Dalton playing the waiting game

Marcus Dalton continues to play the waiting game. The 5-foot-8, 135-pound point guard from Blackford High School in Montpelier, Ind., is still waiting for his phone to ring. Just one Division I program has expressed an interest in Dalton, so he knows how important his junior campaign will be in regards to his recruitment.

"I have not heard from many schools lately," said Dalton. "I have received letters from Greenville College and Manchester College. "Indiana State is the biggest school recruiting me right now. My dream has always been to play for Ball State, so I hope the coaching staff starts to recruit me this year.

"Indiana has always been a dream school of mine," he added. "My coach told me that my recruitment will definitely heat-up once the season starts, so I am looking for to that. I just want to play Division I basketball. That's my goal."

If Dalton hopes to make his dream of playing Division I basketball in the future a reality, he and his teammates will have to show a lot of improvement from last year. It was a frustrating season for all involved, but Dalton is determined to turn things around for the better this year.

After winning a handful of games during his sophomore season, Dalton has high expectations this time around.

"We were very bad last year," said Dalton. "We won a total of five games. We got a new coach two years ago, so we were dealing with some changes as a team. Some of the players didn't by into the system and we didn't come together as a team. This year, we expect to have the biggest turnaround in the state.

"We are going to be a lot better," he added. "I feel that I played pretty well last year. I averaged 10-points and 10 assists per game playing the shooting guard position. I worked on my defense a lot this summer because that was an area I needed to improve."