CHICAGO (BVM) — The majority of professional athletes grow up with the dream of making a living out of sports. However, a select few are late bloomers and somehow manage to pursue the same dream in less amount of time.

Tre’Darius McCallum was born and raised in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where he attended St. James High School. 

“I didn’t really play organized basketball until I’d say 11th grade,” McCallum said. 

He has since blossomed into a dominant and tenacious 6-foot-7 forward while having opportunities to play for DePaul University and the Windy City Bulls.

Although he recalls starting in 11th grade, Tre’Darius does have earlier memories of playing backyard basketball with friends and family. 

“I always played in the yard with my older cousin and my friends in the neighborhood,” McCallum said. 

Although he developed into a tough basketball player, it is not that shocking as to where McCallum got the toughness.

“I was a big football person before I played basketball,” he said. “I always watched football and watched LaDainian Tomlinson on the Chargers, Peyton Manning on the Colts, and the Cowboys.”

Growing up as a football fan may have helped install this gritty mindset that McCallum brings onto the basketball court. 

As he transitioned into the 11th grade and began playing for the St. James basketball team, he started to learn more about the game. His junior year was truly a learning experience in terms of playing organized basketball.

After his junior year of basketball and midway through his senior year, McCallum decided to play for prep school South Carolina Sports Academy. 

“South Carolina Sports Academy is what I needed,” McCallum said. “It gave me a chance to get exposure because we were playing JUCO schools. When I joined them, everything worked and I did what I needed to do to have schools look at me.”

Soon after his one year at the prep school, McCallum decided to play for Sheridan College in Sheridan, Wyoming. However, it was not until his sophomore year when Tre’Darius got an even bigger opportunity to play for JUCO school Indian Hills Community College.

At this point, he was playing with special talent and some of the best-ranked players in the JUCO circuit, but that only improved McCallum’s game and his mindset.

“I saw my game starting to progress,” McCallum said. “We had a lot of talent and I knew I could compete with them. I just knew right then and there that I could go play college basketball at any level because I knew what I possessed, I knew my energy, and I knew what type of player I was. I was fearless on the court, didn’t care who you were, and didn’t care what team you played for. I was ready to play and ready to win.”

With a plethora of talent surrounding him, McCallum began to up his game to attract college exposure like these other players. He indeed attracted a plethora of offers but does not want to belittle the experience that Indian Hills provided him.

“It helped build me as a character, build me as a man, and build me as a basketball player,” McCallum said. “That was the time I sat down and knew it was the time to get serious with it.”

When being recruited, McCallum estimated he had between 30-40 mid-major Division I offers. However, his eyes were strictly set on playing at a high major. The offers that stood out to him included DePaul, UNLV, Memphis, UCF, Rutgers, and North Carolina State. 

Out of this list, he surely had his chance to play in a high major. Out of the Big East, the Big Ten, and the ACC, McCallum had his opportunity to play in a powerhouse conference. From these offers, he decided to attend DePaul University.

“When my dad and I went on a visit, it felt like they needed me,” McCallum said.
They wanted me and needed me. They made me feel welcome. Coach Leitao actually recruited me and that showed a lot. He actually wanted me to be a part of his team and school.”

Over his two years at DePaul, McCallum ended up starting in every game he played in. He was known for his tenacious playing style while racking up over 6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. 

He embraced his experience of being able to play in the Big East and at a high-major school.

“The college atmosphere is unreal,” McCallum said. “Playing in front of 25,000 to 30,000 people, a lot of people cannot say they’ve done that in their lifetime or their basketball careers. I get to say that.”

After two years at DePaul, McCallum decided to immediately take his talents overseas. He started in Lausanne, Switzerland, and played for the Pully Lausanne Foxes. He then journeyed to Luxembourg for a year before playing his third year of overseas ball with Patrioti Levice in Slovakia. 

However, during these three years of overseas basketball, McCallum also had two chances with the Windy City Bulls. His first stint only lasted 15 games, but his second stint allowed him a full year with the team while providing him with irreplaceable learning experiences. 

“G-League was crazy man,” said McCallum. “G-League is the best basketball I’ve been around and played. It is the closest thing to the NBA and we had NBA players come down to our team. As soon as I got there, my thing was to learn as much as I can so I can develop my game.”

McCallum also mentioned that the coaches noticed his improved capabilities on the court after coming back for a year. Soon after his year stint, the outbreak of COVID-19 began. Despite the pandemic, McCallum did mention his permanent relationship with the coaching staff of the Windy City Bulls. 

“All the coaches actually came out to watch me play in Slovakia,” McCallum said. “That right there meant a lot to me.”

Even though McCallum had this experience with the Windy City Bulls, he remains eager and excited to get back overseas to develop his game even more. 

“This is a lifestyle that I’m getting accustomed to,” he said. “Now I’m saying ‘man I can’t wait to go back overseas.’ I love it and it has taught me a lot.”

He has recently signed back to the Patrioti Levice team and will be returning to Slovakia in a couple of weeks. 

As for his current status, he wants to continue to build his repertoire overseas and learn as much as he can. Just like every professional basketball player, his dream is to get into the NBA.

McCallum decided to take a strategic process that will help him learn what it takes to get to the pros. Instead of putting all his chips in the middle of the table, he wants to develop at a moderate speed so when his time comes, he will be ready.

How does he know that time will come? His relentless mindset. 

“The only thing I can control is what I can control,” McCallum said. “I know when I get on the court, you are going to have to go against me. I’m just as much of a dog as you are. I’m fearless. I don’t care who you are, I’m going to go at you. I’m going to let you know, ‘I’m here.’ That’s my mindset.”  

Despite his talent on the basketball court, McCallum remains humble and patient with his lifestyle while thanking God for providing him with talent that helped him pursue his dream. It’s not often we see late bloomers come this far, but McCallum made it happen.

“We all have different journeys,” he said. “It all comes different. I’m blessed and thankful for my journey. Hopefully, I come across someone that has the same journey so I can help direct them. Anything that can help the next person, I want to do it.” 

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