A long way from home
Dumont conquers physical and geographical boundaries to play ball
By Blair Busch
Skiff Staff

When senior post player Marlon Dumont, 25, started his collegiate basketball career, he spent more time in the hospital than he did on the court where he longed to be.

Dumont suffered from a blood clot in his left arm that eventually resulted in the removal of one of his ribs. He still currently endures side effects from the blood clot.

“I had to get my rib removed because my shoulder bone and first rib were pinching my vein,” Dumont said. “The blood clot is still there, but it’s not as bad.”

Simon Lopez/ SKIFF STAFF Senior post player Marlon Dumont is one of two senior on the men’s basketball team. Dumont, a native of Jamaica, has endured quite a bit since he started playing collegiate basketball.

Even with a serious medical ailment, Dumont has fought back to be on the hardwood. But the road to get back to playing basketball has taken him from his home in Jamaica to Oklahoma and led him further south to Fort Worth.

Dumont’s blood clot did not bother him at Gaynstead High School in Kingston, Jamaica, where he served as the team captain for three years. He attended the University of the West Indies and while playing for the Jamaican International team for four years.

Dumont played on the International Championship Jamaican Amateur Basketball Association team in 1998. He was the leading rebounder and shot blocker for the team.
He moved to the United States in 1998 to attend Seminole State Junior College in Oklahoma, where he encountered more problems.

Dumont couldn’t play as a freshman because his grades couldn’t transfer from the University of the West Indies. He only played six games his sophomore season, but in those six games he averaged 12.1 points a game and 6.9 rebounds, both team highs. He also led the team with 55 blocked shots and earned a spot on the West Division All-Conference team and on the All-Region 11 squad.

That’s where head coach Billy Tubbs heard about Dumont. TCU has had three players from Seminole State Junior College including former TCU basketball player Estell Laster. Laster was the first person who told Dumont about TCU and encouraged him to consider playing for TCU.

Dumont said Tubbs’ coaching tradition and reputation played a large role in his decision. Dumont said he liked the way Tubbs ran his run and gun offense and heard about him when he coached the Oklahoma Sooners (1980-94) to the Final Four and a NCAA National Championship game in 1988.

Once at TCU in 2001, he found himself in a new position as a college basketball player. Dumont played his first full season of basketball last year. He played in 30 games, starting seven of them, and averaged 6.0 points and 4.3 rebounds a game. He finished third on the team with 33 blocked shots and posted a double-double against Grambling. He scored season-high 17 points and 11 rebounds in that contest and reached double figures in points in 10 games.

Dumont played in 15 of the 16 Western Athletic Conference games and averaged 14.1 points against WAC teams.

“I think his athletic ability is his biggest asset,” Tubbs said. “He runs well, he jumps well, athletically he’s above average.”

Dumont has started in 22 of the 27 games he has played this season, averaging 18.9 minutes a game. He scored 227 points and has 172 rebounds for the season. He scored an individual-high 19 points on Jan. 9 against Memphis.

Dumont felt that the team played well this season and still has hopes for the team to get to the Conference USA Tournament in Cincinnati March 6-9 and even further to the NCAA or NIT tournaments.

“We played good this year, we had our ups and downs,” Dumont said. “We are getting better and are trying to make it to any type of tournament.”

Dumont has an advantage over other college players for his future. His birthplace of Jamaica gives him an advantage over American players when it comes down to playing on an international team, because international teams have a limited number of U.S. born players that can make the roster. But with a Jamaican citizenship, Dumont has an upperhand and advantage playing overseas.

“The International League is always looking for guys his size with his athletic ability,” Tubbs said. “He has a chance to play above the college level.”

If he doesn’t play international, Dumont wants to come back to TCU and complete his education in speech language pathology.

“I hope he finishes this semester and that should put him pretty close to graduation,” Tubbs said. “He’s the type of guy that would like to get his degree.”

credits

TCU Daily Skiff © 2002