Dr. Hoop

For most of his adult life, Dane Warp has been known for his ability to throw a football or shoot a basketball. But someday, he is hoping to be known for something different, something much more important - saving lives.

When Warp left Havre for Carroll College four years ago, part of his mission was to become one of the top basketball players in the Frontier Conference. And after helping the Saints reach the NAIA national championship game last March, while also earning All-Frontier honors and growing individually as a player each season, that goal has been achieved.

"I have been part of some amazing teams," Warp said. "We have had great guys and I have learned a lot from the older guys. Every year we have had an amazing senior class. I have learned more and more from those guys and now I will be the only senior playing and hopefully, I will be able to keep it going."

When Warp first came to Carroll, it was an adjustment. He transitioned from being one of the top scorers in the state playing at Havre High, to more of a reserve role. During his freshman season, he averaged 5.3 points and followed that up by averaging 6.3 as a sophomore.

Despite not putting up big numbers right away at Carroll College, there were always flashes. He scored 45 points against Salish Kootenai, in a game that saw him drill eight 3-pointers, grab 11 rebounds and dish out 11 assists for a triple-double. It was an omen of things to come as Warp broke out in the 2018-19 season, scoring 16.3 points per game and making an incredible 43.9 percent of his shots from distance.

Spurred on in part by Warp's play, the Saints established themselves as one of the top teams in the Frontier last season and following four straight wins at the NAIA Men's national tournament, they played for the national championship before finishing runner-up to Georgetown College out of Kentucky.

"We knew that it was going to be our last time together," Warp said. "So we just wanted to keep going and going. It was a fun ride."

While Warp certainly covets hardware on the basketball floor, such as a conference championship or another run to the NAIA national tournament, as he gets set to embark on his senior season, his other ambitions are starting to come to the forefront, which gets back to why he chose Carroll in the first place.

Back in high school, Warp had plenty of options, not just on the basketball court but on the football field, too. He owns numerous MHSA passing records and even had the chance to be a preferred walk-on at some Division I programs in addition to the numerous scholarship offers he received.

But at the end of the day, his decision was about one thing: becoming a doctor and in that regard, Carroll was always the best fit.

"I miss playing football sometimes," Warp said. "But I don't think I ever made a mistake choosing basketball. Even in high school, being a doctor is always what I wanted to do and when I got to Carroll, I knew that I made the correct choice. It's been great playing basketball and getting to know a lot of people along the way, but really, being a doctor has been my goal all along."

Having a goal of becoming a doctor is one thing. Making it actually happen is another and doing it while playing the game of basketball at a high level is another thing entirely.

"It's tough. You will go to study sessions and you will be the last one in the library," Warp said. "You have to study and lift and then you will shoot by yourself. You find out pretty quick in college, especially with pre-med that you have to put in the time in the library. It takes a certain kind of genius to not have to study long hours. So on bus trips, you just try to read when you can. You always have something to do, so you really have to manage your time wisely."

At times, people use the word student-athlete a little too casually, but when it comes to Warp and his Carroll College teammates, there is nothing casual about their game as athletes or the time they put in as students.

"We definitely get our time in preparing for other teams," Warp said. "But when some other teams might spend more time shooting around or doing more walkthroughs, we always take an extra hour or two to have a study session."

At this point in his academic career, for Warp, every grade counts. As he gets closer and closer to finishing up his undergraduate degree, the recruitment process starts all over again, as he applies and tries to get accepted into medical school.

Obviously, grade point average factors into that prominently and while Warp's GPA of 3.5 is well above what can be expected from most students, by definition, he is not most students.

"You are going to want to get pretty good grades with your undergraduate degree," Warp said. "You want to show that you have a passion for the healthcare field and that you are giving back to your community and hopefully, I could come back to Montana here someday. I like rural communities and eventually, that's what I would like to do someday."

Warp is finishing his degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and is in the process of choosing a medical school, which could be at one of many destinations throughout the country.

"There are a lot," Warp said. "Washington, Colorado, Minnesota, Tulane, there is one in California and one in San Antonio that our former basketball coach (Cason Cunningham) is at, so I am hoping to get into one of them."

The medical field is very competitive, even at this stage and Warp is hoping that his basketball career will be counted in his favor.

"It's very tough to get into medical school," Warp said. "They say that a 3.7 is kind of their low. So I am hoping that they think that basketball is hard."

Being a medical student and a college basketball player isn't easy, but you won't hear Warp complain about the game of basketball, not after it has given him so much. Without it and without his incredible talents on the court, it's possible his ability off of it might have gone unfulfilled.

"Basketball has provided me with a good opportunity going forward," Warp said. "Without basketball, I don't think I would have had the opportunity to go to some higher-end schools. It has been a good ticket to better things but I have enjoyed it, too, and I have one more year."

As fun as it's been to watch what Warp can do on the football field or the basketball court, he's a shining example of how athletics provide opportunities for people to improve the world around them. Without his gift as an athlete, Warp's dream of becoming a doctor may have never gotten off the ground.

Now he is closing in on completing the first step of his journey. Once he finishes medical school and does his residency, Warp said he hopes to work in family practice or even as a doctor in an emergency room. His goal is to help bring better doctors to rural areas, something that is desperately needed. And if his medical career follows the trajectory of his days as an athlete, then he will find himself as a doctor someday, saving lives and making us all forget about the old Dane Warp, the one known for throwing touchdown passes and game-winning 3-pointers.

That Dane Warp was a hero for his athletic achievements and that's commendable. But if he has his way, he will be remembered for something much more important than an ability to sink a jump shot.