Kinard Dozier Proving His Worth
Kinard Dozier came to the Winchendon School to chase his dream of playing division I basketball, and after a year of hard work he is close to reaching his goal.
Kinard Dozier has been a man on a mission for some time now.
“I came to Winchendon because I was very hungry and wanted a division I scholarship,” said Dozier. “I played four years at Denham High School, which is a very small division III school in Massachusetts, and so I didn’t get a lot of looks at that level.”
When Kinard first arrived at Winchendon for his post-graduate year he immediately had a good deal of attention from some of the top programs in the NE-10 Conference, arguably the toughest division II conference in the country. But Dozier was steadfast in his goal; he wanted to play at the division I level.
“Kinard has been, by far, the biggest surprise on the team this year,” said Winchendon Head Coach Mike Byrnes. “I thought he was a division II player originally but he definitely proved me wrong. He is a strong combo guard who is the best perimeter defender on our team and can make open shots.”
“My game has improved 100% since arriving at Winchendon,” said Dozier. “Coach Byrnes puts us through rigorous training. We set a goal of improving my ball-handling and getting my jump shot more consistent and we’ve definitely done that this year.”
Earlier this year it looked as if Dozier might be headed to Boston University but that fell through when the Terriers said they were looking for more of a pure point guard. In recent weeks programs like Quinnipiac, St. Francis PA, and Radford have all expressed interest.
“My game doesn’t always stand out because I’m not flashy with the ball. I don’t play above the rim or break people’s ankles, but I try to do all the little things like boxing out, playing defense, and diving on the floor,” said Dozier.
The bottom line is Dozier is the type of player that helps his team win games. He plays extremely hard, never takes a play off, doesn’t need a lot of shots, and is a leader in the locker room.
“Every big game we’ve played, Kinard stepped up and made big plays. Whether it was St. Benedict’s at Seton Hall or our overtime victory over Notre Dame at home, he was getting big stops down the stretch, diving on the floor, coming up with a loose ball, or taking a charge” said Byrnes.
“I can just about guarantee whichever program pulls the trigger and gets Kinard Dozier will get a player who I guarantee by his junior, definitely his senior year, he’ll be a captain. He’s just that type of kid. He’s a great student, a great person, and very articulate.”
Perhaps Kinard summed up his worth the best when he said, “I just want college coaches to know I play with so much heart and passion and I love the game of basketball.”
Kinard Dozier