D.J. Blackmon, John Dawson have Clovis basketball thinking state championship

Clovis High's D.J. Blackmon grimaced early and often in last year's New Mexico 5A state tournament semifinal loss to Eldorado (Albuquerque) — and with good reason.

Not only did the Wildcats' championship hopes end, but Blackmon played the game with a hairline fracture on his left big toe. John Dawson, who has been friends with Blackmon since the first grade, saw firsthand the pain his teammate was going through.

"D.J. showed his toughness in that game," Dawson said.
 
Blackmon expressed equal admiration for Dawson.

"John is the type of player you want on your team," Dawson said. "I'd like to take some of his court vision."

Friends since they were 6-years-old, Blackmon and Dawson form arguably the best backcourt in New Mexico. The seniors have led Clovis to a 14-6 record as it guns for its first state championship in five years. Blackmon, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, averages 17 points and 6 rebounds per game.

Dawson, a 6-3 point guard, averages 15 points and 7 assists per contest. Not surprisingly, Blackmon and Dawson point to chemistry as the key to their success.

"I know where he's going to be, and he knows where I'm going to be," Dawson said. "We just click."

Wildcats coach Matt King said his senior guards complement each other perfectly.

"John is more of a perimeter jump shooter and D.J. more of a slasher, so it works well on the court," King said. "They definitely have a connection that's gone way back."

The Marquette-bound Dawson possesses a fiery competitiveness that was developed from his upbringing. As one of nine — yes, nine children — Dawson learned to fight for everything at an early age.

"When it came time to eat, you're competing for food at the table right there and then," he said.

Although Dawson is regarded as an athletic player, he feels Blackmon's talent is off the charts.

"D.J. is stupid athletic, it's just crazy," Dawson said. "I'd like to take some of that from him."

Big-time talent isn't the only thing Clovis' dynamic duo has in common. Both excelled at multiple sports at an early age, both of their fathers are named David and both are driven to make each other — and their teammates — excel at a higher level.

"John and D.J. know the importance of playing organized, being competitive and closing teams out," King said. "Teams that go deep in state know how to do all those things, and hopefully the experience we've gained in all those areas earlier in the season will prepare us as we move forward in (the) state (tournament)."

Dawson played with a heavy heart during his freshman and sophomore years because his dad was suffering from full-blown cataracts at the time and was legally blind. Fortunately for Dawson, his dad regained his vision after undergoing major surgery.

"When my dad was blind, I always wanted to give him hope through my basketball," Dawson said.

Blackmon, who is a first cousin of the Miami Heat's Ray Allen, has received plenty of interest from Division I schools.

However, Blackmon will probably wait until after the season is over to make his college choice. A 4.1 GPA student, Blackmon plans on majoring in aerospace engineering in college, with the goal of designing planes when his playing days are over. Blackmon's dad, David, was a staff sergeant in the Air Force.

Growing up, Blackmon and Dawson played on the same youth basketball, baseball and pee wee football teams. Their teams — not surprisingly — won the majority of their games. Before they tried out for Clovis' varsity team as wide-eyed freshmen, they made a promise to themselves that they were in this together.

Now, with only a month or so left in their high school careers, Blackmon and Dawson would love nothing more than to go out together as state champions. Clovis certainly won't be the favorite — that title is reserved for La Cueva (Albuquerque) and Eldorado in a loaded 5A field — but the Wildcats can't be counted out.

"We came in with a bang, and we want to leave with a bang," Blackmon said. "We're hungry for a state championship. Winning state would mean everything."