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2020 Pirate Player Preview: Curtessia Dean

Date: August 17, 2020

By: Heaven Hill

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Travis Tapely

In late July, many Pirates fans awaited the commitment of Dashawn Davis, a JUCO freshman guard with sweet shooting ability and a vicious handle. Although Davis ended up choosing Oregon State for the remainder of his college tenure, never fear: three months prior, Seton Hall already landed a pledge from another guard from Trinity Valley Community College, one who might be even better than the aforementioned Davis.

Enter Curtessia Dean, affectionately known as “Nunu”, who lands in South Orange with a bevy of accolades and something to prove. Let’s reflect back on Dean’s dominance in high school, the undeniable talent she showcased at Trinity Valley, and what she can offer to the Pirates lineup.

A world-beating career at Wossman

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The Ouachita Citizen

When it came time for Dean to make her decision on which high school she would be attending, it was a tough choice to say the least. Would she choose Ouachita Parish and play with her sister Mahoganie, forming a dynamic duo for years to come, or would she go with Wossman High School and form her own legacy?

Well, Dean chose the latter, and over the next four years became one of the best players in the school’s history. In her high school career, Dean averaged 20.2 points-per-game, 12.4 rebounds-per-game, and 3.2 assists-per-game as she left opposing teams in her wake. In her senior year, Nunu averaged a blistering 23.5 points-per-game, 14.5 rebounds-per-game and 4.5 assists-per-game as she won the 2018 Ouachita Citizen Girls Player of the Year award in a landslide.

In the first clip, you immediately notice Dean’s smooth handle and that quick first step she uses to explode out of the dribble and slash through the lane for a tough finish. Immediately in the next clips, she showcases her defensive versatility and prowess; intercepting the post entry pass and taking it coast to coast, then sprinting back on defense for a savage chase down block.

Looking at the rest of the clips, it is clear how head-and-shoulders Dean was above the competition. She has legitimate three-point shooting ability, active hands and great reaction time on defense, and she can use her size and strength in the post and driving to the hoop to her advantage. Yes, this is high school footage from a couple years ago, but at the end of the day, you play whoever is in front of you. Dean did that and tore through the competition with ease.

Taking over Trinity Valley

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NJCAA

After her career at Wossman concluded, everyone wanted to know where Dean was headed. What school would be the next to have such a tremendous talent. On a random afternoon in May, Nunu answered all the questions and made her next move clear.

So, she would be headed over 200 miles west to Athens, Texas, to play for the Trinity Valley Cardinals. Dean was a prized recruit for the squad, but expectations were tempered slightly. Questions were raised how she would perform playing so far from home, in a new setting on a No. 4 ranked team, but with no upperclassmen.

Unfortunately for her doubters, she absolutely went off in the first two games of the Panola Classic dropping a combined 62 points in two days, including 38 points in a demolition of Grayson College. From day one, Nunu told the rest of the NJCAA she was here to stay. She scored 34 points at Blinn College, had 30 points on 13-for-19 shooting against Coastal Bend, and racked up a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds versus North Iowa Area.

At season’s end, Dean led the Cardinals in scoring with 17 points-per-game, on almost 37% from behind the arc on about six attempts-per-game. Although Trinity Valley didn’t reach the national championship for the first time in four seasons, Nunu was rewarded for her strong play with spots on the WBCA All-America First Team, the NJCAA All-America Third Team, along with being named First Team All-Region and to the All-Conference Team.

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Athens Review

Lady Cardinals coach Gerald Ewing said then that he hoped Dean would be able to build off her hot start to her career and provide some veteran leadership in her sophomore season. Safe to say, she did that and then some as Trinity Valley’s record improved from 29-5 to 32-1 in Dean’s sophomore year.

The accolades just kept coming for Nunu. She was even better in her second season, becoming that veteran leader Ewing wanted. She led the team with 19.3 points-per-game on about 36% from three-point land. Dean increased her averages in rebounds, assists, and steals-per-game, as well. 

The impressive performances did not stop either. She dropped a line of 32 points, nine rebounds and five assists at Bossier Parish. Dean tallied a double-double against Kilgore College in imposing fashion. 31 points versus Tyler on March 6; 30 points, five rebounds and seven assists at home against ETBU. She even took the time to erupt against Coastal Bend again, scoring 26 points on 66% from the field, including six makes from three-point range.

Dean was named to the WBCA All-America First Team for the second time, the NJCAA All- America Second Team, and made First Team All-Region and All-Conference. She was even named TVCC Female Athlete of the Year. The Lady Cardinals went a perfect 18-0 mark in conference play as Dean led Trinity to the conference title. the regional tournament title and a No. 1 seed in the NJCAA Tournament.

Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Dean never got the chance to play for an NJCAA championship as the tournament was later cancelled. Regardless, in just two short years, she established herself as one of the best junior college players in America and a significant asset to any Division I school of her choosing. Now, she gets to take her talents to Walsh Gymnasium, where she can continue to prosper and hone her game with the best of them.

What can she offer the Lady Pirates?

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Seton Hall Athletics

With the departure of Shadeen Samuels and Alexis Lewis, the Pirates have lost not only their top two scorers, but arguably their best two shot creators. Many a time last season would we see Coach Bozzella draw up a play or an action for the Pirates that would end in an Alexis Lewis isolation pull-up jumper or Shadeen rolling to the rim.

In short, that’s a large chunk of offensive production that has left the door and while we can expect improvements from other players like Desiree Elmore, Mya Jackson and Lauren Park-Lane, Dean can just as easily come in an provide a scoring spark.

In an interview with “PirateCrew” from Rivals.com, assistant coach Lauren DeFalco said that the Pirates managed to land Dean over bigger schools like Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Kansas. She also mentioned that Nunu played with Jasmine Smith in AAU so there is already some camaraderie with her and the team.

In closing, DeFalco mentioned that she believed they landed Dean because of the virus preventing her from going on visits to those aforementioned bigger schools, so credit to Seton Hall’s recruiting and making sure they landed an important target that could keep the team’s overall talent where they want to be.

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Chuck Merickel

So, we have discussed Dean’s spectacular numbers at Wossman High School, where she made her own mark and became the school’s best player since Judy Jones a decade earlier. We have showcased her skills at Trinity Valley Community College where she collected plaques, trophies, and buckets with ease in just two seasons.

Now, all that is left for Dean is for her to take her talents to Walsh Gymnasium, where she has a chance to leave yet another legacy. Will she be another successful transfer for the Pirates, like Elmore and Lewis before her? We will have to tune in and find out. Let’s see what Nunu can do in Pirate Blue.

Heaven Hill is an Assistant Sports Director for WSOU Sports, and can be reached at heaven.hill@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, Women's Basketball, WSOU

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