An athlete going to a varsity basketball team his freshman year that was loaded with talent and was runner-up for a valley championship is quite an accomplishment, that someone I was just talking about is Dylan Self. Self is a hard-working, talented basketball player. Before school starts, during the summer, Dylan’s day consists of four hours where he trains, works out, and has two hour practices for his travel basketball team ‘Third World’ located in Bakersfield, CA. Self mentioned, “I would love to earn a scholarship to keep playing, win the South Sequoia League Most Valuable Player award, and earn first-team all-area.”  Through the Wildcats’ last tournament, Self averaged 20.1 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game, and 2.3 blocks per game, while shooting a 38% from the field.

Self also emphasized a lot on his leadership role now as a senior, “I have a bigger leadership role; I hold myself more accountable for wins and losses, I try to lead by example.” In just seven games this season, Self has already scored 130 points, at this pace, he is on track to joining the 1,000 point club for his basketball career.

Head coach Eric Newton touched on his playing ability on the court, “He’s a very talented player, able to shoot, dribble, he has a well-rounded skill set.” Newton took over as head coach last season, finishing with an overall record of 17-18. Newton, along with Self, emphasized on his leadership role, “I’m expecting him to be the leader of the team, not just with play but with his attitude as well.” Newton also added that the players he has this year are all guys that should be on the floor, “We have more depth; I feel like we have more guys we can put in the rotation. Depth also helps because we don’t see a drop off  in performance.” We’re looking forward to see how Self’s season turns out this year. Make sure you tune into the Wildcats’ games and make sure to go out and support the team.