Monroe’s Roppo, Arlington’s Dawn happy to be playing at Central

As a senior at Monroe High School, Joey Roppo was hoping for the chance to play college basketball. The problem was, he was unsure who wanted him.

Likewise Terry Dawn, who had no firm four-year offers by the end of his senior season at Arlington High School. After being offered a chance to walk on at Western Washington University, Dawn enrolled and had his dorm room already lined up. He even had a roommate.

But recruiting in college basketball is sometimes inexact, as Roppo and Dawn were to find out. Both ended up at Central Washington University, both eventually found a way into the team’s starting lineup, and both are playing big roles this season for a Wildcats team with high hopes.

And both could not be happier.

“It’s been an amazing experience for me here,” Roppo said, speaking by phone from Ellensburg. Added Dawn: “I love it. I’m happy I (came to Central Washington).”

The 6-foot-3 Roppo, the older of the two, graduated from Monroe in 2011. Invited to walk on at CWU (he later received a scholarship), he redshirted as a freshman, was a reserve the next season, and is now in his third season as a starter. A senior shooting guard, he has also played point guard and small forward for the Wildcats, and in six games this season he leads the team in minutes per game (31.3) and 3-point shooting (.500, 20-for-40) while averaging a third-best 14.2 points.

“Right out of the gate, Joey’s a great kid,” said CWU head coach Greg Sparling. “He’s going to give you 110 percent every time he laces up his shoes, so you never have to question him on his work ethic. He’s one of those guys who may not be the most talented player on the court, but you always know one thing. He’s going to give you everything he has.”

Dawn, who graduated from Arlington in 2013, got a scholarship offer after attending a CWU camp following his senior season. A 6-4 junior forward, he was a backup in his freshman season, a part-time starter a year ago, and this season he has, like Roppo, started all six games while averaging 7.3 points and 5.7 rebounds.

“Terry is another shooter for us,” Sparling said. “He’s not shooting as well as he’d like right now, but he’ll get it going. … He’s another guy who doesn’t say a lot, but every day he’s going to lace ‘em up and give it everything he has.”

The Wildcats play in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, an 11-team league with schools in Washington (Central Washington, Western Washington, Seattle Pacific, Seattle University and St. Martin’s), Oregon (Concordia, Western Oregon), Idaho (Northwest Nazarene), Montana (Montana State-Billings), Alaska (Alaska-Anchorage, Alaska-Fairbanks) and British Columbia (Simon Fraser).

It is, Roppo said, “a really tough conference. You have to be able to play (well) to play in this conference because even though it’s (NCAA) Division II, there are a lot of great players.”

The Wildcats started this season well, winning their first four games, but then opened their league schedule in Alaska with losses at Anchorage and Fairbanks.

“We went to Alaska and laid an egg up there,” Dawn said, “but we’ll be able to refocus. … We always have the goal of winning the GNAC championship, and that’s totally do-able (this season).”

Sparling, a former CWU player in his 20th season as head coach, said this team has an unusually high level of camaraderie and chemistry. As a coach, he explained, “half your battle is getting your team to like each other on the floor and off the floor. But with this team, there are no selfish kids out there. They all play for each other and they’re always working to get their teammates better shots.

“On our first road trip to Alaska, we ran into a couple of tough teams on their floors,” he said. “But we’re getting better … and hopefully this is the year we can put it all together.”

“I’m super excited for this team this year,” Roppo said. “As far as people playing together, I feel this is the best team we’ve had since I’ve been here. We just have to fix up some defensive things. … But we’re playing hard and we’re playing together.

“If we continue to do (those things), I think we’ll be real good,” he said. “Obviously the goal is a GNAC championship and then to be able to make a run in the national tournament.”