Dedmon attended Lancaster High School in Lancaster, California. Although tall and athletic, Dedmon did not play high school basketball until his senior year due to his mother\'s religious objections. His mother, a devout Jehovah\'s Witness, refused to allow him to play organized basketball, believing it might affect his religious devotion. After turning 18, Dedmon, who had already grown to 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), decided to exercise his age of majority rights and begin playing. After graduating from Lancaster in 2008, Dedmon attended Antelope Valley College as a part-time student and did not play basketball during the 2008–09 season.\n', '

As a freshman at Antelope Valley in 2009–10, Dedmon, who had grown to 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) tall, helped the Marauders to a 17–14 record while averaging 6.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He also had 46 blocks and tied the school record with seven blocks against Chaffey College on January 22, 2010. Five days later against Victor Valley, he sustained a broken bone in his forehead and an injured nasal cavity when he was hit by an errant elbow. The injury forced Dedmon to miss the final seven regular season games, but he returned for the playoffs where he recorded 5 points and 13 rebounds in his first game back, a win against Miramar College on February 24.\n', '

On April 14, 2010, Dedmon signed with the University of Southern California and subsequently redshirted the 2010–11 due to NCAA transfer regulations. He completed one final semester at Antelope Valley but did not play for Marauders in order to keep three full seasons of eligibility. He began practicing with USC in the second semester of 2010–11 when he transferred from Antelope Valley.\n', '

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