Nothing to Lose

Chelsea Dungee knows what it is like to lose everything. But no matter what obstacle or challenge arises, the Sapulpa, Okla., product attacks it – just like she does on the basketball court when it comes to driving to the rim or locking down a player on defense.

“When things happen, I just take it as a challenge and try to overcome it. The aggressiveness is what I grew up doing,” Dungee explained. “Playing aggressive on the court is all I've known how to do. When I play defense, I'm aggressive, when I go to the basket, I'm aggressive. That's just the thing I grew up knowing how to do, so I just keep that with me."

That aggressiveness and reckless abandon is hereditary. It naturally comes from her mom, Chi, who not only raised Chelsea but instilled her love for basketball into her daughter at an early age.

“My aggressiveness comes from my mom, for sure," said Chelsea. "She's aggressive in everything. When she talks she can be aggressive. Basketball, softball, driving … she's just aggressive overall.”

Chelsea's love of the game started at an early age. Chi, who played both basketball and softball in Haskell, Okla., put a ball in the hands of her daughter at an early age. The pair spent endless hours at the local YMCA where they would play one-on-one. By the time Chelsea had reached the seventh grade, Chi knew she needed some reinforcements to guard her daughter.

Chelsea Dungee

Chelsea Dungee's first year at Oklahoma has seen the freshman contribute on the court by averaging 7.6 points per game with 10 double-figure scoring contests.

“I loved it because it was time that both of us got to spend together working her out but at the same time having a good time and we used to do two-a-days,” Chi described. “We would go to the 'Y' until she got into about sixth grade. I could be physical with her, I could make stops, make her work hard.”

Chelsea's fearless approach to get to the rim and score through contact was developed at an early age as her mom would guard her one-on-one in practice each night. By the time Chelsea reached middle school Chi had to find new ways to play defense against her.

“In sixth and seventh grade, I had to start getting equalizers,” Chi explained. “I had to start getting big football pads, bumping her with them, pushing her with them and I used to have to make her make double moves. I wouldn't let her score on a single move with me because that got too easy so, we had good times.”

By the time Chelsea had reached high school, the endless nights of workouts and practice with her mom had paid off. Letters from colleges all over the country filled their mailbox. Trophies from AAU tournaments and USA Basketball events were given a special room to be housed at their home.

As a sophomore, Chelsea's profile continued to rise as she led Preston High School to a 2A State Championship and was honored as the Gatorade Oklahoma State Player of the Year.

"I didn't think I could get any closer to my mom, but when bad things happen you tend to attach to people and I attached to my mom even more."
— Chelsea Dungee

Her junior season looked to be a promising one. She had already committed to the University of Oklahoma and Dungee was set to lead Preston back to another state championship.

But, all of that changed on Nov. 1, 2014.

During her first game of the season, Chi received a phone call from a neighbor that their entire house had burned down. As Chelsea found her mom in the stands, just like she does prior to every game, she noticed that the look on her mom's face was not one of joy.

“This was the first game of my junior year. I remember the night before it happened I was in the house and I told my mom it smelled like something was burning,” Chelsea stated. “My mom said that she just turned on the heater from the summer time so it kind of has a smell. So we went to sleep and woke up for the game. The game was about three hours away so our high school left in the morning.”

By the time Chi was notified of the fire, nothing was left. Their house in which they had watched basketball games, where they placed countless trophies on the shelves, and where Chelsea grew up was gone.

“Our neighbor was a highway patrolman and he was calling me right before the game. I just remember him saying 'Your house is on fire,'” Chi explained. “And I couldn't believe it.”

After her game was over Chelsea still sensed something was wrong. Finally on the way back to her home, she had to ask her mom what was bothering her.

“Halfway home she told me that our house had burned down,” Chelsea stated. “I kept on saying, 'No it didn't,' and my mom kept on saying, 'Yes it did.' She told me we would figure out what to do. We pulled into the driveway and there was nothing there.”

But as they had done countless times before, Chi and Chelsea would figure out a way to navigate through a situation when they had nothing to go home to. Mom and daughter would spend nearly two months in a hotel as Chelsea had to transfer to a new high school in nearby Sapulpa, Okla.

“I didn't think I could get any closer to my mom, but when bad things happen you tend to attach to people and I attached to my mom even more,” Chelsea said. “We kind of latched on to each other and just made the best of every situation. Good things happened from it, really.”

One thing the fire did not take away was the game of basketball. The one thing Chelsea needed most.

After transferring to Sapulpa, Dungee would finish her high school career by leading her new team to two state tournament appearances while being recognized as a two-time all-state selection.

"It's indescribable. Words really don't do it justice. You, as a parent, and I'm sure every parent that sees this feels this. There's something in your heart, there's something that you feel a physiological effect when you see – you feel your heart beating a little bit faster."
— Chi Dungee on watching Chelsea play at Oklahoma

Now as a freshman at Oklahoma, she continues to glance into the stands to find her mom – this time at the Lloyd Noble Center. Chelsea's aggressive playing style has provided a spark for the Sooners and allowed her to make 16 starts during her freshman season, averaging 7.6 points and shooting nearly 40 percent from the field.

But for Chi, seeing her daughter on the court in her white uniform with “Oklahoma” across it leaves her speechless.

“It's indescribable. Words really don't do it justice. You, as a parent, and I'm sure every parent that sees this feel this. There's something in your heart, there's something that you feel a physiological effect when you see – you feel your heart beating a little bit faster, you feel your palms sweating a little bit, you feel – I mean, when they move, you move and it's incredible. I'm just most happy because I always told her, 'Hard work pays off and this is the reward for hard work.' And, there's really no words to describe the feeling, as a parent, when you see your kid succeeding and reaping the rewards for a lifetime of commitment and dedication that they've given to a sport that they love.”

As her freshman season draws nearer to an end, the bond between mother and daughter remains. Chi rarely misses a home game. For Chelsea, the presence of seeing her mom in the crowd brings her peace no matter what is happening on the court.

“When it's loud and it's crazy, I can just look up at my mom and I can just breathe,” Chelsea explained. “I wouldn't be here without her. There is no doubt about it that she has been always been there for me. There's really nothing I can do to repay her for all the things she has done for me. I'm so thankful for her.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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