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Dominic Fairbanks works on his game with his uncle three, sometimes even four times each week.

The latest Cass Lake-Bena boys basketball standout is headed to Bemidji State following his senior season. Getting a chance to play at the Division II level was an opportunity he called a 鈥渄ream,鈥� one he often discussed with his uncle, Brady Fairbanks 鈥� the last Cass-Lake Bena graduate to commit to the Beavers. Brady played for BSU from 2007-09 before transferring to Haskell Indian Nations University for his senior season.

鈥淗e鈥檚 the person I train with the most,鈥� Fairbanks said of his uncle. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty cool that we get to share those experiences of going to Bemidji State together. 鈥� Now, for a lot of home games, my family gets to come watch. I鈥檓 15 minutes away from home, so I get to go back to a home-cooked meal once a week. It just means a lot to me and my family.鈥�

Fairbanks jumped at the offer to play locally in the NSIC. He fielded other interests from St. John鈥檚 and Minnesota Morris at the Division III level. Committing to play for the Cougars would鈥檝e given him another avenue to play with his brother, Leroy Staples-Fairbanks.

Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer

But the CLB senior guard always felt like Bemidji State was the best fit, especially after his discussions with the Beavers鈥� coaching staff.

鈥淚 was talking to (head coach Mike Boschee), and he said he likes guys who work hard and are focused on (winning),鈥� Fairbanks said. 鈥淗e wants guys who want to win, and that鈥檚 something I value a lot in the game. I love to work hard, and winning is the best feeling ever.鈥�

Fairbanks announced his commitment on his social media accounts on Sept. 7. The admiration he received put the weight of his decision into perspective.

鈥淩ight when I announced it, my phone started blowing up,鈥� Fairbanks said. 鈥淚 was getting a lot of messages, people commenting and liking my post and stuff. It was a lot of attention. (The reaction) made the whole thing surreal.鈥�

Each year Fairbanks has played at the high school level, Cass Lake-Bena has been one of Minnesota鈥檚 top-ranked Class A teams. But the Section 8A Tournament has been a constant thorn in the Panthers鈥� side.

In back-to-back years, CLB was bounced in the section title game to end Fairbanks鈥� freshmen and sophomore seasons. Last year, the Panthers took a 24-2 regular-season record into the playoffs, only for their postseason run to come to a stunning end in a 58-57 loss against Fertile-Beltrami in the subsection semifinal.

For Fairbanks and his teammates, getting over the hump has not only been a challenge, but also a constant source of motivation.

鈥淚n the offseason, all I think about is losing in the playoffs,鈥� Fairbanks said. 鈥淚t gets you mad a little bit. But I think it makes us work harder in practice. It makes us put in a few more hours when no one else is looking. Anything to not have that feeling (of losing in the playoffs) again.鈥�

Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer

Fairbanks feels he can refocus on the task at hand now that his collegiate commitment is out of the way.

鈥淚t鈥檚 always been a dream of mine to play in college and more of a dream to play Division II (basketball),鈥� Fairbanks said. 鈥淚t feels really good. Actually, it feels great. I accomplished that dream. It feels really great to say that.

鈥淲e鈥檝e had all of these good years in the regular season, but we still haven鈥檛 made it happen in the playoffs. We want to go to state. If we make it to state, it would feel like we accomplished our mission. I鈥檝e dreamt about going to state growing up and going through high school. Anything else is a cherry on top.鈥�