Matt Dorr stays open
At Mt. Spokane High School, they’ll tell you that when one Dorr closes, another Dorr often opens. At least acting head boys basketball coach Dan Smith will tell you that.
Smith is filling in this season for Bill Ayers, who is sitting out this year with health problems. Smith has inherited 6-foot-5 senior Matt Dorr, whose brother Mike was an all-Greater Spokane League player two years ago and is now playing at Highline Community College.
Matt Door is averaging 17 points and seven rebounds a game for the Wildcats, who are off to a 6-3 start, and he’s the acknowledged go-to guy on a team with only two other seniors. (And, by the way, he qualified for the State 4A tennis championships last spring.)
He was on the Mt. Spokane varsity as a sophomore, so he and Mike had that year together for the Wildcats, but they’d had many a driveway battle before that, which Matt believes helped prepare him for his current success.
“In our family, we all have that competitive drive,” he said recently. “It helped me because lots of people don’t have someone in the same house to compete against. I never liked to lose to him. I don’t remember who won more often, but I remember that just about every game ended in a fight.”
Previously, Smith had been the freshman coach and a varsity assistant, and he’s looking to Dorr for leadership as well as scoring and rebounding.
“He has to be a leader for us,” Smith said. “As a three-year varsity guy, he has to show our younger players how to do things. We’re asking him to do a lot of things on the court, and he’s doing them all. He has really stepped up to the challenge.
“When people scout us,” Smith continued, “they’re looking for a way to stop Matt. He’s worked hard, he’s been committed and loyal, and now he’s reaping the benefits of all that. It’s fun to watch.”
Dorr also talks about the fun he’s having, particularly with the opportunities to freelance in Smith’s offense.
“We’ll settle it down if we don’t get something off the break,” he said, “but we’re pushing it and getting a few more one-on-one opportunities. A lot of my success so far is that I’m really playing freely and not worrying about making mistakes.
“Last year, I felt it was enough to be a positive role model, but now it’s my responsibility to help get everybody ready to play hard every night and set an example by doing that myself.”
Dorr has played every position on the court so far this year, even sharing point guard duties with fellow senior Tim Roffler on occasion. Forward Calvin McManus is Mt. Spokane’s other senior.
Dorr’s also an outstanding student, with a 3.8 grade-point average in a college-preparatory schedule, so it’s no surprise to hear Smith talk about his understanding of the game – “he’s a smart player, almost like an assistant coach.”
It makes sense that Dorr’s a solid student.
“My parents always told me that school comes first and that if my grades aren’t there, neither are sports or time with my friends. They always encouraged me to play, but never forced me, and they’ve supported me in high school by telling me that my job was to get good grades and work hard on my game.”
Dorr hopes that a solid hoops season along with those grades will help him get into a four-year NCAA Division I or II basketball program next season, but he knows he’ll be playing somewhere. In the meantime, he’ll continue to work hard, he says, and put the team first.
“Sometimes people make that hard, because they’re talking about my numbers, but I’d rather go scoreless and win than get 40 points and lose.”