The Takeaway Check, Issue #103
Rooting for the success of fellow Emerson student-athletes in the NBA
The basketball court at Emerson College is located underneath Piano Row, one of the dormitories on Boylston St. The ground floor is the lobby. One level down is the athletic offices, with glass windows that overlook the bottom level and Hank Smith court, named after the men’s basketball coach who amassed more than 250 victories from 1994-2010.
I remember one morning at the end of my junior year. I met with our coach for my end-of-season exit interview. Afterwards, I had nowhere to go or nothing to do, so I leaned against the railing and looked out over the court, taking in the silence and reflecting on the season.
I heard the door from the stairwell open and a tour group shuffle onto the level to my left. A group of prospective students and their families was touring the campus. The Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker gym was empty, so the tour guide’s voice echoed when she spoke.
“Here’s our basketball gym,” she said. “We’re not really into sports here at Emerson, but we do have a Quidditch team. People here really enjoy that, and they’re really good.”
Now, I had already had a complicated history with the orphaned wizard (imagine being in Spanish class, and watching The Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time, and it being in Spanish, not having a clue what was happening). Hearing this made my distaste for it stronger (though I’ve since relented; I’ve read the first five books and enjoyed them, but I still think the Quidditch parts are the lamest parts of the series). (I also just learned the real-life version of Quidditch was rebranded and is now called Quadball.)
It also insulted me. While my motivation to improve as a player was for myself and for my team, I was still working hard to represent the school in a positive manner, and here was this fellow Emersonian just taking a big dump on all of that.
Maybe sports and athletes at Emerson weren’t appreciated at the time (I’ve heard that the attitude towards athletics and athletes has improved at the school; it certainly needed to now that the teams compete in the NEWMAC), but that also created a strong bond amongst all the athletes at the school. We were all working hard to keep enjoying playing the games we love. If the student-body wasn’t going to support us, we at least had each other.
We became a part of this exclusive club that includes the alumni and the future student-athletes. It’s an experience that connects you no matter the graduating year.
That’s why it’s really great to see the success two former Emerson student-athletes are having in the NBA: Sam Presti and Will Dawkins. Both Presti and Dawkins played basketball at Emerson College and are now general managers in the NBA, and both were very active at this year’s NBA trade deadline.
Presti has been the general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder since June of 2007, when the team was still in Seattle. He’s the guy who assembled Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook together and went to the NBA Finals. After a brief retool where he collected draft capital, Presti was able to build a team around future MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holgren, and Jalen Williams; they won the 2025 NBA Championship.
He’s earned high-praise around the league. During All-Star weekend in 2022, LeBron James was complimentary of Presti.
“The MVP over there is Sam Presti,” he said. “He the MVP. I mean, Josh Giddey is great, but Sam Presti — I don’t understand this guy’s eye for talent. He drafted KD, Russ, Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson, Josh Giddey and the list goes on an on. This guy’s pretty damn good.”
Dawkins (a senior during my freshman year) is considered a Presti protege, joining the Thunder as an intern in 2008 and climbing the ladder over the years until he was promoted to the team’s Vice President of Basketball Operations in 2020, joining Presti and Rob Hennigan (another former Emerson College basketball player) in the team’s front office leadership.
In June of 2023, he was hired as the general manager of the Washington Wizards. Dawkins was in charge of leading a rebuild of the team, and this year, he’s gone out and acquired former NBA All-Stars Tre Young and Anthony Davis. While both are injured and don’t figure to be a part of the team this year, there is optimism they could be cornerstones for an improved squad next year once healthy.
Former NBA champion and All-Star Jeff Teague recently complimented Dawkins on the Club 520 podcast for his vision.
“Their GM needs to be studied a little bit,” he said. “He’s masterful, like, he finesse. He got all these picks. He just used them right. Everybody else look trash. He look like a baby Sam Presti right now.”
Seeing their success is a source of pride. They went through similar challenges as a student-athlete at Emerson, and they’ve now ascended to the top of their field. Just as I rooted for the other athletes at Emerson during my time there, I continue to root for the success of anyone that has worn the white, purple, and gold uniforms.
Seeing their success is inspirational and motivational. It’s proof that even people from smaller schools and athletic programs can still have success in the sport, that hard work and commitment can translate into our chosen professions and pay off.
We may not have been as revered as the Quidditch team, but we’ve managed to do alright for ourselves.
Join me and play fantasy NLL on Metavarsity! Open digital packs to reveal NLL superstars, and place those players in your lineup to compete against NLL fans.
Recent Stories:
“Prep Spotlight: Governor’s looking to seize ‘every single opportunity’” (New England Lacrosse Journal
“Josh Balcarcel brings Sixes experience, hunger to Redwoods’ Championship Series roster” (Premier Lacrosse League)
Social Media:
@PShore15 (X, Bluesky, & Instagram)
Find more of my work:
