Wednesday, September 16, 2009
By Pete Mollica
YOUNGSTOWN — Some seven months ago Youngstown State basketball standout Dallas Blocker got the shock of his life.
This past Friday, the 6-foot-9 native of Topeka, Kan., got the greatest feeling he’s ever had in his life.
Blocker, who transferred to YSU a year ago from Cloud County Community College, played in the Penguins’ first 20 games a year ago.
Then after a physical examination, Blocker was told that he had cancer and his whole world came to a halt.
He missed the final seven games of the season and went home to be with his family. Since then he’s had two very long and difficult surgeries and quite a few chemotherapy sessions.
But after all that this past Friday he received the greatest news of his life as the doctors told him that he was now cancer free.
“It was the greatest feeling I’ve ever had in my life,” Blocker said.
He can’t believe what all that he’s gone though since last February.
“When I was first told that I had cancer it came as a complete surprise to me,” Blocker said. “I’ve never been sick much in my life and nothing ever serious,
“At first the shock of it hits you, but you really don’t want to think about it,” he added. “You’re thinking, why is this happening to me and I just wanted it all to be a dream and then wake up and it would all be over.
“After that all I wanted was to be back home with my family,” he said.
Blocker said he eventually had two surgeries, “two long and difficult ones, and then I was started on chemotherapy,” he said.
“There were times that I thought about never playing basketball again and that this might even be the end for me,” he said. “But I tried to get those thoughts out of my mind quickly.”
Blocker said one of the most difficult parts of his recovery was having to change his eating habits.
“I just love spicy foods, especially Mexican food, but that was out now and then getting back your strength was also a difficult process.”
Blocker said he began working out a little this summer while he was undergoing chemotherapy treatments.
“I started working this summer with YSU trainer Todd Burkey and we would go for 12 or 15 minutes at a time until I got too tired,” he said.
YSU basketball coach Jerry Slocum, who is on a recruiting trip in Florida, said that he and the Penguins are so happy for Blocker.
“It really rocked our world last winter when we found out,” Slocum said. “It really put a new perspective on life for all of us. The past six or seven months he has been in our family’s daily prayers.
“Today he’s cancer-free and we’re so excited to have him back,” Slocum added. “We couldn’t be happier for him than we are right now.”
Blocker is looking forward to returning to the basketball court and his senior season this fall.
“I figure that I should be back at full strength right about two weeks before the season begins,” he said.
Last season, before his illness, Blocker averaged 15.6 minutes of playing time per game, connected on 54.5 percent of his field-goal attempts while averaging 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds.
He scored in double figures twice, with a career high of 12 points against Wright State.
“I’m clean and I’m ready to start the season,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to showing everybody just what I can do this year.”
mollica@vindy.com
Photo