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Ricks Learns from Being Away from Home
by Frank Burlison, Long Beach Press-Telegram
December 14, 2006
LONG BEACH --- It was only a journey of 30 miles or so.
But Dominique Ricks thinks that ``getting away from home’’
proved to be a sound career move when it came to deciding upon his next
steps, athletically and academically, after graduating from Cypress High
in June of 2003.
``Going to Saddleback College (which is located in Mission Viejo) was
a great decision,’’ the 6-foot-6, 222-pound starting post
player for the Long Beach State basketball team and Communications major
said the other day, after finishing a test in an ``Intra-Gender Communications’’
class.
``I’ve I’d stayed at home (in Anaheim), I would have always
had my mother around to help me out and I’d have been hanging out
more with my (high school) friends. Going to Saddleback meant I had to
get out on my own and get a job. It taught me to look out for myself and
focus on the things I needed to do (academically and basketball-wise)
to be successful. It made me grow up.’’
Ricks, who is averaging 6.9 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds for Coach
Larry Reynolds’ 5-4 49ers, worked a series of jobs in and around
the Mission Viejo Mall (he lived in an apartment complex across the street
of the shopping center, which is just a few blocks west of Saddleback).
``I worked at Robinson-May Company (now Macy’s, Old Navy . . . I
worked at a Togos, too,’’ he said.
Playing for one of the top community college programs in the state, under
the guidance of coaches Bill Brummel and Andy Ground, also built upon
the basketball foundation that was sculpted for Ricks at Cypress High
under Coach Jeff Russell.
``Playing at Saddleback exposed me to some very good talent that is out
there (on the community college level),’’ Ricks said.
``And coaches Brummel and Ground are great guys who really worked hard
with me and taught me a lot. I’m a much better play now (because
of attending Saddleback).’’
Ricks said he is on target to pick up his degree this spring and isn’t
sure that would have been the case if he had elected to stay closer to
home to attend his first couple of years of college classes.
``I see some of the people I went to high school with, and even some who
graduated a couple of years ahead of me, and they’re not as far
along as I am (academically),’’ he said.
``I might have taken a year or two off (from school), if I had stayed
around home (for community college) and fallen far behind (academically).
``Going away forced me to focus on what I needed to do.’’
Ricks signed with Long Beach in the fall of 2004 (prior to the start of
his sophomore season at Saddleback College).
He conceded that there were times last season with the 49ers, when he
averaged 13 minutes of playing time and started just four times in 30
games, that he wondered if he had may the right choice, basketball-wise,
for his next college stop.
``It was difficult to adjust to, at first, and I didn’t agree with
it (his limited playing time) at times,’’ he said.
Reynolds changed his team’s offensive approach last season, using
a ``spread’’ offensive attack that attempts to stretch defenses
with the threat of drivers and 3-point shooters.
It’s certainly not a traditional post-oriented offense in which
the ball is thrown into the high- or low-post positions at least once
on every possession.
``But Coach Reynolds turned the team around (with the offense, that helped
the 49ers average a nation-leading 83 points per game) and I trusted his
decision,’’ Ricks explained.
So, after a junior season in which he averaged 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds
per game, he began planning for his senior season.
``If that (the offensive system) was the way we were going to play,’’
he said, ``I said to myself `How do I get myself into the game (more frequently)?’
So I worked as hard as I could over the summer.’’
It’s part of his motto ``No excuse, just produce.’’
And that is exactly what he is doing, nine games into his senior season.
Ricks spent much of the summer working out on an almost daily basis with
another 49er who is having a standout senior season, forward Sterling
Byrd (13.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game).
``We were staying in the same dormitory suite during summer school, and
we stayed next door to each other,’’ Ricks said. ``So we’d
go to the gym and shoot together or go lift weights.’’
He’s started each game this season while averaging 22 minutes per
game.
Ricks was drawing kudos from Reynolds during fall individual workouts
(before the Oct. 14 official start of practice) for his consistency of
effort and productivity.
``His work ethic is really paying off,’’ Reynolds said.
``He does everything that is asked of him in defending, rebounding and
converting (scoring) opportunities.’’
Ricks knows that, unlike at Cypress and Saddleback ``when I was always
the first or second (scoring) option, I’m not going to get that
many touches here because all five guys we put on the floor can score,’’
he said.
‘’So I figure, if I’m not going to get that many touches
(passes thrown his way), I have to help by rebounding, defending and finishing
(scoring off of offensive rebounds).’’
It’s called ``taking care of business’’ and Ricks is
doing just that --- on and off the court.
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