Don’t forget about Dre

People don’t usually end up living the life they dreamed about when they were young. There just isn’t enough room for everyone to become a doctor, astronaut, actor, athlete or any other title that made the lofty list of possibilities. However, there are those select few who ignore that reasoning, stick to the initial plan and prevail anyway.

As one of those people, DreShawn Vance, a Cal Poly graduate and former Mustangs guard, knows that hard work and determination can deliver you to the promised land.

Last summer, Vance signed a one-year contract with the Aalborg Basketball Klub in Denmark to solidify himself as part of the elite group that turn their dreams into reality.

Since before Vance knew how to tell time, he knew that he wanted to spend it playing basketball. And once high school started, he had convinced his parents that the sport was a realistic option for him, Vance’s mother Elvonne said.

“Watching him play in high school, I knew that he could do it,” Elvonne said. “He always gave a hundred percent no matter what. So I knew that he could play professionally.”

She was right.

Vance dominates the court with his 6-foot-8 frame and has become the center of what Aalborg does as a team. Under his leadership, the team is in first place of Denmark’s First Division and is currently undefeated (13-0).

“My teammates here look up to me as a leader and the go-to-guy on the court. They trust me in any given situation, which is nice to know when the game is on the line,” Vance said of his team in Denmark. “At Poly I was more of a role player, coming off the bench, providing energy to the team and the fans.”

Since leaving his days as a backup in Mott Gym, Vance has worked hard to perfect his game, which has paid huge dividends. He has nearly doubled his rebounding average (8), more than tripled his scoring average (25) and more than quadrupled his amount of assists per game (4) while playing for Aalborg.

“The success is all due to working out hard, having great confidence and not being selfish,” Vance explained.

The success that Vance has had overseas comes to no surprise of his former Mustangs teammates, who attribute it to his character.

“Playing with Dre was a great experience,” Cal Poly junior guard Charles Anderson said. “He was a very unselfish player and was very productive coming off the bench. He brought a lot of energy to every game and practice and was an overall great guy to play with.”

Talk to any player in the men’s locker room and you will discover that Vance is a seemingly carefree person who is mostly concerned about making sure the people around him are having fun. The name can hardly be brought up without the instinctual chuckle.

“The funniest thing about Dre is that he loves to sing. He thinks he would win the next American Idol if he ever entered,” Mustang senior forward John Manley said. “He makes and posts videos on Facebook all the time of himself singing or doing other hilarious things.”

Imagine if Vance never made it to the professional court. Where would we see him next? We could be flipping through the channels on a Tuesday night finally landing on Fox, watching Dreshawn Vance getting praised (or ridiculed) by Simon. Or, maybe we could see him on the big screen years from now, portraying Denzel Washington as the man’s life story is played out on the screen.

“Dre has the habit of thinking he is Denzel and so he tries to act like him and constantly impersonates him,” Anderson said. “It is very funny to watch him in action, although he wouldn’t think it is embarrassing at all.”

Vance’s on-court ability to better his teammates stems from his off-court concern about others over himself. Among his list of hobbies, which includes singing, cooking and writing poetry, Vance also said he loves to give advice.

“I talk to him four to five times a week,” Anderson said. “I look at him as a mentor.”

According to his mother, Vance has always been a loving and giving person. He has a great relationship with his sisters Niesha, 28, and Nicole, 30. She remembers that as a child, he never passed an opportunity to help out.

“Oh, we miss him,” she said of the long distance relationship. “We miss him a whole lot. His little niece, Kiarra is always texting him, or talking to him, and his dad always seems to be on the phone with him.”

Although making the decision to leave was difficult for the self-proclaimed “momma’s boy,” it was a decision that, once was made, required no extra thought, Vance said.

“My parents and sisters couldn’t be any happier with me finishing college and then getting an opportunity to follow my dreams,” he said.

“They are very loving and supportive.”

Vance’s next step: playing in the NBA.

“It’s very hard to get in the NBA, but anything is possible. As of right now, that is my next goal,” Vance said.