Potential star still raw in first three games of career

Saluki fans had been waiting – and waiting – to see Mike Dale.

The Belleville East star was forced to sit out his freshman year after missing the NCAA’s initial academic requirements and was absent from the first three games of this season because of a suspension.

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And, on Nov. 23, after cheering his teammates to victories against Missouri Southern, Lincoln and Augustana, it was finally time for him to snatch off his warm-ups.

But before the game the weight of the world found its way onto his shoulders, and, subsequently, his confidence was shaken.

After about seven minutes of wondering if and when he would take the court, Dale heard head coach Chris Lowery call his name, and the curtain was raised on his first collegiate basketball game.

“Everything coach told us during practice, it was all coming out at that moment before I checked in, so I was kind of nervous,” Dale said.

And it showed – at least offensively.

His first shot smacked off the backboard and rim before Jamaal Tatum hauled it in for what eventually led to one of Tatum’s five three-point field goals.

He took, and missed, another shot before the half, but connected from beyond the arc on his third attempt, much to his relief.

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“Real quick I glanced at him, and it did look like he took a deep breath,” Darren Brooks said.

Dale, though, watched his final five shots fail to drop.

The final numbers from his debut were three points on just 1-of-8 shooting, three rebounds, three turnovers and one assist in 16 minutes. Seven of his eight shots came from behind the three-point line

“We have to get him going inside the arc a little bit,” head coach Chris Lowery said after the game. “He guarded and that’s the only thing I care about. He did a tremendous job defensively.”

Dale looked like a much different player offensively than the one who left Belleville East on its top-five career scoring list, not uncommon in a player’s adjustment to the collegiate level.

“He didn’t practice last year and people have to realize what that means,” Lowery said. “You don’t play or practice or learn a system. It’s very different to come back in a year and try to get it done.”

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound guard was a raw talent in high school with the ability to take over games – he put in a career-high 43 points against Belleville Althoff and St. Louis-signee Kevin Lisch, and 37 against Carbondale.

“In high school I didn’t really have too much competition,” Dale said. “I knew somebody was going to get it handed to them.”

Dale is athletic with a vertical leap comparable to that of the high-flying LaMar Owen and, in a body typically inhabited by a forward, has the ability to finish at the rim.

But the collegiate game is nothing like high school – the biggest difference is the speed of the game.

“Once I got in the game, I didn’t realize how hard people play and the intensity level of the game,” Dale said.

Dale has played two against Vanderbilt and Hawaii since then, and has taken a total of just three shots in both games combined.

He played 14 minutes in the Salukis’ convincing victory against the Commodores and missed his only field goal attempt. He shot 1-of-2 in a loss to Hawaii Monday.

Dale said the significant drop in field goal attempts is more a result of deferring to his teammates than a lack of confidence.

“This is DB’s team,” Dale said. “He and Stetson [Hairston] created this program. I’m just trying to play my role and help them go out on top.”

In three games, Dale is averaging 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds in 11 minutes a game.

Brooks, the defending Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and AP Honorable Mention All-American, made two appearances before redshirting his first year and averaged one point and 1.5 rebounds in three minutes a game by comparison.

With four players – Brooks, Hairston, Tatum and Owen – averaging double figures, Dale knows his biggest contribution is needed on the defensive end, but sounds as if he has something up his sleeve.

“I’m still kind of in my little cocoon,” Dale said. “I haven’t released me yet.”