Carolyn Dorsey doesn’t need to score a million points or pass out 1,000 assists to impress Amy Lee.
Dorsey has already made her mark, and not under the title of “guard” or “Lady Hornet.”
It has been under the title of “Coach.”
“We all want to be like Carolyn,” Lee said.
Lee and her eight teammates not only have enjoyed watching Dorsey as a member of the Emoria State women’s basketball team.
They’ve also enjoyed learning from her as well.
“She knows a lot about basketball,” said Lee, a sophomore at Northern Heights High School. “It’s really helpful and nice that she brings it to our team.”
It was three years ago when Dorsey — a 2003 Emporia High graduate — received a call from parents who were needing a summer league coach for their middle-school daughters. Dorsey’s experience with both EHS and ESU made her an ideal fit for the position.
She agreed to do it, deciding to try something new.
The rest, as they say, is history.
“After that, I just was hooked. I loved it,” Dorsey said. “It takes the game I love, and I’m able to pass it on to others. I can still be a part of it, even when I’m done playing.”
Dorsey has coached the same core group of four girls for three seasons now.
Not only that, but the team received an appropriate name change after season one. Ever since, the girls have traveled to tournaments as the “Kansas Hornets.”
“I think it’s just something that Carolyn has really enjoyed doing,” ESU coach Brandon Schneider said. “She’s gotten attached to those kids, and the kids have gotten attached to her.”
Playing an up-tempo style — very similar to what Dorsey is accustomed to at ESU — the 9-10 grade Kansas Hornets have found success on the summer circuit.
The team won both the Emporia and Lawrence MAYB tournaments this summer, and later finished in the final 16 of a 68-team field at the MAYB National Tournament in Oklahoma City, Okla.
The nine-person squad consists of players from Emporia, Olpe, Burlington, Westphalia and Americus.
“They really look up to me,” Dorsey said. “It’s really fun, because they’re all like my little sisters now.”
Lee said Dorsey has helped the team with all areas of the game, including shooting and ball-handling. She has also taught aggressiveness and confidence and has been easily approachable when the girls need to talk to someone.
“We all are really concerned about what she thinks and how we play,” Lee said, “because she knows a lot about basketball.”
Dorsey also has been able to have fun with the girls and spoke with them on a more personal level.
“They talk to me about their problems,” Dorsey said. “It feels really nice for them to be able to be comfortable enough to do that with me and to think of me as being that great.”
With all the responsibilities Dorsey already has — including schoolwork, training and being a role model off the court — Schneider has been impressed with her ability to take on even more than is expected.
“We’re always going to put a premium on recruiting character and recruiting kids that want to be coached,” Schneider said, “and Carolyn definitely fits that build.”
Dorsey, who averaged 15.5 minutes and 5.5 points as a junior last season for ESU, is a pre-med major, making it difficult to foresee a future in coaching basketball.
Still, she hasn’t ruled out the possibility.
“I love coaching now,” Dorsey said, “so I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Though she has improved her skills on the sidelines, Dorsey believes she is still a better player than coach.
Others have a tougher time deciding.
“I don’t know,” Lee said. “She’s pretty good at both.”
Schneider said there would be opportunities for Dorsey after graduation no matter what path she decided to take.
“I think if she wanted to coach and teach,” Schneider said, “Carolyn definitely has the knowledge and the people skills to be very good at it.”