Cedar Falls HS basketball player Dallas Bear signs letter of intent
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — In November, several athletes signed their letters of intent to play a sport at the next level. One of these was Cedar Falls Senior basketball player, Dallas Bear. Bear, a 6’8 forward for the Tigers committed to Augustana in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where he’ll continue what he’s started at Cedar Falls.
The recruiting process for Bear began as early as junior high. “Augustana is a school that has been recruiting me since I was a freshman,” he said. Along with Augustana, Bear carried multiple other offers and interests from schools across the country but in the end it was the Augustana Vikings who had their eye on him the most. “They always seemed like they cared the most about me,” said Bear. “Coach Casey being there is a big pull as well because I grew up around him,” Bear said. Coach Casey as in Casey Schlatter, one of Bear’s coaches for the Iowa Barnstormers growing up. The Barnstormers was Bear’s AAU squad beginning in fifth grade all the way up until this last summer. During his time with the Barnstormers, Bear competed with two teammates who will be heading to Augustana with him next year, Caden Kirkman out of Wilton High School and Brayson Laube out of Marion High School. “We have a really strong class this year and there’s already a really good team up there right now,” Bear said.
Augustana enters this season as the eighteenth ranked team in the country at the D2 level. “The end goal is a national title,” he followed up with. Prior to this upcoming season for Cedar Falls, Bear has averaged 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 36% from behind the three point line including averages of 14.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last season. The offense will run through Bear this season after the departure of current UNI starting point guard, Trey Campbell. Campbell averaged 24.4, 6, and 4.2 assists a game on 42.4% from three last season. “We have a really different team this year than in the past. Without Trey, things will be different, but we have the pieces to put it all together,” Bear mentioned. In order to put up the points they were able to last year, Bear is going to need some lights out games like his game against Cedar Rapids Kennedy last year. A game in which he shot 6/10 from three and finished with 33 points along with five rebounds en route to a 75-66 conference championship clinching win in Cedar Rapids. Kennedy returns their top two scorers from last year in guards Colby Dolphin and Upper Iowa commit Kenzie Reed which will likely push the Cougars to a tight race for the MVC championship with Cedar Falls once again. “We have another good MVC this year but I also think we have a really solid team that can do some special things,” said Bear.
In the end, this Dallas Bear led Cedar Falls team has another great opportunity for a deep playoff run. “Getting back to The Well and winning another conference title are big goals for us,” Bear said. Cedar Falls has made seven consecutive trips to Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, also known as “The Well” for the state tournament and will look to make it eight this year. “I believe the team’s ceiling this year is a state championship,” an optimistic Bear said. A goal that has been in place for head coach Ryan Schultz’s team since he took over a decade ago seems reasonable once again with the lead of Bear and the many pieces on the Cedar Falls team that make for another deep squad, poised for a deep run.
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