Man in the Mirror Fuels Nick Dorn’s Game

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Nick Dorn won't ignore the man in the mirror. How could he, when the words are his, when they insist all things are possible.

Dorn believes in himself, in his basketball ability, in the impact he will have for the Indiana Hoosiers once he is fully fit, which will happen soon now that his foot injury is fully healed, perhaps as soon as Sunday when IU (3-0) hosts Incarnate Word (2-1) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

"I'm up for the challenge, the junior guard says. "No moment is too big. It's all an illusion in your head if you think it's too big."

Dorn uses the mirror as a tool to work on that; he insists talking to his reflection can bring potential into reality.

"I tell myself that I can't be stopped," Dorn says. "Words of affirmation just to tell myself that I'm here for a reason and I can do anything. I really believe that in my heart."

Belief is in the quality of his play and what he did at Elon, where he spent the previous two years before transferring to IU. As a freshman, he was a Colonial Athletic Association all-rookie player. In two seasons, he totaled 662 points, 188 rebounds, and 134 3-pointers. He shot 35.6% on 3-pointers and averaged 12.0 points and 3.4 rebounds. Last season, he averaged 15.2 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 37.4% on 3s.

This is among the reasons why Hoosier coach Darian DeVries took Dorn out of the transfer portal, beating out North Carolina, Maryland, and more. He can be a 3-point weapon to complement Tucker DeVries and Lamar Wilkerson at the top of IU's 3-point shooting chain.

Then there's the work ethic and quality of character. At North Carolina's Julius L. Chambers High School, he and older brother Myles were the only players who got keys to the gym so they could work out after hours.

"It's being consistent," Dorn says. "It's doing the right things every when nobody is watching. Taking care of things. Always."

Dorn arrived in Bloomington recovering from two surgeries to repair a foot fracture. He didn't play in the August trip to Puerto Rico, in the two exhibitions games, or the first two regular season games.

When Dorn finally joined the action -- during last Wednesday night's blow-out win over Milwaukee -- he made instant impact, both good and bad. In one first-half off-the-bench minute, he had two points, one assist, and two fouls.

He returned to the bench and stayed there until the closing minutes, when he took charge to finish with eight points (including a 3-pointer), three rebounds, and an assist.

"The whole thing for him," Darian DeVries says, "and he knows this, is there's got to be a process to get him back to game shape and not put him in a bad position as he's still working his way back from the injury.

"He gives us another guy that can make four or five (three-pointers) in a night. He shoots at a high, high level and he's a big, strong guy, too."

That will come in handy when IU gets into Big Ten play and when it faces strong non-conference opponents such as Louisville, Kentucky (2-1), and Kansas State.

"It gives us a lot of versatility from our bench," DeVries says. "That's a great luxury. Even in the Marquette game where we had all the foul trouble, it would've been great to have another guy that we could have put in there.

"It's nice to have another person who can go in and not only do what we ask but be a game changer."

Game changer is a big step for a guy who once generated limited major college recruiting interest. Then he grew from a 5-foot-9 high school freshman to a 6-foot-7 junior and received an NCAA Division II offer.

He wanted more.

"I waited my whole senior season not knowing where I would commit," he says. "I decided to take a chance and play the season out and had a great year. That's how I ended up at Elon. I was the last freshman to sign in May (of 2023)."

At 225 pounds, Dorn's physicality and athleticism have DeVries joking that he might end up playing football for coach Curt Cignetti. Dorn's father, Torin Sr., played in the NFL for seven seasons. His older brother Myles spent time with the Vikings, Panthers, Dolphins.

"I'm a little worried after watching him run on the sidelines that (Cignetti) might try and steal him from me because he can run, he can move," Darian DeVries says. "You've seen him; he's a big, physical guy."

Add fierce competitiveness – when it comes to playing pool or the card game "Spades," Dorn insists with a smile that he's "the best you'll see" – and you have a player that IU guard Conor Enright says is "cool and confident, and he's a shooter, so we need him to be confident all the time."

As far as Incarnate Word, which is based out of Texas, it opened with home wins over Southwestern Christian (109-70) and Jarvis Christian (104-60) and lost at Colorado State (98-64). It has a state of Indiana connection in fifth-year guard Davion Bailey, a former Indianapolis Pike High School standout. He led the Southland Conference in scoring last season, and averages 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game this season.

The Cardinals have three other double-figure scorers – guards Tahj Staveskie (18.7 points, 7.0 rebounds) and Harrison Reede (17.0 points, 17 made 3-pointers), and forward Jordan Pyke (12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds). They average 92.3 points and 11.7 made 3-pointers a game while shooting 39.8% from the perimeter.

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Players Mentioned

Tucker DeVries

Nick Dorn

Conor Enright

Lamar Wilkerson

Indiana University Athletics