Crown Point sophomore Dikembe Shaw is merely scratching the surface.
But the 6-foot-6 guard/forward continues his upward trajectory after gaining experience as a freshman.
“He’s a spectacular player,” senior forward Seamus Malaski said. “He can almost score at will, especially off the dribble and in the paint. I know some of the guys in practice would rather be on his team than not be on his team in practice drills. Especially only being a sophomore, it’s crazy to see what he’s done.”
Malaski, whose brother Cooper is a freshman in the program, will graduate this year and is already looking ahead.
“I’ll be back and be able to watch some basketball, and I’ll be able to watch Dikembe grow,” Malaski said. “It’s going to be cool to see.”
Shaw has literally grown since last season, adding an inch. He also gained 25 pounds to reach 205.
“I tried to get bigger,” he said. “It’s not like I magically gained weight. I wanted to come into this season a little bigger. I got pushed around a little last year. So I came in bigger.
“I notice a difference. I’m not getting pushed around. I’m doing the pushing now.”
Indeed, Shaw is averaging 14.3 points and 9.4 rebounds, both team highs for the Bulldogs (7-3, 1-0), as well as 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals ahead of their Duneland Athletic Conference game against Merrillville on Friday.
Shaw earned significant minutes off the bench last season, when he averaged 4.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
“One thing I’m really glad about is we played him last year as a freshman,” Crown Point coach Clint Swan said. “We played him a lot. He was in our rotation, got that experience, and he’s taken full advantage. It’s been great. He’s played extremely well here for the last two or three weeks.”
Shaw said he actually didn’t open the season the way he envisioned.
“I worked on my shot, but I started the year off shooting bad,” he said. “I was driving and handling pressure better. But coming into this year, I started off shooting bad. But I knew things would pick up. Coming into it after the summer, I had the confidence, and now I’ve been playing a lot more consistently.
“I’m just more experienced, trying to do whatever my team needs me to do. I’m just seeing the game more, just being around it more. The summer and this year, people helped me get better.”
Shaw is part of a promising and productive class for the Bulldogs, who have a strong group of senior leaders.
“He’s also one of those guys you have to have in the locker room,” Malaski said. “He’s like a glue in the locker room. He’s just a good dude. He’s funny. He’s a great teammate. We love goofing around the locker room with him. And you know game days, he’ll go out and compete and show out for his team.”
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Shaw’s family has done it before for Crown Point. His sister Dash was an Indiana All-Star in 2020 after transferring from West Side, and she is a star guard for Purdue Northwest.
“We have a competitive relationship,” Dikembe Shaw said. “We used to go head to head all the time, especially when I was younger and she was a little older. She used to always beat me. But now that I’ve grown up, she doesn’t want to play me anymore. We’ve always been close.”
Shaw continues to make strides to get closer to realizing his potential.
“One thing, he’s gotten a little bigger and more athletic,” Swan said. “That always plays a big role in somebody’s development. The other thing, he’s had to be one of the guys with a lot of varsity experience from last year, and being one of our best players, he’s had to step up and take a leadership role. It’s given him more accountability and more responsibility for the team. It’s been neat to see that growth.
“Don’t get me wrong. He is tremendously skilled. He can handle the ball. He’s a great passer. He can shoot the ball. But there are some intangibles with him as well that have allowed him to take the next step.”