Photo by Brad Bridges

By Robert Wilson

Northwest Rankin’s De’Shawn Dillon is considered one of the top multi-sport athletes in the country, with a rating in the Top 50 in the nation in football and basketball at his position, and with multiple SEC offers for football and basketball.

Dillon was recognized as the top basketball player in Mississippi when he was named the Mississippi Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

  He is the first Northwest Rankin athlete to receive a Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year award since Tay Collum won the girls soccer award in 2018 and the first Northwest Rankin male athlete to receive this honor since Reid Humphreys won the baseball player of the year in 2013.

Dillon, a 6-foot-4 junior guard, averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.4 assists and led Northwest Rankin to a 21-12 record, the MHSAA Class 7A semifinals and a No. 22 ranking in Mississippi by MaxPreps.

He made a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds to send the game into overtime and then made the winning shot in a 55-53 victory over Ocean Springs in the first round of the 7A playoffs state and then scored 26 points in a 61-50 victory over Gulfport in the quarterfinals.

He is rated the No. 1 player in Mississippi, No. 24 rated shooting guard and No. 127 player in the country in the Class of 2027.

Dillon has Division I offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Alcorn State, Jackson State, and New Mexico State.

He was a member of the first team on the Tatum and Wade/Mississippi Scoreboard All Metro Jackson team this year. 

Dillon averaged 21 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists and helped Northwest Rankin to a 16-15 record and the MHSAA Class 7A first round last season as a sophomore.

“We are incredibly proud of De’Shawn Dillon and the way he represents our school,” Northwest Rankin athletic director and head football coach Devin Cooper said. “He is a dedicated and talented young man who spends countless hours in the gym and on the football field, consistently putting in extra work to improve. It’s rewarding to see him recognized for the time and effort he has invested in basketball. The Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year award honors not only athletic ability, but also character and academic achievement, making this recognition even more meaningful. Northwest Rankin is proud to be part of his journey.”

“I asked the guys what goals they had for the year in the preseason and the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year was on that list,” Northwest Rankin boys basketball coach Sirdonta Washington said. “I told De’Shawn that the committee doesn’t go around and pass the award out, the award would go to the student-athlete that earned it. From that point, we went to work. De’Shawn won the GPOY by putting God first and with his performance on and off the court all year. This kid is special and we are happy his hard work didn’t go unnoticed. He’s a super athletic guard that can play multiple positions. He’s a three level scorer that can heat up very quickly. What’s most underrated about De’Shawn is his defense. He can guard the other team’s best player and turnaround and beat them on offense. He became a better leader amongst the team between last year and now. His understanding of the game increased as well as he commitment to making the guys around him better. Our plans for the future involve De’Shawn aiming even higher, putting in more work and leaving a legacy at NWR.”

Dillon plays for the Team Sip AAU Under-17 team, coached by former Jackson State coach Wayne Brent. 

Dillon is rated as the No. 13 player in Mississippi and the No. 49 wide receiver in the country by 247 Sports. He has Division I offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss, Jackson State, Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Nebraska, and Troy, Ala.

Dillon was a star track and field athlete in middle school. In the eighth grade, he won meets in the long jump, high jump, triple jump and mile relay. Dillon hasn’t run track since the ninth grade.

Dillon, who has maintained a 3.2 GPA in the classroom, has volunteered with the Little Cougars basketball program by helping to organize practices and offering demonstrations for drills. He has also donated his time as a member of the Momentum Life Group at his church, sharing life experiences in an effort to inspire youth members.

Dillon is the son of Demetric and Cermona Dillon. Demetric played basketball at North Pike High and attended Copiah-Lincoln Community College. Cermona played basketball at North Pike and attended Southwest Mississippi CC. Dillon has two siblings, brother, Ja’Quiarious “JQ” played football and baseball at Northwest Rankin and played football at Holmes CC, and sister, Ka’Miya Dillon, played softball and volleyball at Northwest Rankin and played softball at Jackson Prep and is a senior at Alcorn State and plays softball. Dillon has two aunts, Betty Robinson and Tashebia Watkins, and one uncle, LC Dillon, who played basketball at North Pike.