By Greg Bates
Correspondent
SEYMOUR – When COVID-19 struck, Seymour boys’ basketball player Mason Dorn was forced to stay inside.
Dorn said he didn’t have much to do, so he hit the weights.
The Seymour senior has always been lean, but he added 10-15 pounds to bulk up to 160.
The 6-foot-3 Dorn, who is primarily a point guard but can also play other positions, also grew a couple of inches.
Last year’s Bay Conference player of the Year added another dimension to his game: he can muscle up inside.
“It helps in lots of ways, getting through and getting rebounds, boxing out and playing defense,” said Dorn, who as a freshman, was about 5-foot-6 and 130 pounds. “It helps me get my shot off easier.”
As a junior, Dorn averaged 24.4 points per game.
Through the first 11 games this season, Dorn is putting up 31.5 points per game.
First-year Seymour coach Bobby Kuchta, who said he is familiar with Dorn’s game having watched him over the years when he was the Thunder girls’ coach, said adding muscle has helped Dorn’s game.
“He attacks a little bit different this year,” Kuchta said. “He goes in for contact and is looking for contact. He’s got a couple more inches on his vertical, too. He can elevate and dunk it in transition now.”
Fellow senior teammate Treyton Cornell also has high praise for Dorn.
“He’s bigger, stronger and faster,” Cornell said. “Last year, when teams got into him, it made it more difficult. Now, he’s finishing in the interior. He’s still got his pull-up (jumper), and he’s a better 3-point shooter this year. His whole game is starting to come around, and that’s going to help him.”
Along with having a bigger frame, Kuchta said he has seen Dorn’s confidence in his skills grow.
“Last year, coming into the season, I don’t think he knew his role yet, but he developed that quickly with a couple of guys out early,” he said. “He’s carried it over. Things are going to get harder for him, but he can light it up on the offensive side.”
Kuchta said many things are impressive about Dorn’s game.
“He’s smooth, lanky and wiry,” he said. “He can create his shot, and he can finish. He’s well-rounded, tough to stop and tough to keep in front of.”
As a freshman, Dorn came off the bench and provided former head coach Jon Murphy some quality minutes and 6.5 points per game.
The next year, he bumped his average to 12.5 points per game and became a regular starter.
This season in the opener Dec. 3, Dorn scored 37 points and became the 13th boys’ basketball player in Seymour history to reach 1,000 points in his career.
He also erupted for 51 points Dec. 11 against Shawano, had 41 against Menasha Jan. 8. and scored 44 against Kaukauna Jan. 11.
‘Coaches are sleeping on him’
When Dorn was scoring 25 or 30 points on a given night last season, he started getting noticed around the state and country.
WisSports.net had Dorn go from unranked at the beginning of his junior campaign to the 26th best player in the state in its top 50 list.
Because of the pandemic this summer, Dorn didn’t play AAU (Amateur Athletic Union), so his stock dropped some.
Entering this season, WisSports.net placed Dorn at No. 45 in the top 50.
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay associate head coach Randall Herbst came to Seymour to watch Dorn play last season.
With UWGB’s coaching staff different this year, Dorn has yet to hear from the new Phoenix brass.
Over the summer, Dorn was contacted by a coach at Portland State University, a Division I college in Oregon playing in the Big Sky Conference.
“I’ve talked to them a little bit, but not much recently,” Dorn said.
As of right now, Portland State is the only Division I school to show interest.
Kuchta said he believes Dorn uses that as motivation on the court.
“He’s got that killer instinct,” Kuchta said. “He’s trying to stick it to somebody. He competes and is fiery. He’s competitive in everything he does, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s trying to prove it to people.”
Division III schools from around the state, including UW-Stevens Point, have been in touch with Dorn.
“I want Division I, but I’m going to see what comes to me, and I’ll take the best offer,” Dorn said.
Dorn said believes he’s a Division I talent.
“I think I can do it all,” he said. “I can score, shoot, pull up, drive and play good defense. I’m put on the best scorer every night.”
Kuchta has received some recruiting emails from in-state coaches, but he said it’s been quieter than he would have thought at this point.
“He’s a scholarship-type player,” Kuchta said. “He didn’t play AAU this summer, so he didn’t get much exposure there. I think coaches are sleeping on him. They’ve got to start watching after him.”