It’s been a long road home for Dylan O’Hearn.

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It’s been a long road home for Dylan O’Hearn.

The now 25-year-old O’Hearn was born in Windsor, but moved to Romulus, Mich. as a young child.

Now, O’Hearn is headed home to play pro basketball after the Windsor Express made him a second-round pick in this year’s Basketball Super League Draft.

“I never got a chance to play in Windsor,” the six-foot-four, 195-pound O’Hearn said. “I left when I was in elementary school, so I never got a chance to play high school.”

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He was named Associated Press all-state and hoped Romulus high school reach the state semifinals, but his post-secondary travels have taken across the United States.

He spent a post-graduate year at the Carolina Basketball Academy where he averaged 26 points a game and finished with over 30 points in 19 of his 40 games.

That, in turn, earned him a junior college scholarship offer at Western Oklahoma State College, which was two-year program, and he made the most of it by setting three-point records.

From there, O’Hearn moved up to a NCAA Division II spot at the New Jersey Institute of Technology where he spent two seasons before finishing his eligibility with a Division I deal in Florida with Jacksonville University.

“It really did take me all over,” O’Hearn said. “I felt it helped me in many ways. It showed me in the ins and outs of basketball and things you’re doing and seeing and I’m grateful for that experience.”

Windsor hosted the BSL Draft Combine at the St. Clair College SportsPlex, but O’Hearn only found out about the two-day workout just hours before the event after talking to Express player development coach Titus Geday.

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“I found out last minute, probably the night before,” O’Hearn said. “I didn’t know about the draft until (Geday) told me and asked if I was going to go.

“I went there the next morning and tried out It was a cool experience and I liked the drills and there were good people there.”

Express head coach Bill Jones said someone mentioned to him about a Windsor player in the tryout pool, but said information like that is easily lost with everything going on.

“You get a lot of things that come in your ear,” Jones said. “You’ve got 100 guys you’re watching in a two-day span.”

But Jones said O’Hearn did leave an impression.

“He had good size and we’re bringing Latin (Davis) back and that’s a young man that can develop as a backup to him at point guard,” Jones said. “He’ll be able to spell Latin and I think there’s an opportunity for him. He’s big, he seems to be smart with a high basketball IQ.”

Windsor had two picks in the first round, including the first overall selection, and used it to grab six-foot-eight forward Jarius Shumpert, who is from Flint, Mich. and spent time last season with Jamestown in The Basketball League. He also has previous experience playing in Albania, Bolivia and El Salvador.

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“Jarius was the best player there,” Jones said. “He played in TBL and he’s athletic and a good rebounder.”

Windsor also got shooting guard Antonio Davis, who played in the BSL last year for Montreal and Newfoundland Rogues, in the first round before grabbing O’Hearn.

“I think we added three players that can come in and be role players,” Jones said.

O’Hearn, who played briefly in TBL with Pontiac last year, it excited by the chance to truly start his pro career at home.

“I’m glad to come home,” O’Hearn said. “It means a lot to me because my family’s there, my grandparents, my father, my grandmother on his side, my aunties and cousins are all in Windsor, so that’s big and it will be the first time they get see me play.

“I don’t know what to expect, but I’m going to come in and work hard and see what happens. I just want to have fun with the guys, build good relationships and make the city proud.”

Windsor will open training camp ahead of its second season in the BSL next month with the club set to open play at home on Dec. 6 against the Sudbury Five at the WFCU Centre.

jpparker@postmedia.com

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