Sleeper joins 1,000-point club

By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    DYER BROOK — Heading into last Thursday’s game against Hodgdon, Dakota Sleeper needed just one point to reach a personal milestone … the 1,000-point club at Southern Aroostook Community School.
     In front of his teammates, family and friends, within seconds of the game, the senior co-captain took a pass from junior captain Cody Robinson and finished a layup to reach the feat.
     “It was a nice pass,” said Sleeper, who shrugs off the fanfare of the accomplishment. “There wasn’t much to it, I guess. I would rather win a gold ball.”
    Did Sleeper feel any pressure associated with his personal accomplishment?
    “Not at all,” he said. “I was more worried about winning the game. I was glad to get it over with and to get it off the bat instead of in the heat of the game.”
    Coming to the high school level, Sleeper wanted to emulate his brother Willie, who scored his 1,000th high school point when he was a junior at Katahdin High School.
Contributed photo
WELCOME TO THE CLUB — Southern Aroostook coach Vaughn Sleeper congratulates his son Dakota after he scored his 1,000th career point in last Thursday’s game.
    “I set this goal my freshman year,“ he said, as he wanted to reach 1,000 points by his junior year like his brother. Though a year later, Sleeper added, “It’s a nice accomplishment.”
    Although he wanted to emulate his brother, there was another Katahdin player who helped Sleeper along the way.
    “Pat Willette definitely helped me growing up as a kid,” he added. “I was around him more than my brother. He helped me a lot. I obviously want to thank my father and my family, as well as all of my teammates I’ve played with through the years.”
    Sleeper downplays his achievement of 1,000 points because he knew being a proficient shooter he would break the mark.
    “I knew I was going to get it sometime this year,” he said. “Honestly, I wasn’t worried about it at all.”
    With the personal feat behind him, Sleeper is switching his sights.
    “I want to win our last game,” he said, “and the gold ball.”
    The Warriors are hoping to garner a playoff position, go deeper into the tournament, with the ultimate goal of winning the gold ball, but Sleeper said he and his teammates need composure to get to that point.
    “We need to come together as a team,” he said. “ I’m glad we got this point past us. I don’t think it was a distraction, but it might have been. We need to make it to Bangor.”
    “Dakota has had the opportunity to participate and excel in a number of athletic endeavors at Southern Aroostook,” SACS Athletic Director Murray Putnam said. “He has been a strong and explosive offensive threat on the soccer field, a polific pitcher and infielder on the baseball diamond (also having pitched very well in an Eastern Maine Championship game) and a mainstay both offensively and defensively in basketball.  He has consistently  been recognized for All Aroostook awards in all 3 sports, and All East Soccer for this past fall season.
    “He has also been in the top 1/3 of his class academically and has served as treasurer of the Varsity Club.”
    Last season, Sleeper played basketball with an injured leg. Through the baseball season, he went to physical therapy so he could avoid surgery. Through all of the rehab, Sleeper knew he would back on the hardwood.
 “I knew I was going to play, no matter what,” he said. “I was going to play on one leg again if I had to.”