Love, long-range shots bring Dastrups together
» Jake Dastrup
» Brigham Young-Hawaii
» Junior guard
» Men’s basketball
It was love at first shot. Or so Jake Dastrup says of meeting his future wife, Erin.
"It was my first day at Salt Lake Community (College) and I saw her shooting in the gym," Dastrup said of their meeting in the fall of 2009. "We have so much in common. Being married’s been awesome."
While courting off the court, the two were lighting it up on the court for SLCC. Both are shooters — Jake hit a school-record 10 3-pointers in one game for the Bruins, while Erin helped the Bruins to the conference championship.
Besides planning a wedding last May, the two planned for their basketball future. If a school was interested in one, it had to be interested in both.
"We were just about to commit to San Jose State when Brigham Young-Hawaii called," Jake Dastrup said. "We love it here. The transition was probably easier for me because I had lived in the Canary Islands (while on a church mission) and fell in love with the beach and ocean."
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Their respective first seasons at BYUH have been complete opposites. While the Seasiders women are 1-7, the Seasiders men are atop the Pacific West Conference standings at 7-1, ranked No. 6 in the region, and eyeing the postseason.
"I think our chemistry gets better every game," Dastrup said. "We’re a very well-balanced team and if one of us has an off game, the others step in.
"How far we go is as far as we allow ourselves to go. We’re the ones who will get in our own way."
Dastrup hit six 3-pointers in last week’s win over Hawaii-Hilo, while his wife hit two to beat the Vulcans women.
Asked who was the better 3-point shooter, Dastrup said: "In the interest of a happy home, I’d have to say she is. We practice shooting together and we have some fun games. But sometimes I just have to take it back farther than she can go."
The sequel to "Love & Basketball" continues.