FARMINGTON – The body of work in the classroom and on the basketball court speaks volumes for Navajo Prep senior Dylan Lansing.
It’s the legacy Lansing leaves behind that may well define his future and that of the program entrusted to those in carrying that vision forward.
For all his efforts this past season, Lansing has been chosen as the Tri City Record boys basketball player in San Juan County.
As a four-year starter for Navajo Prep, Lansing was a four-time state tournament participant, a state champion during the 2023-24 season and was named All-District first team on more than one occasion.
Lansing did all of this while playing for three different head coaches and a program that exceeded even its own expectations.
During his career, Lansing’s teams won 100 games. He became the first player in the history of the boys program to reach that goal.
In his senior season, Lansing averaged more than 14 points per game before their season came to an end in the Class 3A quarterfinals on the road against Santa Fe Indian School.
In addition to the team’s accolades, Lansing achieved a career milestone when he scored his 1000th point in a district game on the road against Tohatchi.
The moment came during a stretch of the game when the Eagles were trying to mount a comeback to keep a win streak intact and their position unchanged at the top of the district standings.
All of these achievements showed a determination that only a handful of high school athletes have been able to display.
“I had great people to look up to when I was younger—talking about my freshman and sophomore year when we went to the Final Four and then obviously won the State Championship,” Lansing said. “And then it kind of shows that I stayed the course and kind of finished out my career strong.”
Head coach Ed Garrison, who took over the Navajo Prep program prior to the start of this past season, has been impressed with Lansing’s athletic prowess as well as the respect he has earned with his teammates.
“He’s like a coach out on the court. He has experience, and he’s just an overall leader for the whole team, maybe even the whole program,” said Garrison. “He just makes everyone’s job around him easier—us as coaches and then the players. The players just feel more confident when he’s out on the court.
Being a leader also allowed Lansing to embody the role of mentor during this season, in which he not only was looked upon as a veteran leader, but also facing the final step in this small journey with an uncertain future just at the next road.
“I’m happy of what I’ve accomplished, not only as an individual, but as a team. I’m very thankful for the guys that were surrounded around me,” Lansing said. “My teammates ultimately played the biggest role in my experience as a high school basketball player, and I’m thankful to have met every single one of them.”
Lansing’s contributions to the Navajo Prep basketball game may not come as a player any more, but he leaves behind a legacy and a commitment to see the team continue to rise.
“This squad went through a lot of adversity. And I think that adversity made us stronger and built a pact between one another,” Lansing said. “We love each other and we’re there for each other. We never brought each other down. We attempted to create something special as in the past couple years our program obviously has had a lot of history. I think that there’s still a lot more to be done within this program. The North is not to be slept on.”