By Russ Brown
NKyTribune correspondent
LOUISVILLE — There was 3:57 left in regulation during a tight Elite Eight game against Michigan State last season in Syracuse and a foul had left Louisville’s Wayne Blackshear with a bloody nose and unable to shoot the ensuing free throw.
Needing a sub to go to the foul line, UofL coach Rick Pitino walked down the bench, pointing at each player as he went.
“No. No. No.” Then he got to Dillon Avare, who was in his usual spot near the end of the row.
“He just kept coming and there was a little bit of thought in my ind that, ‘Oh, I might come in and shoot the free throw,'” Avare recalled the other day. “But I didn’t think too much about it and then he said my name. I really didn’t have time to think. I just said a quick prayer, and ‘oh, did this really happen?’ and just ran out there. But definitely one of the best moments of my life.”
The diminutive guard from Lexington made the free throw and stayed in the game for a few more seconds before returning to his home away from home on the bench.
Unless something more significant occurs during UofL’s season finale at Virginia Saturday night (8:30, ESPN), that single free throw will remain the highlight of his three-year career with the Cardinals.
And that’s fine with Avari (6-0, 155), a walk-on from Lexington Catholic High School whose father, Rick, is Pitino’s business manager.
“I didn’t really expect to play much coming here,” Avare says. “It was more about the experience and going up against those guys every day, I had no choice but to get better or I would just get embarrassed out there. It was a learning experience.”
And now, having already earned a degree in economics and a perfect 4.0 GPA, Avare is moving on to Eastern Kentucky University, where he will receive a scholarship and have two years of eligibility remaining.
Avare, who will major in sports administration at EKU, says he wasn’t ready to give up college basketball and figures he’ll have a chance to earn more playing time with the Colonels.
(Steve Fohl, Associate Director of EKU Sports Communication), said NCAA regulations prohibit head coach Dan McHale or anyone on his coaching staff from commenting on Avare because the school hasn’t received paperwork on his transfer yet).
“I definitely think I’ll play more at EKU than I would at Louisville,” Avare says. “I’m really grateful to Coach McHale and it’s closer to home for me too, so that will be a good thing. I’m just really looking forward to the opportunity to play more in that program.”
That wouldn’t take much. Avare was redshirted his freshman season, then played 27 minutes in eight games last year. This season he has logged 45 minutes in eight games, scoring six points to raise his career total to 10.
However, more playing time won’t come easy because the Colonels (15-16) appear to be well-stocked with experienced and talented guards for the 2016-17 season. EKU returns three rising senior backcourt or wing players in Isaac McGlone, JaVontae Hawkins and Jaylen Babb-Harrison, along with rising sophomore Dujuanta Weaver.
McGlone has started 30 games; Hawkins was a second-team All-OVC selection; Babb-Harrison led the OVC in 3-point field goal percentatage at 45.3 and Weaver was the backup point guard. McHale has also signed two backcourt recruits in Asante Giat and Parker Chitty.
When Avare enrolled at UofL after averaging 11.2 points and 4.3 assists as a senior at Lexington Catholic, the original plan was to stay just one year to build his body in the weight room and get some experience against major-college talent, then move on. But he liked UofL, Pitino and his teammates so much he decided to stick around awhile longer.
“I felt like I really fit in here and Coach Pitino was gracious enough to give me another opportunity to keep growing and become a better basketball player,” Avare says. “I’m glad I stayed more years to get the experience of playing with these guys.”
In practice every day, Avare went against Russ Smith, Terry Rozier and other more skilled players, but despite the fact that he rarely sees action in games, Avare says he was treated like a starter when it came to Pitino’s coaching.
“He doesn’t care if I am a walk-on or Russ Smith, and that’s cool,” Avare says. “He gets on me every day and always wants the best for me and I’ll always maintain my relationship with him.”
Pitino says Avare is one of the most popular and admired players on the team. A sign of that respect is that on the eve of the Cards’ Senior Night game Tuesday against Georgia Tech, starting wing and leading scorer Damion Lee texted Pitino asking him to start Avare instead of him.
“Dillon has been one of the team favorites,” Lee explained after UofL’s 56-53 win. “He’s just so generous and caring for everyone that I really wanted to try and honor him, pay homage to him by giving up my start.”
It didn’t happen, though, nor did Avare even get into the hard-fought game, which pretty much sums up his UofL “career,” if it can be called that. He’s hoping things will be different at EKU.