Imagine the Kohl Center in downtown Madison, Wisconsin, filled with thousands of spectators, yet those in blue and gold seem to chant the loudest. The Rufus King General’s were down by 20 points in the first half of the game against Appleton West and many had already begun to lose hope. The 2004 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association division one championships would not be going to the General’s.
The buzzard sounds and the third quarter begins. Dupree Fletcher, a senior point guard for the General’s, bombard the floor with unyielding steals, cross-over, and three point shots that eventually lead to a win for the General’s. Fletcher, with 29 points and six steals, had won a state championship game.
“Out of all the games I’ve ever played, the championship game in Madison is the most memorable to me. I had a lot going on in my life at that time, but that game is one that I’ll never forget,” said Fletcher.
Since high school, Fletcher has continued to wow crowds because of his ability to pressure the ball and take it to the rim. Ending a game with 20 or more points has become second nature to him; primarily because he has been playing basketball since he was about seven years old.
According to Fletcher’s his first interest was football. For a few months, Fletcher would play a couple of games with his neighborhood friends however that all ended when his family decided to move. Surrounding his new home was basketball. Fletcher’s grandmother was a high school basketball coach, so he would go to most of the games with her. If he was not at the games with his grandmother, then he could be found watching the neighborhood teenage boys play basketball using any material they could find to act as a rim and a court. According to Fletcher this is when he really developed an interest in the game of basketball.
In the past Fletcher has played on various teams throughout the city of Milwaukee and even won two championships with a summer Boys and Girls Club team. Playing in various venues developed Fletcher the reputation as one of the best point guards around the city.
By the time Fletcher entered high school, college recruiters were already looking at him. DePaul, Ohio State, Virginia, Florida and Louisville all wanted Fletcher however he ended up attending the University of Evansville. He was only at UE for a short time, before he enrolled in Garden City Community College in Kansas (where he actually earned an Associate’s Degree in General Studies), and now he is here at Dillard University.
“I had been looking at ‘Pree since his freshman year at King,” said Dillard’s head men’s basketball coach, Anthony Anderson.
Fletcher, a junior business management major, is the top scorer for Dillard’s team. Many may not even know his name or his face because when they see him he is dominating the court and only being referred to as, “the cold dude from Wisconsin.”
On the court Fletcher is said to be very aggressive and knowledgeable, in which he passes that knowledge onto his fellow teammates.
According to Nate Lampkin, a junior Psychology major from Lake Charles and teammate, “(Fletcher) is a big time clutch player and big time clutch players don’t have time to worry about the pressures of the game, they just have to bring it.”
Initially, Fletcher had a hard time adjusting to the southern atmosphere, the new team and “the whole nine,” said Anderson, “but he has a natural ability to lead and the ability to score. I like winners and he’s a winner all the way around. He can only get better; he wants it.”
When Fletcher tries hard to imagine life without basketball but his mind fills with darkness. Fletcher admits that he has committed his share of wrong doings. ” It is because of my first love, basketball that I am here at Dillard.” said Fletcher.
According to Fletcher he does want to eventually play professionally but acknowledges that there is still unfinished work on the court for the Dillard Blue Devils that he and his teammates have to take care of.
“Everyone is young, but we have to stay positive and help each other out; we’re a family,” said Fletcher. Whether it is taking a teammate to the dentist, picking someone up from the Duels, or simply saying, “Man, you know coach is going to get you for having on those flip flops,” it is evident that there is a strong bond between the young men that represent Dillard on the court. The coach is like a father figure to most of the men since they are away from their homes and especially to Fletcher whom he practically watched growing up.
After all the fame in high school, Evansville, and now Dillard, Fletcher said that the most important thing he has taken from his basketball experience is humility and when everything boils down he is just himself, “laid back and minding his own business.”
