I don´t know how many guys I have interviewed in my life that have answered yes that they have a chip on their shoulder, but I know it´s been many. You know those special players who can do it all, but for whatever reasons have been doubted their whole career or even been a bit off the main stream radar. These guys are all over the place overseas. Personally they are my favorite guys to interview, because they always have a special story to tell and just have the biggest hearts. If you were to ask Dustin Sleva (203-F-1995, college: Shippensburg, agency: Octagon Europe), a guy who played NCAA 2 and had to pay his dues in the France Pro B for 3 years if he has a chip on his shoulder, then it would only be self-evident that the answer would be yes. He had to grind for so many years and now it has all paid off. He currently is showing his extra ordinary basketball talent in Europe´s top league after the Euroleague called ACB in Spain with team Universidad Catolica de Murcia CB. He has been having a solid season in the ACB and Basketball Champions League and I´m sure even with his current success, the chip on his shoulder will never go away. “I’m fortunate that I was able to get this opportunity to play in Murcia. Everywhere I go I love to play with a chip on my shoulder and show people what I’m capable of”, stressed Dustin Sleva. This season he did something very unique in that he helped defeat FC Barcelona and Real Madrid where he scored 14 points against the latter and battled against so many former NBA players like Jabari Parker and Sergio Rodriguez just to name a few. “Playing against Jabari Parker was very surreal for me. I used to watch him play at Duke when I was playing division 2 and always dreamed to play against the blue blood university’s but I never got that chance. That’s why playing in Europe at a high level is amazing. I get to play against all the guys that starred at the big schools that I didn’t get to chance to play for or against”, stated Dustin Sleva.

But before Dustin Sleva who mentions ex Crailsheim and current Miami Heat guard Haywood Highsmith being his toughest cover in the NCAA 2 could play against FC Barcelona, he had to pay his dues as a player. He was born on September 23, 1995 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He began his basketball career at Montour high school and then had a stellar career at Shippensburg University (NCAA2) playing a total of 103 games winning a PSAC title and reaching the D-2 Sweet 16. He was able to improve his scoring average each season. In his freshman season he averaged 9.5ppg, 4.8rpg, 3.1apg, FGP: 64.1%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 72.7% and in his second season averaged 15.8ppg, 11.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 39.2%, FT: 77.5%. His game really took off in his last 2 seasons as he averaged 21.7ppg, 10.7rpg, 3.5apg, FGP: 59.9%, 3PT: 41.1%, FT: 80.1% and in his senior year averaged 21.4ppg, 10.8rpg, 3.0apg, 1.2bpg, FGP: 50.8%, 3PT: 37.4%, FT: 82.4%. He was able just to be himself and had a lot of freedom. He had some massive games against Slippery Rock, Indiana PA and Kutztown and remembers exactly what his favorite game was there. “I would say the PSAC Semi final at Indian University was the most memorable game in my career. We beat them at home and then went on to win the championship”, said Dustin Sleva. In his last 2 seasons he played 61 games and scored in double figures in each game. He scored 30 points or more 5 times and 20 points or more 36 times. He also registered 36 double doubles. He wouldn´t have become the player he did when he left without the stellar guidance from head coach Chris Fite. “Coach Fite was a similar player to me so he really understood my game and put me in positions to excel. I am forever indebted to him after he took a chance on me and jump started my career.”, added Dustin Sleva. During his years there, he battled 2 future easyCredit players with Kameron Taylor now in the ACB and Rasheed Moore in Germany. “Kameron and I still talk when we play against each other. Rasheed and I battled a lot in our years playing together. There’s a different type of respect you have for those guys that came from the PSAC. It’s not easy at all to be able to grind through d2 then through those lower leagues in Europe to be able to make it to the top”, stressed Dustin Sleva who remembers having no chance in the post as a freshman against teammate Dylan Edgar in 1-1 battles in practice. He picked awards there like ll-PSAC Eastern Division First Team -2016, 17, NABC NCAA D2 All-Atlantic District Second Team -2016, All-PSAC East Division Player of the Year -2017, 18, NABC NCAA D2 All-Atlantic District First Team -2017, 18, NABC NCAA D2 All-Americans Team -2017, 18, and All-PSAC East Division First Team -2018.

The modern day forward who lists Gautier Dennis, Nick Kellogg, David Kramer, Braydon Hobbs, Ryan Boatright, Evans Ganapamo and all his Murcia teammates as his best teammates of all-time came overseas in 2018 and did something extremely rare playing 4 seasons with one club Paris Basketball. Something like that just doesn´t happen often with money being thrown around and players moving on to the next best contract. Did he ever think of becoming a team lifer? “Of course, I thought I was going to finish my career with Paris. Looking back it is a little naive to think about that but I believe that everything happens for a reason. I was in a tough place that last year and it was hard for me to leave. I grew as a person and player when I did leave. I love the club and I’m still in contact with a lot of the staff there. I’m hoping they win Eurocup and finish in euroleague next season. It’s incredible to see the progress from my first year to what the club is doing now. Paris is like my second home and I grew up a lot in the 5 years that I was there. I learned French, met my fiancé there and still have a lot of close friends from my time in France”, remembered Dustin Sleva. Like every other American, he had a wake up call and it was a monumental one. “I have too many memories to put here. I would need to write a book. I think I matured 10 years in 1 in my first year in Paris. I was in a big city alone without knowing the language, not really knowing how to cook and also learning how to be a professional. My wake up moment was probably getting crushed my Nantes in my first professional game. But not my only one”, stressed Dustin Sleva. In his third season with Paris he helped the team move up to the Pro A averaging 14.1ppg, 5.9rpg, 2.5apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 55.0%, 3PT: 43.0%, FT: 87.4%. He was able to develop under head coach Jean-Christophe Pratt and helped understand Euro ball. “Coach Pratt took me from an American basketball player to a European basketball player. He basically taught me all the basics of spacing and positioning on the floor. It’s not easy to be able to have patience with a rookie American but he gave me a lot of patience and tough love”, commented Dustin Sleva. He was surrounded by incredible teammates including Daniel Dillion and Jevohn Shepherd who steered him in the most positive direction on and off the court. “Those guys were like my dad that year. I still talk to both of them today. They both gave me a lot of confidence and also taught me how to be a pro. They were great teammates and are great friends to me”, expressed Dustin Sleva. In his fourth season, he proved that he could be a solid player in the Pro A averaging 11.0ppg, 4.7rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 56.9%, 3PT: 37.5%, FT: 71.2%. He scored in double figures in 19 games including 23 points against Roanne and 22 points against ChalonsReims, but it was another game where he scored 9 points that was his most memorable. “My favorite game was my last game against Levallois away to secure our spot in the league and also playing at Bercy arena in front of my family who were visiting and having a great game against Monaco”, said Dustin Sleva.

The Pennsylvania native who lists Lebron, Jordan, Bird and Magic on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore played NBA Summer League in the summer of 2022 with the Golden State Warriors playing 4 games and averaging 2.8ppg, 3.3rpg, 1.0spg. He was really fortunate to have played against historic teams like the Celtics and Lakers, but it was actually meeting a basketball legend that made his experience in Las Vegas the greatest. “Summer League was an incredible experience. I actually had to play my way into a spot in the Vegas summer league team. I was only supposed to play in the Classic in San Francisco, but after playing a couple good games the organization invited me to Vegas. I was thrilled. I learned a lot. My greatest memory was being able to talk about European basketball with Dejan Milojevic. In the short time I was with him I was able to pick his brain about rebounding and different concepts on defense and offense. That time was even more precious now after he sadly passed away. For him to spend extra time with me to work on my game when he didn’t have to was really special to me. I was so fortunate to be able to learn from one of the best”, stressed Dustin Sleva. Even if he got worthwhile advice form the Warriors coaching staff, it is Milojevic that will forever stay most in his mind. “I learned a lot from everyone there. Like I said before, “Deke” taught me a lot. I understand more about the NBA concepts and life. I never had an opportunity like that before and I believe I made the most of it”, warned Dustin Sleva. After beginning last season with Paris Basketball (France-Betclic ELITE ProA) averaging 3.4ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.3apg in the pro A and 6.4ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.0apg, 2FGP: 61.5%, 3FGP: 36.4%, in the Eurocup, his run ended there after after 19 games and he finished the season in Germany with the Basketball Lowen Braunschweig. He needed no time to adjust and joined a special program that was on the rise under head coach Jesus Ramirez. It was a short time, but crucial in his development after leaving Paris. “Playing is Braunschweig truly helped me grow as a basketball player. Jesus played a huge role in developing my game further and he and Kostas Papazoglou also gave me loads of confidence after I left Paris. I really needed that at that time. He’s a great coach and Braunschweig is a great city and a great place to play. They are progressing with a young team and it is fun to watch them battle for playoff position this year. We battled with every team. We were tough and young. It’s the clubs DNA and I am proud that I played a role to help the team stay in the BBL. He averaged 13.4ppg, 6.0rpg, 1.6apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 58.0%, 3PT: 47.2%, FT: 70.7%. He showed his consistency scoring in double figures in 16 of 20 games including a 31 point outburst in a win over Wurzburg.

This season the American who calls Lebron James his Goat has made the jump to Universidad Catolica de Murcia CB (Spain-ACB) as they are the big surprise of the ACB season currently in fourth place. As usual the secret of the success is having a good understanding between an ambitious coach and having many guys with chips on their shoulders, “I think coach Sito gives us our identity as a tough team that fights and our gm Alejandro, did a great job to put our team together with a bunch of guys that are unselfish and play to the limit of each play. We take pride in our defense and enjoy playing with each other”, stressed Dustin Sleva. 3 special teammates are Howard Sant-Roos a guy that played with his ex team Braunschweig more than a decade ago on their farm team and was teammates with Dennis Schroeder before he was in the NBA and guards Dylan Ennis and Troy Caupain who are 2 players that could be playing in the Euroleague. “ Howard and I actually talk about Braunschweig a lot. We both enjoyed our time there. I love playing with Howard. He gives me a ton of advice especially defensively and he is one of our anchors on defense. He’s helped me improve a lot defensively just by watching him and also from his advice that he gives me. Dylan and Troy are excellent at what they do. Dylan gives us unlimited amount of energy and he seems to always be the guy that hits those important shots throughout the game. Troy is a true floor general. He has all the intangibles of a true point guard. He knows the ins and outs of each player and how to keep everyone involved throughout the game. They are both extremely important for us”, warned Dustin Sleva. The big surprise team now have a quarterfinal date with German team MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg and he has some revenge on his mind. Last season, he suffered a gruesome 93-92 loss to them scoring 11 points, but fouling out. “That was a game that we had and needed at the time and it was a devastating loss. I remember that they are a tough team that likes to play physical and fast. It’ll be fun to match up with them again. I think the tougher team will win. They are a tough team like us with talented players”, added Dustin Sleva.

The modern day forward who feels that sequels usually should be left alone is a player that compares his game to a Kevin Love. At first glance, one would always mention shooting as the biggest strength in his game, but it is actually something else something that Fraport Skyliner legend Quantez Robertson was also known for in his game. “I would say the strength that would get me the farthest is my shooting ability but I would have to say that my high motor is my biggest strength. It not only allows me to give it all in every game but also allows me to put in quality individual work each day”, said Dustin Sleva. This season in the ACB, he is averaging 8,0ppg and 4,0rpg in 21 minutes of action while shooting 37,5% from outside while in the Basketball Champions League he is averaging 10,3ppg, 4,7rpg and 1,4apg in 23 minutes of work while shooting 34% from the parking lot. He has reached 40% or better from outside 4 times in a season in the pro´s and twice in the NCAA2. He knows that he still has to grind to reach that elite status. “I always like to think of myself as the best shooter on the court no matter who is on the court. I love to play with this level of confidence because of the work that I put in to be a great shooter. But I can definitely improve in many areas. I wouldn’t say elite yet. I’m improving on becoming a better shooter off of screens and on the move. I always been a great pick and pop and spot up shooter. To take that next step to be truly elite, I want to work to be able to be able to knock down shots off pin downs and go screens at full speed and contested. Those are truly elite shooters in my eyes”, warned Dustin Sleva. In the ACB, you meet the best players overseas and you can´t take a play off. He has always been a solid defender and came into the ACB with the right mind set defensively and it has paid off for him. “I think this year has been the best defensive year of my career. My motor and intensity each play plays a huge role in that but also being able to learn from coach Sito, Rodions Kurucs and Howard have helped me tremendously. I would say I’m a good defender. I take pride in my defense. I want to help the team in any way I can. I never want to be a liability”, stressed Dustin Sleva. It will be interesting to see where his basketball journey will go as he is high up on the ladder at the moment. Is he satisfied now? I doubt it. He isn´t finished yet with his climb as that chip is always on his shoulder which has helped him through out his career be the best player he can be.