Within the beautiful world of sports, what distinguishes a good team from a great one is a player who can rally his team and show a sense of leadership by uplifting their teammates.
Through 5 am shootarounds, intense two-a-days, and team scrimmages, senior Ethan Dabu has laid his mark as one of the most important pieces on the basketball team due to his mentality to overcome adversity, as well as the impact he provides for his teammates to always strive for the best. His journey and experiences as a program member have created a solid motivation for the last hoorah of the senior season.
One of many traits young basketball players strive to reflect the NBA players they idolize. Ethan Dabu recalls the time as a child when he first laid eyes on Derrick Rose’s playstyle. “I just always remember watching him as a little kid, trying to be like him on the mini hoop in my hallway,” Ethan said. “I’ve always had his jerseys. I still have his posters up in my room…that’s always been my favorite player my whole life. Sometimes I would say I do watch a lot of his highlights, so I guess it does implement into my own basketball game.”
During Ethan’s journey, a time of adversity entered his game. Dabu had to discover his identity on the court, having a more petite frame than many point guards within the region. “When I got here at Loyola, I was probably 5 ‘5, and I played on the sophomore team as a freshman, so a year older, people are more developed than me,” Ethan noted. “I remember how I came in and I was super small and didn’t have a lot of weight on me, so there was a lot of adversity there, but I was lucky enough to have the coaches take a chance on me.”
Through hard work and dedication he “was able to display my game, and I showed that height doesn’t really matter.” Ethan showed through his journey that he could provide more self-confidence within his game by accepting what he can control instead of what he cannot.
Ethan further discusses another way he can provide self-confidence leading up to the game: his pregame tunes. “Before games, I would listen to these three specific people: Drake, SZA, and Taylor Swift,” Ethan said (yes, basketball players can be Swifties, too).
In sports, one of the most critical aspects of success is comradery. Ethan truly appreciates the connections he makes with his teammates every day. He drawn so close to his teammates that he feels a sense of brotherhood within the program. “I would say out of all the teams in Illinois, we’re probably the most tight-knit,” Ethan mentioned. “We do stuff off the court all the time, we always go out together, and all know a lot about each other, which can help because when we are on the court, we know what’s best for each other.”
Many of Ethan’s teammates have mentioned how much of an impact he provides for the team on and off the court. “I think he’s a great teammate,” senior Adam Dougherty shared. “In practice, he’s always talking to me, just personally letting me know what I’m doing wrong and pushing me to do better and to improve on what I do, and he’s always there for me.”
Adam is not the only team member who admires Ethan’s compassion towards others.
“He looks hot and keeps cool,” senior Jimmy Tarjan noted. “I’d say one of Ethan’s best qualities is that he’s a hard worker, he’s very funny, he’s always got a lot of jokes, and he’s a pleasure to be around.”
Jimmy has known Ethan ever since they were little. “I’ve been playing basketball with Ethan since I was in first or second grade, so I’ve known him for years. To grow up with him and specifically watch him grow on and off the court has been special.”
Throughout his life, basketball has taught Ethan many life lessons. He has learned to overcome the obstacles with what he can control and, more importantly, about the effects of comradery, and the upliftment of the people around him to reach their goals. He continuously hopes for a great 2023-24 season, as Ethan can rally his teammates to a state championship.
