The i’s are dotted, and the t’s are crossed: Wylee Delorme is a Mary Marauder.
The Devils Lake senior, who won state tournament MVP in the Firebirds’ first championship in 99 years, officially committed to play basketball for the University of Mary last Tuesday. He was joined by his teammates, coaches and parents at the high school for the commemorative moment in his career.
“I’m excited for him. I know he’s gonna work hard,” Devils Lake head coach Dustin Brodina said. “I know that’s not gonna be something that he’s not gonna follow through with. He’s gonna work hard. He’s gonna give it everything he’s got.”
The Brodinas have known Delorme since they first moved to town in 2014. Beau and Parker played travel basketball with him, along with the core of the crew that ended up winning it all. Delorme had a brief pit stop living in Grand Forks for a year, but he returned to Devils Lake to rejoin the community he’d grown up in.
When asked who had helped most in developing him into a college basketball player, there was no hesitation in naming Dustin.
“He’s been with me my whole basketball career,” Delorme said. “He’s been pushing me throughout all the years; he’s really helped me a lot.”
Delorme attended multiple basketball camps, and had interest from a variety of schools. Mary head coach Jack Nelson was the first to make an offer. Delorme visited, and he said it instantly “felt like home” on the campus.
“When I first talked to Jack, he made sure that I was gonna be okay, and the next level was gonna be a good step for me,” Delorme said. “At that school, he made it seem like it was gonna be like home.”
So Delorme committed. But as he continued to progress as a player — and especially once he received widespread attention, leading the eventual state champions, winning state tournament MVP and being nominated for Mr. Basketball — he garnered more offers from both in-state and out-of-state schools alike.
He stuck to his word. He had committed to Mary, a Division II program located just outside Bismarck. And that’s where he was going to go.
“It’s gonna be a good place for Wylee to go and compete right away,” Brodina said, “versus some of the higher Division I schools where he’d have to sit for a few years.”
Delorme already knows what it takes to win — and not just how to win, but how to lead a team of winners. It’s what Brodina told Delorme he was going to be before the season: a leader.
For the Firebirds to go as far as they ended up going, Delorme was going to need to lead in more ways than just scoring the most points on the team. The type of leadership that Delorme brought to the table, and that eventually culminated in a state championship, was one that required communication and selflessness.
“You’re gonna show your skills off even more than averaging 30 points a game during the season and us not making it to state,” Brodina said he told Delorme before the season. “We were looking for him every single time we needed a bucket, but also there’s times where he’s double-teamed, and he’s gotta kick it and get it to the next guy…
“Those are intangibles that you don’t have on paper. When you look at a Mr. Basketball candidate, this guy versus that guy, his leadership skills and his ability to accept a role maybe of not scoring 25 a game, but scoring 17 points, 18 points a game, and being a leader that way. That’s why we won the state championship, for sure.”
Delorme averaged 17.9 points per game, which still led the team, but the squad was also fueled by major contributions from both Brodinas, Joel Nelson, Drew Hofstad, Mason Palmer and more. The Firebirds, comprised of kids who’d known each other for large portions of their childhoods, gelled seamlessly and attacked opponents with a variety of weapons.
“That’s probably the best thing I could have ended with, was getting state championship with my lifelong friends and Dustin,” Delorme said. “It felt good doing it with everyone that was important to me.”
Brodina said he thinks Delorme has been prepared well by the team-oriented basketball that Devils Lake plays. That experience, plus the natural athleticism Delorme brings, should make him a viable college basketball player.
“We play a very college-style type basketball, the way we teach it here at Devils Lake,” Brodina said. “So it’s gonna fit his game real well.”
Brodina is already thinking about traveling down to the University of Mary as a team next year to watch Delorme play. The family-type camaraderie Delorme has developed in Devils Lake doesn’t die with his advancement to the next level: Now, Brodina and the team get to become his biggest cheerleaders.
There’s still a lot in store for Delorme. As he gathered for pictures on Tuesday with his closest supporters, one message echoed loud and clear from around the room: “Go be great, Wylee.”
“Obviously, to get playing time and help my team as much as possible,” Delorme said of his goals in college. “But, mainly focused on getting a degree. And we’ll see where life takes me. Maybe at the very next level after DII. But I have time to work. I have to work on getting better, and pushing my team and pushing myself.”
