped me out a lot," Dickey said. "(Olympic) said they're going to push the ball up the floor, which is similar to what we did here at Colony."

Olympic is expected to fun a four-guard system and plug Dickey in at the wing position.

"I'll be playing the four-spot, which at most schools would be a post, but here it is more of a guard-forward, or wing," Dickey said.

Having the 6-foot-5 Dickey on the wing should give Olympic the versatility he provided CHS.

"He did it all year for us," Colony head coach Jeff Bowker said. "That's the weird thing. Having a player his size running outside, starting outside, not inside. He's done it his whole life."

Dickey visited both Olympic and Southern Oregon during the recruiting process. Southern Oregon was the only four-year school that had a tremendous amount on interest in Dickey, but he ultimately settled on the two-year program.

"I'll spend one or two years there and see what happens," Dickey said.

Dickey also looked at schools in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, which is the home of both Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks. Olympic, like many junior college basketball squad, is considered a feeder program for many Division I and Division II schools.

"Give him a year or two and see what happens," Bowker said. "This gives him a chance to play. If you notice one thing about that guy - he just wants to

play."