Jan. 24—JAMESTOWN — Basketball found its way into Abel Dolokelen’s life when he was in middle school.
Now, he can’t imagine a world without it.
“The competitiveness of the sport really is what attracted me (and) my love for the game just began to grow,” said Dolokelen, a senior for the Jamestown High School boys basketball team. “I chose to commit to this sport because I have goals of playing at the next level and because basketball is genuinely what I love to do.”
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Dolokelen began playing the game of basketball in seventh grade. He began playing for the Blue Jay program in eighth grade.
“I have had plans to be on varsity since freshman year,” Dolokelen said. “To prepare, I just kept stacking days and staying consistent with my work.”
This season marks Dolokelen’s first on the Blue Jays’ varsity roster.
“Over the course of the off-season, I work on the inconsistencies of my shot, I work on shooting on and off the dribble, and I also emphasized my ball handling and finishing,” Dolokelen said. “I also worked on building strength in the weight room and just improving my overall ball knowledge. The is nothing really special to my work — I just stay consistent with my work and try to get really good at the fundamentals, and I push myself.”
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In a normal season, Dolokelen said the Blue Jays’ practices usually last approximately two hours. After practices finish up, the senior drives to Jamestown’s Two Rivers Activity Center (TRAC) to put up extra shots for around 90 minutes. Over the weekends, people will see Dolokelen at TRAC in the morning for two hours, then again in the afternoon.
Dolokelen’s dedication to the game has made him an important piece of the Blue Jays team this season.
As of Jan. 22, the senior is shooting 52.1% — the second highest on the team behind his fellow first-year varsity teammate, Jamison Kleinjan. Kleinjan is currently shooting 55.9% overall and is leading the team at 37.5% from deep.
Kleinjan, now a junior for the Blue Jays, began playing youth basketball when he was 7 years old.
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“My parents initially signed me up for it, and then through the years I just fell in love with the sport,” Kleinjan said. “Watching college players at University of Jamestown and even NBA (games) made me really want to be like them. The main reason I spend time on this game is ’cause I fell in love with it at a young age and it just never left me.”
Kleinjan’s Blue Jay basketball career began as a sixth grader. He has been patiently waiting his turn to tear up the varsity hardwood ever since he got to the high school level.
“I’ve just been getting as many shots up as possible to make sure my form stays ready,” Kleinjan said. “I didn’t exactly know what team I would be on starting the year, (but) I knew I had to work hard and time would play its role. I would say I spend an average of around three hours a day (playing basketball) including practice and my own shooting time, (and) I watch a lot of Alabama basketball drills and moves so I can add them to my game.”
Last week against Bismarck Legacy, Kleinjan recorded the most points scored by a Blue Jay with 12. The junior is consistently averaging 5.3 points scored per game, while Dolokelen is averaging 5.8 points per game.
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While points are important, Kleinjan and Dolokelen do more than just score for the Blue Jays.
“I believe my defense and athleticism are the best assets I can bring to the team,” Kleinjan said.
“I’m an asset because I can make plays for myself and teammates,” Dolokelen added. “I make winning plays that you don’t see in the stats.”
The Blue Jays picked up their first conference win on Jan. 20, defeating Minot North 82-78. As of Jan. 23, the Jays are sitting at 1-7 in conference play and 3-8 overall.
“I’m aware that our start in conference play may not be the way we wanted to start, but I still believe in my team,” Dolokelen said. “I think we still have a chance to be really special this year.”
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