Dillon & Spencer Kersh, Dalton ’16/University of Pennsylvania

Dillon and Spencer Kersh

High School: Dalton ‘16

Favorite players: Dwayne Wade, Rashard Lewis

College: University of Pennsylvania ’21

Years in Mo’ Motion: 9 

Mo’s Note: Here’s a fun Q&A with two Mo’ Motion founders and pioneers, the Kersh brothers, Spencer and Dillon Kersh (aka Captain Kershi). While we as a program and community love to see our players succeed on the court, there’s nothing more important than leading the life of a respectful human being and serious student. There are no two greater examples than Dillon and Spencer. The Kersh brothers are fine young men who’ve split their time between basketball, baseball and academics. The twins are attending University of Pennsylvania in the fall.

What I’ll always remember most about Spencer, is the day I plowed over him at Trinity to show kids how to take a charge. Spencer was 12. It was a controlled plowing perfectly executed right in front of his mother. My fondest memory of Dillon was when I was begging him to toughen up in Spain because the games were getting crazy and you had to be tough to hang. Dillon did and for the next 20 minutes, players just threw him over the court – yet he did not give up – not even during the break when he looked over at me and we both laughed.

Both Kersh brothers truly earned their badge as our Mo’ Motion Euro Train captains this summer.   After seeing their ability in the kitchen during our three days of teaching the boys how to live in their apartment in Barcelona, I’m sure any frat houses will be happy to have the Kersh brothers pledging this fall.

What are you short or long term goals as a student?

SK: My short term and long term goals as a student are one and the same. In the classroom, my goal is to understand what we are learning and to apply those lessons to my life outside of the classroom.

DK: Schoolwork has always come first for me. I want to continue to perform as well as I am now for the next four years.

What is your favorite thing to do on the basketball court?
SK: Set screens and facilitate on offense.

DK: When I am on the court, I always like to challenge myself by guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player.

Who is the person/persons who influenced you the most in your basketball career? In what way?

SK: Definitely Mo. Ever since I joined Mo’ Motion, my style of play has become very team-oriented.

DK: Mo. I have been playing for her since second grade when she had not even started Mo’ Motion yet. She has instilled the value of teamwork and selfless – Spurs-style basketball. She is one of the few coaches I know in any sport that cares as much, if not more, about player development and training as winning. The values she has instilled in me has carried over to high school basketball, and just life in general.

What are your short or long term goals as a basketball player?

DK: I do not have many long-term goals as a basketball player past high school. I would love to be able to play club basketball in college, but right now I am focused on making the most out of my last season of varsity basketball.

Any ideas on what you want to be when you grow up?

DK: I am interested in possibly going into real estate, but I have the next four years to figure that out.

SK: Not sure yet, but ideally I’d do something in sports management.

What is your favorite Mo’ Motion memory?

SK: Three memories come to mind. The first is the Euro Train trip. The trip was a huge success: the basketball camps were very enjoyable, I had an amazing time touring the city of Barcelona, and it was a great bonding experience with the rest of the Mo’ Motion kids. My second Mo’ Motion memory was playing at the Barclays Center during halftime of a Nets game. Even though I missed my only shot, it was amazing to play on an NBA court. Lastly, I remember a drill that we did with Mo at Trinity. When I was about 12, Mo was teaching us how to properly take a charge. She told me to stand in front of a gymnastics mat and ran at me, knocking me onto the mat. After that drill, I worked extremely hard to take a charge in one of the games as I was no longer scared of what it would feel like to take a charge.

DK: My favorite Mo’ Motion memory is the EuroTrain trip we went on two summers ago. I had been playing with most of the kids on the trip for at least five years by that point, so it was an incredibly fun experience. Training in Italy and Spain was a completely new experience, and exposed us all to a new style of basketball. While none of us spoke Italian and only a few of us spoke Spanish, though barely enough to pass by, we were all able to do the drills just by watching. Eventually we picked up enough of the language to play basketball. After training, we spent a few days in Barcelona. I had never been to Barcelona before, and after this trip it became one of my favorite cities.

If you were to describe Mo to someone, what would you say?

SK: Mo is an extremely driven individual who always loves to share her enjoyment of basketball with you.

DK: Mo is very intense. Having played for so long, she understands what we need to do to succeed and doesn’t accept mediocre effort. She has instilled the value of teamwork and selfless, Spurs-style basketball. She is one of the few coaches I know in any sport that cares as much, if not more, about player development and training as winning.

If you were to describe Mo’ Motion to someone in five words or less, what would you say?

SK: Creates a love for basketball.

DK: Hard-work, selfless, skills-oriented, team ball and fun.

What do you think is the most important skill an athlete can have?

SK: The most important skill an athlete can have is the ability to adjust their play to maximize their team’s strengths and to exploit the weaknesses of an opponent.

What is your favorite quote about sports and/or life?

DK: “They say nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they’d make up their minds.” — Wilt Chamberlain