The University of California, Irvine Anteaters in Irvine, California play in the Big West Conference in NCAA DI are coached by Russell Turner. This is another post in my basketball journey series and I would like to thank former Anteater Dominique Dunning for sharing his journey with me. He is now working with the Compton Magic which is an AAU program that produces collegiate and professional basketball players year in and year out. He also runs Designz by Domo which can be found on Twitter and Instagram @DesignzbyDomo where he creates graphics, flyers, etc. for Compton Magic players who sign to play in college, sign to play professionally, support great causes, etc.

I managed The Master’s University Mustangs in the GSAC in NAIA DI from 2010-14 and we played fellow Big West Conference member UCSB Gauchos in preseason. Brandon Bibbins was a point guard on the Mustangs during my freshman season and I have become friends with other Compton Magic players. I met Dominique at The League by Compton Magic last year. I am looking forward to continuing to follow the Dominique’s basketball journey and to write about future college stars who play for the Compton Magic. Here is what Dominique shared with me.

“My journey to UCI was a matter of circumstance. I was on my way out from the university of New Mexico and wanted to be close to home. UCI was a perfect fit because of location, education, and the opportunity it presented from a basketball standpoint. My favorite thing about UCI was how well rounded my experience was.

UCI was a great experience for me first and foremost from a basketball standpoint. We were the team that took UCI basketball over the top. Made the first NCAA tournament appearance in school history. But most importantly UCI prepared me for life after basketball. The environment off the court helped me improve socially and also allowed me to explore my other abilities beyond basketball.

Being so close to home enabled me to be involved with Compton Magic, my club team. Compton Magic is an organization that I owe everything to. Etop Udo-Ema, the co-founder of CM, has been my mentor since the day I met him, and has helped me through every step. So I try to return the favor by dedicating myself to the organization.

In college I also discovered my passion for graphic design. A skill that until this day is progressing. But a lot of my strides in that area have been made through the platform that CM has presented me. A lot of my inspirations have come from wanting to capture all of our moments in the right way. We are the best AAU program in the world, and we need our presentation to reflect that.”