Dexter Dennis has tattoos all over his body. The Mavericks’ two-way player sees his body as a canvas to express the different
things that have affected his life.
“I love art,” Dennis said. “What you see on me, every tattoo relates to me in some way. I’ve got ‘I am great as I was.’
“Right here is a wolf with some arrows in his back, but it’s still standing. So, you already know that means. I’m really wounded and have some scars that are still healing, but I’m still going and still fighting to see another day.”
After not getting chosen in this past summer’s NBA Draft, Dennis is indeed still standing. The 6-5, 210-pound guard went through the Mavs’ most recent training camp, and showed the coaches enough that he found himself still fighting to see another day.
Some of that fight Dennis exhibited came from growing up in tiny Baker, LA., which is less than 15 miles from the Baton Rogue-based LSU campus. And some of it came from playing four years at Wichita State, then transferring and spending last season playing for coach Buzz Williams at Texas A&M.
Dennis said Williams insists he was the best listener the A&M coach has ever coached. Dennis took that as a badge of honor.
“I hate feeling if the coach has to tell me multiple things in a row and the same things over,” he said. “I feel like I’m really not getting better in the sense that it kind of messes with me a little bit if he has to do that. I’m a guy that I take pride in this.
“I want to learn either on the first or second time. If you show me and you give me a detailed explanation and you show me what’s going on, I want to be able to remember it and not have to go back to that mistake again.”
Dennis was a four-year starter at Wichita State and helped the Shockers reach the 2021 NCAA tournament. But because Wichita State was in a smaller conference — the American Athletic Conference – Dennis, with his eyes set on playing in the NBA, wanted something more challenging.
Thus came the move to A&M, which resides in the much tougher Southeastern Conference. And since he had another year of college eligibility remaining due the NCAA allowing another season because of Covid-19, Dennis decided to transfer to A&M.
“A&M, from front to back – not counting this year and what’s going on now — that was probably my best year of just basketball and life in general,” Dennis said. “Wichita State, don’t get me wrong. It’s a great program. I learned a lot in four years. It’s like another home of mine that I’l
l always be thankful for. Great people. Great community.
“My decision to leave obviously was a big decision. I didn’t want to leave, but I felt like I just had to for my game to grow and for me to grow as a person/player.”
For Dennis, that growth started almost from the first time he stepped on the A&M campus. It was as if he was born again.
“A&M kind of rejuvenated me in the sense of it just brought my self-esteem up to another level – how I feel about myself, my confidence and my abilities as well,” Dennis said. “It was a great group of guys, great leadership with Buzz, the whole staff.
“I just felt like from the moment I got there in August (2022) they kind of accepted me. They gave me an honest chance to come in and be myself, and 
that’s all I pretty much needed. And they did more than that. They went above and beyond, and I’m extremely grateful for that.”
In his one season with A&M, Dennis started all 34 games and averaged 9.5 points. He also helped the Aggies earn a berth in last season’s NCAA tournament.
“I joke with some of my friends all the time,” Dennis said, in reference to his transfer to A&M. “I’m like, ‘Man, I went to a basketball university and played for Buzz Williams. It’s a real thing.’ If you’re not invested in a serious part of the game as he is, then I don’t know if it’ll work out over there for you.
“He brings a particular level of obsession and intensity and consistency every single day. I’ve never seen somebody more consistent ever with their schedule for the whole year. It’s crazy to see, but it definitely inspires you.”
For now, Dennis is playing for the Texas Legends – the Mavs’ NBA G League franchise. Through the first three games he’s averaged 10 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals.
“I’m just trying to learn the business, learn how things work,” Dennis said. “I think here we’ve got great leadership all the way from the top person all the way to the last one on the totem pole.
“I’m definitely trying to learn as much as I can and pick up as much as I can as quickly as possible. It’s been a blast, though. I can’t complain.”
In other words, Dexter Dennis is still standing and still fighting to see another day. And he’s also looking for a local tattoo artist to add some more art to his body.
X: @DwainPrice
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