1 of 3
Photo by Sarah Finnegan.
Drew Dunn, left, and Chris Mayweather are both juniors and leading scorers on the Oak Mountain basketball team. The pair has developed a strong bond despite their competitive natures.
2 of 3
Photos by Sarah Finnegan.
Chris Mayweather (23), wants what’s best for the team and aren’t afraid to call each other out, Eagles head coach Chris Love said.
3 of 3
Photos by Sarah Finnegan.
Drew Dunn (1), wants what’s best for the team and aren’t afraid to call each other out, Eagles head coach Chris Love said.
Drew Dunn and Chris Mayweather have their moments.
They have moments when they look unstoppable, as the Oak Mountain High School boys basketball team’s leading scorers. Dunn is a point guard and lefty sharpshooter, while Mayweather is a versatile player who can score from anywhere on the court. Together, they average nearly 30 points per game for the Eagles.
“It’s obvious they have played together,” Oak Mountain coach Chris Love said. “They’ve got a feel for each other and have a feel for where each other likes the ball and a feel for where they’re going to be in our motion offense.”
They also have moments when they have mental lapses. Dunn doesn’t always get back in transition defense as quickly as he needs to. Mayweather doesn’t always get as many rebounds as he’s capable of hauling in.
“They’ve both got to get better at doing the things that don’t involve scoring the basketball,” Love said. Both players agreed with that assessment.
They have moments when they are on fire, seemingly unable to miss. Dunn is shooting nearly 50 percent from 3-point range for the season, which is remarkable. Mayweather shot a grand total of three 3s last season — and didn’t make any of them — but has added that to his arsenal this season and is shooting above 35 percent from deep.
“That’s pretty impressive,” Love said.
Then, there are moments when they yell at each other on the floor. While that may seem to reveal cracks in the relationship, it’s actually the opposite.
“They are both wanting what is best for us,” Love said. “They’re just not afraid to call each other out if they’re not doing what they feel like is best for us.”
Dunn and Mayweather’s relationship hasn’t always been strong enough to endure that. When the two juniors were in middle school, they rarely spoke. But once they ascended to high school, they began forming a bond that would manifest itself through a shared, fiercely competitive nature.
According to Dunn, that has been a constant from the day they met. And with the experience of playing together through middle school and a few years in high school, their cohesiveness as teammates has continued to grow.
“Me and him playing together now, I know where to find him, and he knows where to find me,” Mayweather said.
That chemistry on the court and respect for one another allows the duo to not hold back when expressing emotion in the flow of a game or practice. Sometimes that spills into an argument. Examples come to mind of all involved when discussing those moments.
Dunn recalled a time earlier in the season at the Birmingham vs. Huntsville Challenge at Wallace State Community College. With the Eagles playing Bob Jones, he badly missed a shot and got an earful from Mayweather.
“That motivated me, and I just started playing harder,” Dunn said.
Dunn went on to sink five 3-pointers in the game, and he led the Eagles with 17 points.
Love has had to step in between them a few times, and he has constant discussions with his leading scorers about the importance of body language on the floor. But, he maintains, he wishes he had 12 players on his squad as competitive as those two.
“They may not like what they hear at the time, but they’ll hear it, take it in and move on from there,” Love said.
At the end of the day, it’s never personal between them. Dunn and Mayweather don’t let anything that happens in the heat of the moment fester beyond that moment on the hardwood.
“We’ll yell at each other, but we’re motivating each other at the same time,” Mayweather said. “When we get off the court, we’re brothers.”
“It’s neat to see them grow to where they’ve formed a pretty good bond and are pretty good friends,” Love added.
Dunn and Mayweather are deadly from beyond the arc and are two of Oak Mountain’s strongest on-ball defenders according to their head coach.
Love also noted Dunn’s work ethic as exemplary. Dunn said he became more serious about the game of basketball after his freshman year, and that has begun to pay big dividends in games.
“Drew might be one of the biggest gym rats I’ve ever had,” Love said.
Mayweather’s leadership has greatly improved during the past year, as well. While seniors Carson Bobo, Josh Pierce and ZJ Nelson are the Eagles’ unquestioned leaders, Mayweather’s vocal leadership is extremely valuable during games.
“Chris is probably our best leader in respect to communicating out on the floor and making sure everybody’s where they’re supposed to be and doing what they’re supposed to do,” Love said.
They know there are still improvements to make in their games, though. Dunn is still working on his transition defense, and Mayweather is working to be more active on the glass.
With what’s left of their junior seasons and their senior seasons, the pair have a lot left to accomplish at Oak Mountain. During their freshman year, they watched as the Eagles advanced to the Class 7A Northwest Regional Final and were a last-second shot from reaching the Final Four.
“I just want to win,” Mayweather said.