How Ken Dawson's life-altering event led to a turnaround for Webutuck girls basketball
The feeling was “indescribable,” Ken Dawson said, remembering that moment in which he struggled to fathom his new reality.
He woke up in a hospital bed, thankful to have made it through surgery, but soon was shocked to learn that a third of his leg was gone.
“The doctor told me they were cutting off two toes, then I wake up to see my whole foot is missing,” the Poughkeepsie resident said. “They said they had to do it to save my life.”
Dawson is diabetic and the disease can cause low blood flow to the lower extremities, which carries a risk of tissue damage and lethal infections developing, which necessitates an amputation.
Doctors discovered during surgery the infection had spread, so the right foot and a portion of his shin were removed. The 63-year-old had little choice but to accept the ways in which his life would be impacted.
On the basketball court, Riley Thirlwall stood almost in disbelief about her own new reality.
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“Wow,” the Webutuck High School junior thought. “This is really happening? I can’t believe we just did this.”
She had just helped the girls basketball team capture a Section 9 championship, ending on March 1 a drought that lasted 26 years.
The players celebrated giddily on the court, realizing the breadth of their accomplishment, then excitedly rushed to the sideline to greet their head coach.
“The first thing he’d told us was, ‘We’re gonna make Webutuck big,’” guard Olivia Farnham said. “He wanted to establish a winning culture and get the community excited about us. Coach Dawson has definitely made a big difference.”
Dawson rehabilitated for seven months after his February 2021 operation, the time spent adjusting to his body and training himself to be as independent as possible.
The longtime AAU basketball coach had no intention of giving up his profession or straying at all from his passion. In fact, he insisted, his condition “isn’t a disability.”
“Every day is a challenge, but I love challenges,” he said. “I wish this wasn’t the case, but it’s something to overcome.”
Inspiration both ways
Not long after he returned home that September, he was contacted by two girls he coaches at his Beacon-based Playmaker University. The Webutuck girls basketball team had a coaching vacancy and Morgan Sprague and Kaitlyn Cope wondered if Dawson would be interested in coaching them on the scholastic level as well.
There were valid reasons to decline, and that decision would’ve been understandable. Would have…
“But the kids asked me to,” Dawson said of what led to a meeting with athletic director Joe Lasaponara. “I’m blessed to be in a position to impact the lives of young people.”
It mattered little to him that Amenia is 40 minutes from his home. He has someone drive him to Webutuck each day and, following their two-hour practice sessions, assistant coach Chris Osterman often drives him home.
The coaching itself also would be an adjustment. Dawson has trained several high-level athletes, including former NBA draft pick Elijah Hughes. Webutuck would be a heavy lift, rebuilding a program that has scuffled for years at a small school on the outskirts of Dutchess County.
But, it represented another of those challenges he embraces. It invigorated him.
“If I’m having a bad day, seeing the kids in practice working hard picks me up,” Dawson said. “We’re a shoulder to lean on for each other, and that inspires me.”
It goes the other way, too. His presence, and an understanding of what he has overcome to be there, is an instant inspiration for his pupils.
“The dedication he has inspires me,” said Thirlwall, a junior. “The first time I met him, he had this huge smile, and that attitude is contagious. He brings a positive energy.”
He also has brought more discipline and a stronger sense of unity, players said. Oh, and what soon will be a “2022-23” addition to the championship banner in their gym.
Farnham scored 15 points, leading the Warriors in a 33-23 upset of defending champion Livingston Manor in the Class D section final.
“I couldn’t believe it at first; it felt unreal,” said the junior, who is also an all-state soccer star. “I’ve been playing varsity soccer since seventh grade and I’ve been on the basketball team since freshman year, and I’m used to us struggling. Winning a championship means a lot. It’s incredible.”
A ’winning culture’
Almost as exciting, Thirlwall said, is the change in “attitude” she noticed among fans late in the season. Interest in the girls basketball team crescendoed and, as the sectional tournament approached, there was a buzz around the school.
“We went from barely having anyone at our games to getting full stands,” she said. “People really got into it when we made sectionals. It had been so long since we won anything, it was huge for our district, and it made us realize that we have potential.”
The increased recognition and support, the forward added, “pushed us in games.”
There still is plenty of work ahead, of course, and the team acknowledged that. Webutuck did improve considerably, but this was a six-win squad, and its season did end in a 36-28 loss to Section 11’s Smithtown Christian in a regional semifinal last Tuesday.
“It’s slow progress, but the consistency is getting there,” Farnham said. “We want to win more, but seeing how much we've grown already, it makes you want to keep improving.”
It helps, Dawson said, that the group is mature and “drama-free,” making practice a pleasure.
The first step in the rebuild, he said, was changing the mentality. Despondency and even feelings of being star-crossed can creep in after a prolonged struggle. An infusion of optimism was necessary, and it buoyed them even in difficult losses. There also is a belief that hard work can compensate for some deficiencies.
“It’s about going as hard as we can and maximizing our abilities,” the coach said. “Focus on doing that, then check to see the outcome.”
Dawson is typically “relaxed,” Farnham said, but he is serious about them being diligent. He gives instruction and creates an overall structure, and Osterman, whom Dawson called “the best in the business,” helps with visual teaching and demonstration.
“I didn’t know Coach Dawson before he joined Webutuck, but having him has been a great experience,” Farnham said. “I love that he takes the time to come out here for us. Having someone that wants to be with our team means a lot.”
Another important step in their process will be recruiting and player development. The Warriors will graduate three seniors including Cope and Sprague, who are starters, and they’ll be reliant on young players to fill some voids.
The hope, they said, is this turning of the tide will convince some athletic girls in the district to give basketball a shot.
“We’re gonna be a lot more confident going into next season,” Thirlwall said. “It’s gonna be tough to replace the girls we’re losing, but we’re building something good. Plus, with Dawson as our coach, we know we have a chance to be successful.”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4826, Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Girls basketball: A life-altering event led to Webutuck's turnaround
