Heart and soul Calgarian is the ultimate
Dallin Bachynski looks like a hockey player these days.
The Utah Utes’ backup centre has been missing his front right tooth all season, courtesy of a teammate’s elbow in a pre- season practice.
Watch him play on the court and you certainly wouldn’t be wrong in making the comparison either. The ultimate team guy is all hustle, laying his body on the line to get the job done.
Just ask NBA legend Bill Walton. During a recent ESPN broadcast of Utah’s game versus Stanford, the analyst said this about the Calgarian:
“Dallin Bachynski is one of the most valuable members of this Utah squad. Does it all. But more important than his statistical contribution, this guy, his leadership, his sacrifice, his discipline, all the things that go into making teams work ... Big, powerful, rugged and he is willing to get down and dirty to do what it takes to win these games. And that what the Running Utes do.”
Obviously, the 23- year- old senior was floored by the comments from the former NBA MVP.
“It helps me feel like what I do is noticed because a lot of time the stats I get ... I do a lot of things that don’t go down for stats — setting screens, boxing my guy out so somebody else can get a rebound, stuff like that.
“And also hustle plays,” he added. “If you dive on the floor, it’s not like you’re going to get one stat for skid marks. A lot of stuff I feel like I do can be unnoticed and it’s nice to have somebody — especially that calibre of a player — notice it and say it.”
His NCAA tournament debut — the South Region’s No. 5- seeded Utes beat the No. 12 Stephen F. Austin Jacks 57- 50 on Thursday night — was a quiet one as he didn’t leave the bench, his coaches being careful after he rolled his ankle earlier in the week.
Nevertheless, with Utah advancing, he hopes to suit up on Saturday when the Utes take on the winner of Georgetown and Eastern Washington, a game not over at press time on Thursday night.
“It’s a little bit surreal because as a Div. 1 basketball player, it’s what you dream about,” Bachynski said of playing in March Madness.
“Pretty much the best you can do is get to the tournament, especially in an at- large bid. Now that I’m here I’m just trying to make the most of it.”
He has been able to lean on advice from his older brother Jordan Bachynski, the NCAA’s leading shot blocker last season who led Arizona State into the 2014 Round of 64.
Jordan, who was surprisingly passed over in the 2014 NBA Draft, has recently found a home with the D- League team of the New York Knicks in Westchester, N. Y. He recorded five blocks in a recent game and has been turning heads.
“I’ve gotten a lot of help from him because I’ve never been here and last year he was able to make it to the tournament,” said Dallin. “I’ve tried to get as much insight from him as possible. He’s talked a lot about just enjoying the experience. Put everything you have into it because you don’t want to have any regrets.”
The brothers went 2- 2 against each other when Utah and Arizona State met over the past few seasons, experiences which haven’t been easy for parents John and Yolanda.
“The first time they played, I thought ‘ this is going to be fun because someone’s going to win,’” related John. “And I always told the kids ‘ winning’s way better, but you always learn more from a loss.’
“It sounds good on paper. It sucked watching them play each other. It was brutal.” As in who do you cheer for? “CBS wanted to mic Yolanda and I up the last game they played and I’m glad they didn’t because it would have been a bad day for me,” John said. “Too many expletives ... no fun at all.”
But in most of their meetings, there have been wins for both boys. During one head- to- head battle, for example, Dallin double faked his brother, zoomed around him and dunked — a move that was the highlight of the night in Utah. But the younger brother fouled out soon after that and Jordan went on to post a doubledouble to get the last laugh.
Growing up in Midnapore, Jordan starred for Centennial, while Dallin also led the Coyotes to a Junior city title in Grade 10 ( he was 6- foot- 7 at the time). Then the family moved to Bearspaw where the younger brother chose to play his final two years of high school at Sir Winston Churchill. He was 6- foot- 9 in Grade 11 and nearly 6- foot- 11 in Grade 12 when he led the Bulldogs to third place in the 2010 provincials.
“In my Grade 11 year, we made it back to city finals and I was facing Centennial,” Dallin said. “It was definitely a fun experience. It meant a lot to me to be able to beat my old team with my new team.”
He never got to face his brother in high school, but their college matchups were memorable.
“I actually really like playing against him,” said Dallin. "There’s an extra level of competition because it is my brother. It’s not just another good player, but it’s my brother and I get to hold it over his head a little bit if I beat him, or if I block his shot or whatnot.
“If he blocks my shot, I’m never going to live it down.”
That competitive sibling rivalry has sharpened both men and should help Dallin this week, even though his role with the Utes isn’t what it once was.
After a wild summer that featured the high of getting married to his sweetheart Sara, the Calgarian was also in a car accident — which caused a back injury from the whiplash — and fought off whooping cough, which dogged him for 10 weeks. And then along came 18- year- old Austrian phenom Jakob Poeltl — a fellow 7- footer, albeit 30 pounds lighter — who took his starting centre job.
Poeltl was the key for Utah in Thursday’s win, recording a gamehigh 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
Bachynski’s stats are modest — 12.3 minutes, 2.3 rebounds and 3.8 points a game this season — but his role is bigger than that.
“I want to do more than just play backup and I became one of the leaders for the team, helping out my teammates and making sure I guide the younger guys, since I am a senior,” he said.
“Once I get on the floor, I try to be an energy guy, making sure I lift my teammates.”