FORT WAYNE – Saint Francis forwards Kevin Dawson and Scott Kohne are at different points in their basketball careers.
Dawson is a senior who played on teams that reached the last two NAIA Division II championship games and won it all in the 2009-10 season.
Kohne is a sophomore who continues to grow after appearing in only 10 games as a freshman.
But both are being counted on by the Cougars to be major contributors this season. And they are needed as Saint Francis (13-8, 4-5 Mid-Central College Conference) tries to snap a three-game slide when it plays host to No. 19 Huntington (13-8, 5-4) today.
“Dawson has been a good leader for us and someone who has kept us together. He is one of the hardest workers, probably, that we’ve ever had here,” coach Chad LaCross said. “Scott has just grown and grown. He’s coming along and really starting to get it offensively. Defensively, he needs to improve, but he is still a sophomore, really with freshman experience. He’s going to continue to get better and better and better.”
Dawson and Kohne are the only Saint Francis players other than leading scorer Qadr Owens (20.1 points per game) who average double figures in scoring. Dawson is second on the team with 11.6 per game, and Kohne averages 11.1 points.
“We need them big time,” LaCross said. “That’s the thing. It can’t be a one-man show. We can’t win with just one guy. Q has done a good job recognizing that. Those two guys need to be a factor.”
Dawson’s responsibilities do not end with helping take some of the scoring load off of Owens. As one of three seniors, the 6-foot-5, 210-pound Northrop product is one of the Cougars’ leaders.
“This year, everybody looks toward me and looks toward Q for the answers, it is definitely a different role. I’ve loved it,” Dawson said. “The way I express myself is different. I have to understand the guys. For (Ferdinand Morales-Soto), I could yell at him for making a mistake because he has the experience. For guys like Scott and Seth (Small) and Spencer (Comer), I got to bring them up a little bit, be positive with them, talk to them and get them to see how I see things.”
Kohne’s role drastically changed this year as the 6-7, 180-pound Bishop Dwenger product has played in every game.
“My role this year is much bigger, and I like my role,” Kohne said. “I think that people didn’t really expect much from me and Dawson this year, didn’t really know what it was going to be like. I think we both stepped up and proven ourselves. Hopefully, we can continue that.”
