Chelsea Dungee is an American basketball player widely touted as one of the most coveted draft picks during the 2021 WNBA draft. Dungee established herself as one of the top basketball prospects during her time with the Arkansas Razorbacks. She put up her best numbers during her last season with the team.
She averaged 22.2 points per game, led the nation in free throws, and became the leading scorer in Razorbacks history, with 2,120 career points. Her monstrous final season earned her a Third Team All-American selection, Arkansas’ first since Shameka Christon appeared on the Third Team in 2004.
This piece will look at Chelsea Dungee’s mother, her young life, and her career-defining move to Arkansas.
Chelsea and her mother Chi lived in a hotel for about 3 months after their house burned down.
Image/Oklahoma Sportswear
Chelsea was born on May 11, 1997 in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. She was raised by her single mother Chi Dungee in Oklahoma. Reports indicate that Chelsea’s father passed away when she was young.
Chi did not earn much money working as a social worker. Most of the time, she could only afford takeout with no dessert. “My mom was looking for free things to do, like bike or jog,” Chelsea said. OZY. Chelsea and Chi bonded in the family ‘trophy room’, which contained all the trophies, pins, framed photos and priceless memorabilia from Chelsea’s young career.
Unfortunately, everything from that room and the rest of the house burned to ash on November 1, 2014. Chelsea and Chi were at a basketball game when an electrical fire ripped through their house. It ruined all memories of a promising young career, and worst of all, it left Chi and Chelsea without a home and extra clothes.
“I didn’t know what to think except that it was sad because every little, little [piece of memorabilia] it had a special meaning to me, and all of that was taken away from me,” Chelsea said. ESPN. Without the means to rebuild quickly, Chi and Chelsea spent the 2014 Christmas season living in a hotel. However, after the turn of the year, Chi decided to rent a house 30 minutes north of Sapulpa, Oklahoma.
“I told Chelsea, ‘Our [keepsakes] they’re gone,” said Chi ESPN. “But the experiences that he had traveling the country, playing basketball … they couldn’t be taken away from him.” The entire ordeal, while heartbreaking, taught Chelsea important life lessons. Through the determination she saw in her mother, Chelsea has learned not to give up, even when the odds seem stacked against her. chelsea said women’s hoops world cup:
“Watching my mom do everything by herself, I didn’t have much support. And just showing me that you can overcome those things and come out on the other side a better person. On and off the court, I give everything I have, just like my mom did for me, to whatever program I’m in and to the people around me.”
Chelsea played softball and basketball when she was young, but she opted for basketball because she wanted to play in the WNBA.
Chelsea’s mother introduced Chelsea to basketball when she was a former player. Dungee also played softball and was pretty good at it. He played both sports during high school, but ultimately chose to put his all into basketball. Chelsea’s last dream was to play in the WNBA. She said women’s hoops world cup:
“My goal going into it was to play in Division 1. I didn’t know where it would be or what it would look like, but that was the goal. I just wanted to play to the best of my ability and I wanted to play in the WNBA. I would look at them all the time and think wow, it would be amazing if my job was to play basketball.”
Chelsea’s role models were players like Skylar Diggins and Delle Donne. She watched them, not to imitate her playing style, but to discover little details that would help her improve her game. “I look at everyone and pick up a little here and a little there, make it my own,” she said.
Dungee showed exceptional promise as a high school basketball player, but suffered from a weak mentality. The way he played depended on how the game played out. If the team played well, his confidence was high, and if things went wrong, his confidence would collapse. She said women’s hoops world cup:
“When I was in high school, I thought the only way I could help my team was to put points on the board, and I let my confidence waver a bit. That’s something I would say to my high school self: know who you are and believe in what you do. You practice those things every day, you know that that shot can go in; don’t lose confidence when you don’t have a game that isn’t the best for you”.
Chelsea’s move to Arkansas unleashed the potential everyone knew she possessed
After high school, Chelsea committed to Oklahoma. She had a decent first season with the team, but the team’s style of play did not suit her. It was an open secret that she would move on after the first season, but no one knew, including Chelsea, where she would end up.
Chelsea decided to play under coach Mike Neighbors after Oklahoma played the Neighbors-led Washington in their last game for the team. Dungee loved how Mike structured his team and the freedom he gave his best players. Chelsea confirmed the move to Arkansas after learning of Mike’s move from Washington to Arkansas.
He had planned to visit other schools, but canceled those visits and committed to Arkansas. Transfer rules dictated that Chelsea had to sit out one season. She used the time to get in shape, learn Mike’s plays and work on her Communications title. Chelsea spoke with women’s hoops world cup about your decision to continue with communications:
“So I jumped into comms with no idea what I wanted to do next. But I wanted to be able to speak in front of people and express how I felt. And it’s something I’m still working on. But I wanted to get out of that shell, and if anything else comes out of it, it will be the most valuable and beneficial thing I can get to be able to communicate.”
The player who lined up for Arkansas a year after her move was not the same player who left Oklahoma. She was thinner, meaner, hungrier and behind her, she had a trainer capable of bringing out the best in her. Mike Neighbors freed Chelsea from the shackles of calculated playmaking and strict positioning of her, freeing her to become a scoring machine.
Pundits were concerned that Mike had created a player he couldn’t control, but the results showed a method in Mike’s perceived insanity. With each game played and point scored, Chelsea increased in value. Former college and professional coach Carolyn Peck summed up Chelsea’s strengths in an interview with OZY:
“She’s really strong going to her left and right, and she has a perimeter game, but I think the other thing about her that makes her a WNBA prospect is that she’s mentally tough, she’s a competitor. She has a tenacity and perseverance. Arkansas’ rise has a lot to do with it; she didn’t get frustrated by having to build a program.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn