Antonio Dye was waiting tables at Barn Door Steakhouse in Odessa this time last year, hopeful his opportunity to return to the basketball court hadn't disappeared.

A talented player from Elkhart, Indiana, Dye found himself separated the game, grasping for threads of optimism after a foot injury and exhaustion of eligibility at the junior college level had put his career off track. He was serving steaks and drinks at night and practicing with the Odessa College basketball team whenever he had the chance – always holding firm belief in the dream of being on a team again and having an opportunity at redemption.

Through all the adversity, Dye never lost the desire to better himself through education and basketball, which has come to fruition at Angelo State.

“Every day I wake up, I feel blessed to be here,” Dye said. “The past has made me realize that I can never take anything for granted. I had a lot of moments where I thought that I would never play basketball again.

“I have two nephews and a niece back home that I'm really trying to be a role model for. Nobody in my family ever went to college and I didn't want them to think that I gave up. I've had a lot of challenges that I've had to go through, but I'm showing them that it is possible to have a better life. You don't have to stay in the projects if you're willing to work hard and go for your goals.”

Dye, who is the lone senior on the ASU roster, is averaging 13.1 points per game for the Rams to go along with 36 rebounds and 20 assists through the first eight games of the season. He has scored 18 points in two games and added 16 in the Rams' 57-52 win over Tarleton State.  

“He's one of those guys who always comes into the gym with a positive attitude,” ASU head coach Fred Rike said. “Antonio has worked extremely hard since he got here. He hasn't played in two years and he knew that it was going to take a lot for him to play at a high level. It's coming back to him in bits and pieces.”

Dye is also embracing the role of becoming a leader on the team, utilizing his experiences from the past to serve as an example for six freshmen, two sophomores and six juniors. Parts of his story are stumbles for his teammates to avoid; while other aspects showcase a player who puts his teammates first and values each second he's on the court.  

“He never loses his head out there,” ASU freshman Jovan Austin said. “He's always positive. He's my go-to person for advice and to pick me up.”


The Long, and Winding, Road to Angelo State

Dye, 25, started his collegiate career at Grand Rapids Community College (Michigan) during the 2005-06 season but would move back home after only one season. He spent the next three years in Elkhart helping to provide for his family by working at a grocery store, while also putting his personal basketball dreams on pause.

“No doubt, that was humbling,” he said.  

He would make his first comeback to the game of basketball by enrolling at McCook Community College in 2009 where he would utilize the skillset that recruiters envisioned transitioning to the college game when watching him play at Mishawaka High School. At McCook, Dye's highlight came when he was named the National Player of the Week after going off for 39 points against Air Force Prep and 29 against Northeastern in a stretch during his first season there. He would continue his success the next year at the Nebraska community college until his playing time at Grand Rapids was discovered and he was ruled ineligible at McCook.  His team was forced to forfeit each game he played in that season and he was forced to the sidelines and also to reassess the direction of his life, once again.  

“I've never been so scared in my life,” Dye said. “I really didn't understand it and I didn't know what I was supposed to do next. I guess it was something that I was supposed to go through.”

A move to Odessa in 2011 transpired with him wanting to continue working with Joe Reagan who was an assistant coach at McCook Community College. Reagan, now an assistant at Kilgore College, was then assistant at Odessa College and brought Dye to Texas with one year of eligibility remaining. He introduced Dye to Rike and ASU assistant coach Kenneth Mangrum and a mutual respect was developed. He signed with the Rams in the summer with renewed optimism in his own journey and gave ASU a veteran who could benefit the team on and off the court. He opened his career at Angelo State with seven points in the Rams' season-opening win over Lubbock Christian and is currently sixth in the Lone Star Conference with 15.5 points per game and first in 3-pointers made (2.7 per) in conference games.

“He has a great work ethic and is a very positive person,” Rike said. “He is a very good teammate that they can all feed off of in tough times. We are a better team with him on the floor.

“One of the biggest challenges for him was learning the system and the teammates around him. It's not easy to do in a short amount of time, but he's adjusted well and I feel like his best basketball is ahead of him. He can score in a lot of different ways. He can shoot the three, he can draw fouls and he can post up.”

Dye has played in seven of the eight games this season. He was suspended for the West Texas A&M game – a lopsided loss – because he missed practice. The absence of Dye hurt the team but it served as a message to the team that no one is above the rules, regardless of talent or classification. Dye has used the lesson and remains focused and positive. He said the suspension was his mistake and that he is using it in his development as a person.

“I'm still making mistakes but I'm trying to learn from them,” Dye said. “I thank God and feel really blessed to be where I'm at.”

Dye and the Rams return to action at 7 p.m. on Monday at Lubbock Christian to start a four-game road trip. ASU will return to the Junell Center on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013 against Midwestern State.
 

Additional Quotes

On working as a waiter last year while waiting for his opportunity to return to basketball:
I met a lot of great people away from basketball who are out there working hard every day to provide for their families however they could.

On being the elder statesman on a young Ram roster:
It's easy to forget how old you are sometimes being around these guys. I have times when I feel like I'm still their age even though I'm a lot older than them. They're a really fun group that is always joking around. I love being around these freshmen.

On what it was like going from highly recruited to holding out hope he would play again:
I broke my foot when a lot of schools were looking at me. It seemed like every school gave up on me and I truly believed basketball was over for me. But coach Mangrum and Rike never gave up on me. They always believed in me.

On where the Rams are through eight games to the 2012-13 season:
We are 3-5 right now and are still trying to get used to each other. We are still working on everything. It's not easy to build that chemistry it takes to win, but I think we are turning things around.