Photo by Chris Drummond SMSU guard Dunwa Omot (10) goes up for a bucket against a defender in a basketball game against the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs Saturday, Jan. 21 in Marshall

Coming off an incredible weekend of basketball Southwest Minnesota State University guard Dunwa Omot set a career-high in points on back-to-back games scoring 27 points against St. Cloud State and 28 points against University of Minnesota Duluth.

Omot credited his teammates and coaches for believing in his ability to make plays.

This isn’t a trend that just started with these two games, however. Omot has been this way growing up in the city of Mankato. Omot talks about the love he has for the community of Mankato and how the community reciprocates that. How the city has shaped him into the person that he is becoming. Omot is Mankato made with Mustang pride.

Omot was born in Mankato in 2003. He is the second oldest of his parents’ eight children. He has four sisters and three brothers.

“Everything got competitive at times from playing sports to board games,” Omot said. “We all wanted to win. I think it was good to have those siblings to compete against because it edged us up a little bit. You always wanted to beat the person next to you, no matter how close you are.”

Omot played several different sports during his childhood, such as soccer, track, football, and basketball. Omot attended Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School in New Ulm and decided to pursue basketball, his favorite sport to play.

In Omot’s senior year, the Chargers went 25-3. Omot earned Tomahawk All-Conference honors and was named the New Ulm Journal’s Player of the Year.

Omot graduated from MVL and, while playing basketball in the AAU circuit, he connected with Brad Bigler, the SMSU mens basketball head coach. Although many schools were interested, Omot Chose SMSU to further his education and basketball career

“Dunwa had a positive impact on our players in the program,” Chargers head coach Craig Morgan said. “Dunwa is great with young kids. He would help out in the summer doing basketball camps. His senior year was a special one. We had a great team and a lot of that had to do with Omot. So many great memories with him, especially the one when I went to the University of Sioux Falls to see him play. He is a great young man and I’m proud of what he accomplished.”

In Omot’s first year with the Mustangs, he realized how much faster the pace of the game was. Omot knew he would have to get to work to be able to be on the court with his teammates. However, he sustained an injury and broke his foot, ending his freshman season. It was a setback, but Omot used it as motivation to be on the floor with his teammates the next campaign.

“I got some X-rays on it and it was like a six-to-eight-week recovery,” Omot said. “That hit me hard because I was aiming for a spot to hoop. I think the injury helped me to slow down and look at everything in the long run, focusing on what I can do to get better. Sometimes watching helps you focus on what you can do for the team and get better individually, focus on the school aspect as well.”

After being redshirted his freshman year, Omot played in 27 games and averaged just under 12 points per game. The Mustangs finished the season with a 15-12 record.

This season, Omot has improved his scoring abilities and leads the Mustangs with 16.4 points per game. The Mustangs are currently 14-9 this year and certainly look to pass the win total of last year with a hand full of games left this season.

“You never know how much a guy loves the game until they get on campus,” Bigler said. “Dunwa’s love for the game and willingness to put in the work when no one was watching helped make him the player he is today.”

“His genuine kindness allows him to relate to others. He has worked for everything and earned the respect of his teammates along the way. He very well could be the best two-way guard in the league.”

Despite the success that Omot has garnered because of his hard work, he will never forget where he came from, the support his parents have given him, his siblings and what shaped him into the player he is today.

“Mankato means a lot to me, being born and raised there,” Omot said. “[It] shaped me into who I am today, on and off the court. The overall development of the city and culture throughout the years is amazing. Establishing a family of eight kids isn’t easy, but my parents made it look that way. Very thankful for them raising us in such a supportive community.”

Catch Omot and the Mustangs playing Winona State University today at 3:30 p.m.