Determination guides Huffin on and off court

Senior guard Dominique Huffin initially wanted to play football.

“You can’t play football; there’s no girls allowed,” her mother said.

For a young Dominique, these were not the words she wanted from her mother.

A strong and determined girl since grade school, Huffin liked to play with the boys.

Huffin

Football held the best competition for young Dominique, and the boys did not intimidate. Just prior to middle school, Huffin’s mother insisted on her daughter joining another sport.

When Huffin tried out for her seventh grade basketball team and was cut, she didn’t know where she would exactly fit in.

Eighth grade was a deciding factor for Huffin, now a senior Exercise Science major and at Georgia College.

Through diligent work during her eighth grade season and a dedication to observing the local high school team, she made a name with the Tucker High School basketball coaches, and by freshman season, she was seeing playing time on varsity and junior varsity.

“My freshman year I came and watched their practices and fell in love,” Huffin said. “I hustled and I was tough. I went to camps in high school as a freshman and hung with all the seniors.”

Huffin’s high school coach Robin Potter saw the potential in Huffin at a young age.

Determined to make a career on the court, Coach Potter and the Tucker basketball staff pushed Huffin through intense workouts, AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) teams and basketball camps every summer.

By her 2007 graduation, Dominique was a member of the 1000 point club, the leading scorer all time for Tucker High basketball, a top ten senior from DeKalb and had the HOPE scholarship to help her upon her approach to Georgia College. Growing up Huffin’s mother emphasized, “books before school”, and she has made her mom quite proud over the years.

Not only being a dominant forward/guard for the Lady Bobcats basketball team, she has made the Dean’s List all four of her collegiate years and still has HOPE intact.

It’s senior year for Huffin and the halfway point of the season.

On Dec. 29, she netted her 1,000th career point for the Bobcats against Newberry College.

“Dominique knows what it takes to win this conference,” said Maurice Smith, head women’s basketball coach. “She brings a lot of energy and is very well liked by her teammates.”

The women’s and men’s basketball teams travel together during their away games, one bus, two teams, one family.

“She is very talented and knows the game,” senior guard Andre Mikell said. “Bus rides together are usually spent talking about the game.”

No time is wasted in preparation for the games. Senior forward Josh Hurst, one of Huffin’s best friends is a 6’5” support system for the 5’9” Huffin.

The two are inseparable on the bus reviewing scouting reports and discussing strategies.

When SportsCenter, a professional or a NCAA basketball game comes on the television, the two don’t watch like

Posted by Taylor Lamb on Jan 27 2011. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.