SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Fairmont Senior guard Zyon Dobbs had a busy first week of June.
Dobbs, a three-time Class AA first-team all-state selection, signed with James Madison to prolong his career on the hardwood.
“I was thinking about going to prep school, but when they offered and I took my visit, I was like, ‘This is the place for me,’” Dobbs said. “It’s a lot of weight off my shoulders.”
A few days later, Dobbs scored 22 points and was co-MVP of the North to help his team defeat the South by 30 points in the North-South All-Star Basketball Classic.
He also won the free throw competition and participated in the dunk contest during the skills challenge that preceded the game.
“It was fun,” Dobbs said. “We had so many jokes and laughs during conversations.”
Dobbs played with FSHS teammate Jalen Bridges, also co-MVP for the North, to cap his prep career. Immediately after the North’s 171-141 win, however, he was looking at what lies ahead having recently realized a dream.
“I’ve wanted to go Division I my whole life,” Dobbs said. “I took into consideration it only takes about three hours to get home.”
He comes from a basketball-rich background and his dad, Deon Dobbs, played at Marshall from 1997-2000.
Dobbs (6-foot-4, 195 lbs.) also held offers from North Carolina A&T, IUPUI and Tennessee-Martin. His stature should only enhance his chances of making an immediate impact.
“Zyon is our type of guard and we’re very excited for him to join our family this fall,” JMU coach Louis Rowe said in a school release. “He’s extremely tough and extremely competitive while giving us a lot of depth at the guard position. He can play on or off the ball for us, can make shots and has great size and competitiveness in the backcourt.”
Dobbs averaged 16.8 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and a pair of steals as a senior, while helping guide the Polar Bears to a fifth straight trip to the Class AA title game.
He finished his Fairmont Senior career with two state championships and caught the eye of Dukes’ assistant coach Rob Summers, a former center at West Virginia University.
“He’s actually the one who recruited me from my junior year all the way on,” Dobbs said. “He’s my guy.”