ORLANDO – College of Charleston Cougars guard Jake Miller had a question the first time he liked teammate Dalton Bolon’s shoes.
“What are those?”
The shiny, white Nike Air Monarchs are the official shoe of dads everywhere — and, apparently, one of the oldest players in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
“He wears these things everywhere,” Miller said.
Proudly, it turns out.
“I don’t care what anybody says,” said Ballon, who will turn 25 in June “You know, they see grandpas wearing these things. Like, grandpas are the smartest people in the world. I don’t know why people don’t take their advice more.
“They are so comfortable.”
Bolon sports them because they are good for his right leg, which he has broken. And he really does wear them everywhere: around campus, hanging out, even during an interview Wednesday during the 12th-seeded Cougars’ first-round NCAA Tournament matchup against the fifth-seeded San Diego State Aztecs Thursday at Amway Center.
Unfortunately, he won’t be wearing them while playing. Charleston is an Under Armor basketball school, but Bolon said the shoes the team wears put pressure on his injury, so he got permission from the apparel company to wear black Nikes during games and Air Monarchs off the court.
“I will wear [them for] The rest of my life,” he says, “I have no style.”
His teammates give him a lot of grief for it, but Bolon is fine with it because he expects it from his teammates as a player in his seventh season of college basketball. Bolon began his career at Division II West Liberty in 2017 and after redshirting his first season, he played four more seasons for the Hilltoppers, finishing second on the school’s career scoring list (2,247 points).
He transferred to Charleston for the 2021-22 season with a covid year but broke his right foot three games into the season. He got an extra year and led the Cougars in scoring (12.3 points per game) while helping them to a 31-3 record, Colonial Athletic Association regular-season and tournament titles and their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2018.
Thursday’s game against the Aztecs will be his 155th career game — and likely his last. unless…
“Yes, looking for eighth [year]”He joked, “So if I can get the eighth, if you can tell me how, that would be great.”
If so, he may need to change the slippers.