Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Justin Dunsmore, MSU-N Men's Basketball

While most sports fans are focused on football in late October, the truth is, in the NAIA, college basketball is right around the corner and for the Montana State University-Northern Lights, the opening game of the 2018-19 campaign comes this Saturday, inside the Armory Gymasnium against Salish-Kootenai College.

When the Lights take the court Saturday at 6 p.m., it will be the official start of another season and for Justin Dunsmore, it will be the start of his final season playing at MSU-Northern. The 6-foot-6-inch forward has put together a solid career for the Lights, but this season he is setting his sights on a Frontier Conference championship, as well as a berth in the NAIA National Tournament.

"We want to start the season off well and get off to a hot start," Dunsmore said. "But honestly, we want to win a conference championship. I think we can and that's our main goal."

During his first couple of seasons with the Lights, Dunsmore didn't play a huge role. As a freshman out of Zillah, Washington, he scored 4.4 points and grabbed 2.6 rebounds per game while shooting 39 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range. Naturally, his role expanded as a sophomore, when he upped his average to 6.1 per game, before really taking the next step as a starter last season. In 27 games. Dunsmore scored 10.6 per night, grabbed 5.2 rebounds, dished out two assists and shot 44.6 percent from the field and better than 39 percent from deep.

To put it simply, he was developing into an ideal stretch four. Not only does he have the ability to shoot the basketball, but he can hold his own on the boards and on defense, too. In an effort that showed just how far he had come as a player last season, Dunsmore poured in a career-high 31 points against Southern Oregon, knocking down 8-of-14 3-pointers. He also finished with 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

That's just one example of the kind of player Dunsmore can be, and on a Lights squad that is hoping to improve from the 19-12 record it posted overall and the 9-9 mark in the Frontier, is needed. His ability to score, rebound and defend will be vital, especially since only one Northern player stands taller than 6-foot-8.

The Lights are hoping their ability to shoot the ball will prove to be an equalizer and starting Saturday night, we will find out if that's the case. But before the Lights hit the floor against Salish-Kootenai this Saturday, the Havre Daily News caught up with Dunsmore for five questions.

HDN: How excited are you guys to start the season?

Dunsmore: "We are extremely excited after putting in a lot of work over the summer. We had a good few weeks of conditioning before we started practicing and we are just excited for the season to start."

HDN: What is your goal for this season individually?

Dunsmore: "I have been playing for 18 years now and I just want to finish strong. I want to do whatever I can to help this team win a championship."

HDN: What is your plan after school?

Dunsmore: "I am graduating this spring and then I am going to come back here to student teach. I want to teach elementary school and get into coaching."

HDN: You have been playing basketball for a long time and want to coach afterward, what makes you want to be around the game so much?

Dunsmore: "I just love to compete. I also played football and baseball in high school, but basketball was always my favorite sport. I just love to compete, no matter what it is."

HDN: What you have enjoyed the most about playing for the Lights?

Dunsmore: "I love my teammates. Every year I have been here I have had great teammates and we have always gelled on and off the court. Havre, in general, is just a good community."