Meet Dylan Garrity

Dylan Garrity surely must have migrated to Sacramento State from a corn or soybean farm in rural Indiana. Well spoken, helpful on and off the court and a sterling example of the 'we not me' Golden Rule of basketball, the now-senior guard has always willingly done what it takes for his Hornet squad to have the best chance of success.

First some Garrity numbers:

* freshman season - a starter, his 6.9 assists a game led the conference, he averaged 8.1 points and was honored as the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year

* sophomore season - a starter, 11.6 points and 5.1 assists

* junior season - a starter, 13.2 points and 3.6 assists

* named Honorable Mention All Conference all three years.

So when did his affiliation with basketball begin?

"I got my first plastic toy hoop when I was two or three and played on my first team when I was five," Garrity recalled.

His father was "a big-time Lakers fan" during the Showtime tenure of up-and-down-the-court play and "I grew up watching basketball with my Dad."

But Garrity could have easily taken up another sport, considering his father played football and participated in gymnastics during high school and his mother was a soccer and softball player.

Plus, basketball wasn't king at Edison High in Huntington Beach.

"I've always been kind of an under-the-radar guy," he remembered. "I didn't come from a great basketball area. Edison High is a football school, finishing #1 a couple of years. But I had a good high school career. My role was to score points, I was forced to score."  

That he did. Four years on the varsity and a two-time all-state selection, he finished as Edison's all-time leader in points (1,729) and also passed for assists (438).

"I was the only basketball player though. My teammates played football and volleyball [as primary sports]."

As an upperclassmen, "I received [recruiting] letters and calls from a bunch of different places."

So interest was there.

Remarkably, the only suitor to quickly step forward and extend an offer was Sacramento State. The Hornet braintrust wanted to close the deal and lock Garrity up.

From an earlier article, here's Hornet Coach Brian Katz's take on Garrity: "I saw him play one quarter [during high school] and I decided I would call him the next day and offer. My assistants said 'you never do that' but his skills components were off the charts. His leadership, his being unflappable, never getting off his game  -- the composure thing is a big deal. Dylan turned out to be a difference maker, a program changer."

What did Garrity see, or more importantly, feel regarding Sacramento State?

On his recruiting visit, "I really liked the family atmosphere, how good the guys were in the locker room, with everyone straightforward and honest. Coach Katz told you what you needed to hear and not wanted you wanted to hear. not like you could come in and start right away and be the man. He brought me to the gym and said 'this is where we play. It holds a 1,000 people.'"

He continued, "My friend Joe Eberhard (a junior college forward recruit also from Orange County) committed and that helped."

Obviously, Garrity also said yes when asked and the following three years have been a mutually beneficial relationship.

And in a very telling moment that illustrates who Garrity is, to this day he expresses thanks to Jackson Carbajal, his recruiting visit host, "for showing me the ropes about basketball, school and college life."  

So what has basketball been like as a Hornet?

"I came in as a freshman at 160 pounds. The only thing I knew how to do was set up teammates because I wasn't strong enough to score points. I hardly scored at all when I came to Sacramento. It was pass first, get assists. But I've added 10-15 pounds of muscle and changed my body."      

Continuing on, "In the last two years, my role has been role extended. I've been   called on to score and shoot more. The coaches get on me to shoot more."

And all along, it's been cool, calm and collected on the court.

"My experience has helped me the most with my basketball IQ. Since I started at five, I've put in a lot more hours than the normal person. I've been in every single situation I could be on a basketball court  so nothing is new."

As for his passing prowess. "I have a knack for getting teammates involved. I just grew up like that . My parents are pretty unselfish people."  

Asked for his best basketball moment, Garrity offered, "that answer is pretty easy. By far, the greatest basketball, shoot, greatest moment in my life was my 75-foot shot against Weber State last season, the best team in the Big Sky Conference. Fans stormed the court. I felt like a celebrity."

Here's tape of that shot which created a 78-75 victory:


With Sacramento State poised for its best season in memory, it's only fitting that such an expectation be led by the one neglected by others but who has been a mainstay in turning around the fortunes of his chosen program.