Dupree balances basketball, school
Ronald Dupree takes what he learns in the classroom and applies it daily to his life on the basketball court.
As if the average life of balancing athletics and academics as a student athlete isn’t difficult enough, Dupree is absorbed in one of the toughest curriculums at LSU — engineering.
“Engineering is just something I looked into in high school,” he said. “Engineering has a lot of math, and that is one of my strengths as far as academics.”
So while Dupree isn’t busy schooling opponents in the Southeastern Conference, he is busy schooling himself on problems in physics and mathematics — a core part of the curriculum.
The 6-foot-7 forward from Biloxi, Miss., said he is able to use problem-solving strategies on the court as well as in the classroom.
“In a lot of [engineering], you have to think ahead,” Dupree said. “You have to not only think about your present situation, but about the future too. You have to have ‘plan As’ and ‘plan Bs’ when you’re dealing with circles and formulas.
“In basketball, I think that applies when you’re making a move or you’re on a drive or you’re thinking about penetrating, you always have to think about your defender, your outlets and your ‘plan As’ and ‘plan Bs.’”
Dupree’s success in the classroom almost rivals his success on the basketball court.
While holding a solid 2.8 grade point average in engineering, Dupree has led the LSU basketball team in scoring and rebounding for the last two seasons.
Last season, Dupree emerged as the SEC’s leading scorer, averaging 17.3 points after having a promising freshman season during the 1999-2000 season.
Dupree credits a lot of his success last season to the learning experience in his first year playing behind Jabari Smith and Stromile Swift. The 1999-2000 team was one of the best in the nation advancing all the way to the Sweet 16.
“It was one of my greatest experiences as far as learning,” Dupree said. “Practicing with those guys every day in practice and learning physical toughness and mental toughness taught me a lot. As the season went on, I learned and got better, started to feel my role and became a presence on the court.”
For all his success last season, Dupree garnered second team All-SEC honors by the Associated Press.
Dupree has carried last season’s success into this season, leading the Tigers in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.0 points and 8.7 boards.
A versatile player for LSU, Dupree can play small forward, power forward and even some center.
“I think as I get older playing basketball, I am more of a small forward who can go inside and go outside as well,” he said. “I enjoy the best of both worlds. But I don’t like defending big guys. No one likes to defend an oversized opponent. Playing on the perimeter is what I enjoy and I think that’s my strength.”
And then there is that academic thing again. Dupree said the Tigers’ last road trip and the start of the SEC tournament could not have come at a worse time.
“Right now, the SEC tournament is hitting at a bad time academically,” he said. “I think I have a test next Friday, next Wednesday, and I have some quizzes too. The flood gates are opening up as far as school work is concerned. So when I come back from the SEC Tournament, it’s going to be a big load.”
Graham Thomas