Darrin Dick is a varsity athlete here at Palatine High School with many achievements. Not only being a part of 2 varsity sports while being a sophomore with one of the biggest personal basketball highlights against Fremd on Monday, Jan 22. 

“The game was supposed to be on a Friday. Even on a Monday, everybody still showed up,” Dick said. “Just the atmosphere was great. The students were great, the fans were great, and both teams played well.”

Darrin made a total of 10 points on Monday against Fremd. Besides playing basketball here at Palatine, he also plays for Ignite Hoops, which is a program with kids from Palatine and other schools.

“We play in big tournaments throughout the spring and summer. It’s good exposure and gets me ready for the season [at PHS],” Dick said. “The coach is an assistant coach here at Palatine. He doesn’t care about wins or losses, he cares about preparing each person for the high school season. Eventually a lot of us want to play in college.”

The main focus for Darrin and many other team players is improving their skill set. On Ignite, it is more individualized and it’s about being the best player you can be while also preparing for the high school season. It is more about getting better shots and learning different moves. While he plays basketball, Darrin also is a part of the varsity golf team and not only plays in school, but also plays outside of school as well.

“I love golf in the summer, whether it’s with friends for fun or for school when it’s a bit more competitive. It can be a fun round with friends that aren’t that good or can be a good round with really good friends that can be playing music,” Dick said. “Enjoying a couple of hours away from everything’s kind of distracting you from everything going on in your life. It just helps with easing everything else around you especially during the summer.”

Sports can be a really good break from many of the stressors in life. One of the biggest concerns being brought up today is athlete’s mental health being a priority.

“There’s a ton of studies now and people trying to help now. Many focus on mental health but a lot of kids struggle with that and their time they have between school, family, and the sport that they play,” Dick said. “It just takes a toll on your body, but also takes a toll on your mind. It can especially be hard if you’re struggling in school. That can affect how you act toward your parents and your performance in your sport. If one thing goes down, a lot of things can follow and go down with that. And just from that one small thing can spiral into more.”

Watching sports can also be a good form of entertainment that brings enjoyment for the viewer.

“I like the Bulls obviously being from Chicago but the Miami Heat is fun to watch. They play hard and not play like the usual NBA team,” Dick said. “Jimmy Butler is my favorite player. The team works so hard on defense and is hard working. Every good team is fun to watch and that’s one of the reasons they are my favorite team.”

Last season, Palatine’s boys basketball team won the MSL West, ultimately winning the conference. The team goal during the season so far has been, “defend the West, win the conference again.”

“I think I can contribute to that and even during the next 2 years to hopefully win the West,” Dick said. “Make sure that the team is having the most success, has the most winning seasons, has a fun team to be around and fun to watch for everyone. Because as I said before, teams that are fun to watch are made up of a good team, so hopefully the next couple of years are fun to watch each and every night”