Boston College Athletics
Freshman Focus: Meet Dallas Elmore
November 12, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2008
By Alex Lupica '12
Although Dallas Elmore has journeyed to the Heights of Chestnut Hill all the way from Fort Collins, Colo., thousands of miles away, he's not one to forget the people who helped get him here.
"My mom was the first person to hand me a basketball and get me my little hoop," Dallas said.
The Fort Collins native and Poudre High School graduate reminisced about his earliest days on the basketball court, and the beginning of a career that would take him all the way to Boston College and Conte Forum.
"As my life went on my stepdad came in to the picture, and he pretty much taught me everything I know about basketball," he said.
His parents, Ada and James, introduced Dallas to the game, but they also molded him into a young man who welcomed the chance to overcome obstacles and chase his dreams.
When Dallas was 11 years old he had an ultrasound taken (for a reason that he could not recall), and doctors discovered that he had only one kidney. The National Kidney Foundation estimates that approximately one in every 750 people is born with this condition.
From then on heavy contact sports of any kind were prohibited, and he recalled doctors explaining to him, "If you get hit hard enough, you'll have to get an operation."
However, Elmore refused to let his condition - a condition that others oftentimes would view as a burden - stand in the way.
"People ask me, `Why do you play basketball? That's a contact sport.' But no one's going to stop me from playing basketball. I love it way too much," Elmore said.
It's a love that he's used to fuel him all the way to Boston College to play for Al Skinner's team. He ventured nearly 2,000 miles from Colorado, where he could have chosen to play his college ball.
"The only schools that were really interested in me were BC and CSU (Colorado State University)," Elmore said, before revealing his reasoning for choosing the Eagles. "I could always be the star player and not go anywhere. See, here I actually have opportunities, the best competition, and have a chance to continue to play after college."
However, with the change of scenery, there are going to be differences in ways of life, and Dallas doesn't deny that.
"In Colorado everyone's laid back, not that much in a rush. Here in Boston everyone's got to be somewhere," he said.
While things outside the gym have changed for Dallas, the 6-foot-5-inch freshman has found comfort on the court. The court, the game, the coaching style - none of that caught him by surprise.
"My high school coach was laid back, he didn't really yell that much, but when you did stuff wrong, he'd let you have it, like Coach Skinner. Just recently, in the exhibition game, we weren't doing things very well and he just chewed us out, but at the same time, he was encouraging," Elmore said, noting some similarities between his Poudre coach and BC's man in charge.
Even though things on the hardwood here at BC come naturally to Dallas Elmore, everyone needs a mentor of some sort, someone to keep him moving in the right direction. For many it's a seasoned upperclassmen, for some a coach, for others an elder relative nearby. For Dallas, he looks to classmate and fellow Colorado native Reggie Jackson for support.
"We're both from Colorado. We played on the same AAU team as juniors. That's what influenced us to go to Boston College. If one went, the other one was going to go. I committed first and he went with me," Elmore said.
It's a team within a team - a couple of kids from the Mountain West who took the great leap to Boston College together.
"We're kind of the same person. He's laid back, but at the same time he can be quite vocal, where I'm laid back and sort of shy sometimes. But when I feel comfortable in a situation then I'll start jumping in and speaking up," Dallas said.
The cross-country travel into a new time zone, new surroundings, and into the unknowns within the world of collegiate basketball have seemed far less daunting to these two because of this enduring friendship.
As far as his life after his time at BC, Elmore is already toying with one idea.
"I want to be a high school coach. I want to help kids who have really good potential to develop their games and live their dreams."
Perhaps, knowingly or not, Dallas wants to help kids just like himself.
