Flying high: Douglass’ star center leads by example

When Douglass senior Anthony Massengale tried to recall his favorite basketball memory after Thursday’s 78-33 rout of the visiting Jamestown Eagles, words escaped him.

After taking a deep breath, the 6-foot-6-inch center’s eyes slowly eased towards the ceiling of the Arena at the Southwell Complex while his mind raced through the countless basketball games he has been a part of since he began playing in the seventh grade.

Suddenly a wide grin emerged across Massengale’s face, confirming that the memory he was seeking had been found.

“Eighth grade,” Massengale said. “My first dunk.”

He remembers the play as if it had happened just minutes before.

“The ball was fumbled around and got loose, and I was the first one to get to the ball,” Massengale said. “I had a clear path to the basket.”

Anyone who has seen Massengale play this season knows how this story ends.

“I got down there and went up for a layup just to see if I could get up high enough, which I did,” Massengale said. “Then I threw it down with one hand.”

Dunks like that have become a trademark for the Bulldogs’ starting center, partly because several of the Bulldogs’ plays are designed to get Massengale an alley-oop attempt.

“I just love getting hyped out there,” Massengale said, who finished with 10 points against the Eagles (1-20). “When the crowd gets real quiet, I like to try one of those plays to try to get them back into it.”

Douglass coach Lynn Allen agrees that Massengale’s dunking ability serves more purpose than just an easy two points.

“Those plays will definitely get people fired up,” Allen said. “Even when they aren’t successful, they make a statement to the other team. It’s like a deep pass in football. We may not get it every time but the other team knows it’s there.”

Massengale, though, says he takes more pride in his passing ability than his scoring ability.

“My favorite part of the game is definitely setting people up,” Massengale said.

This dimension of his game has not gone unnoticed by his coach.

“Anthony’s a multi-dimensional player,” Allen said. “He’s real humble out there. He’d always rather make a good pass than a good shot.”

Massengale’s passing abilities emerged when he tried to emulate his older cousin, a guard, while growing up.

“I got into basketball by watching my cousin play and trying to play like him,” Massengale said.

These days, Massengale, the only senior for the Bulldogs (14-6), is the one others are trying to emulate.

“I’m the team captain, so I have to get the team motivated out there,” Massengale said. “If they don’t see me doing what I need to do, then they won’t do what they need to do.”