Dunning Dials Long Distance

By Glenn Nelson
HoopGurlz Publisher
Posted Sun, 11/11/2007 - 11:36 When it came to choosing a college, the No. 14 player in the HoopGurlz Hundred didn't let distance deter her.

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STORY & PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON

Her daughter just finished her sophomore year at Eastmoor High in Columbus, Ohio, when Charlotte Dunning was putting Ayana on a plane nearly 2,500 miles away to Portland, Ore. It was the the younger Dunning's first long trip away from home, and Charlotte was teary and sad. Ayana Dunning - "Ya-Ya," to most - was en route to a big adventure at the Nike Skills Academy, yet was calm as a frequent flier.

"I think that's when my mom knew I didn't mind going far," Dunning said.

So it wasn't a major shock to Charlotte Dunning when her daughter, the No. 14 prospect in the HoopGurlz Hundred, committed to LSU, some 966 miles away in Baton Rouge, La. - a jaunt compared to two visits Ayana Dunning has made to the Nike campus in Beaverton, Ore.

"Oh no," Dunning said when asked if distance were ever a factor. "I'm not afraid of going away. I don't get homesick. In fact, that's what my mom and Jay Bee (Beathea, her club coach at All-Ohio) always used to say about me."

What they, and a lot of other people, also used to say about Dunning is that she is the best post in the 2008 class. Though ranked No. 3 at that position, behind Lynetta Kizer (Maryland commit) and Cierra Bravard (Florida State), Dunning may ultimately prove them correct. The 6-foot-3 post was ranked as high as No. 3 overall, but had a case of mononucleosis during the spring, then injured a knee early in the summer.

When healthy, Dunning may have the best low-post footwork and fundamentals of any inside player in the class. She also has a nice touch to mid-range and excellent passing skills, making her equally effective in the high post as in the low. Dunning has averaged double figures in points and rebound in each of her three season at Eastmoor, with 19.8 points, 14.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.8 steals and 3.2 blocks last season.

Dunning and Jantel Lavender made for an imposing, interchangeable post duo for All-Ohio during the summer of 2006. Lavender now is at Ohio State, and Dunning received some fierce lobbying to join her. On Nov. 2, she and her mother were at a local mall, shopping for a birthday present for her brother, Shakir.

"It was crazy," Dunning said. "It seem like every store clerk, policeman and security guard in the mall said, 'Stay home so you can play in front of your mother!' "

The Buckeyes' loss is a huge gain for LSU, which is reloading under new coach Van Chancellor, who has nine seniors this year. Dunning's verbal gives Chancellor six prospects ranked in the HoopGurlz Hundred. Tennessee is next with five. Chancellor easily can field an entirely new, talented starting lineup with his 2008 take. With Dunning anchoring the middle, he has an especially imposing front line. Chancellor also has excellent ballhandling between the duo of Destini Hughes, the No. 2 point guard in the class, and Crystal Riley.

Dunning says the influx of talent to LSU was not influential, that she made the best decision for herself. Not that she isn't pleased with the girls she is ending up with. The last night at Nike Skills Academy is "Movie Night" and, coincidentally, Hughes and LaSondra Barrett, the highest ranked LSU recruit at No. 12, were the two players who stayed up all night with her in her room, watching movies.

"The other girls in the class are just a plus," Dunning said.

Dunning made official visits to Illinois first, then USC, LSU and Ohio State. She cancelled a visit to Rutgers because, although she admires coach C. Vivian Stringer, she said, "I couldn't see myself fitting in as well as with the other schools I visited."

The more visits she made, Dunning said, the more apparent it became that LSU was the place for her. No matter how far away.

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Glenn Nelson is the founder and publisher of HoopGurlz.com. He is a member of the McDonald's All-American Selection Committee and SportsShooter.com (Click for Porfolio), Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Photoshop Professionals, National Press Photographers Association, Online News Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Glenn also founded and coached the Dragons and Northwest HoopGurlz select girl's basketball teams and previously was the editor-in-chief at Scout.com and a longtime, national-award-winning basketball columnist and writer for The Seattle Times. His work has appeared in several books and national magazines. He is co-author of "Rising Stars: The Ten Best Players in the NBA" (Rosen Publishing, 2002). For more on Glenn's World, click here. Glenn can be reached at glenn@hoopgurlz.com.

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