Dylan Royer – Mexican ‘citizen’ and professional basketball player

Dylan Royer is taking his game to Mexico. By Will Parris

Celeste Royer seemed like she was everywhere.

Behind the bench at Cal Poly’s upset basketball victory over UCLA last season, there she was. In Anaheim, as Cal Poly lost the Big West tournament semifinal to Pacific, she was there, passing out mustaches to the Cal Poly faithful (including President Armstrong). Athletically, she gave her son, Dylan all the support someone could ask for. Now, she’s helped give him a chance to play basketball professionally.

Because she is of Mexican descent, Dylan was able to prove Mexican “citizenship,” making it easier for him to latch-on to a professional team in the country. Teams are limited in how many American players they can have, so they often look for players who they can call “local.”

Last month, Royer was able to sign a contract with Nuevo Loreda Toros. He joins Drake U’u (Perth Wildcats; Australia), Amaurys Fermin (Etha; Cyprus), and Jordan Lewis (Israel) as former Mustangs slated to play professionally around the world.

I sent ten questions to the sharpshooter from Los Osos. None of them had to do with the mustache, but here’s a little reminder of what was last season.

FANSMANSHIP – What team do you play for and where?

DYLAN ROYER – The Toros (Bulls) of Nuevo Laredo. Nuevo Laredo is in the state of Tamaulipas and is approximately 3 hours south of San Antonio, TX.

F – When does your season start?

Even Cal poly president Dr. Jeffrey Armstrong got mustache fever last season. I wonder if Royer will grow another one out while in Mexico. By Will Parris

DR – The first game is on September 26^th but is technically pre-season. We have five pre-season games and then regular season starts in early October. There are approximately 40 regular season games and then post-season begins February 20^th.

F –  What’s the city like where you are living?

DR – Nuevo Laredo is a border town that joins with Laredo, TX to make a larger metropolitan area. However, the close proximity to the border does not make Nuevo Laredo any more “American.” The people speak only Spanish and the culture is that of Mexico. When we can, we make the trip across the border to Laredo so we can visit a good Texas steakhouse and watch some football.

F – What has the biggest adjustment been so far with playing professionally vs. college?

DR – The expectations are much higher. Rookies such as myself are not given a “grace period” to learn plays and get used to practices. We practice twice a day and are expected to contribute immediately and adapt to the playing style that the coach wants. The older players are also much more physical and have a knowledge of the game similar to that of a coach.

F – What do you miss most about college?

DR – I really miss the young environment and comradery between the players. In college we had such a good atmosphere where we all hung out together and cherished our time together outside of practice. Here, there is relatively little time to hang out outside of practice and players usually keep to themselves.

F – Why did you go to the team where you are?

DR – My Mexican ethnicity allowed me to obtain a citizenship in Mexico. This made it so I did not count towards the amount of Americans on a team’s roster so it was easier for me to get a job. Also, I saw that this particular team had a lot of success in the past few years so I knew I was going to be challenged on a daily basis.

F – Is basketball perceived differently in the city you’re in? In what ways?

DR – Soccer is definitely the major sport. Instead of basketball shoes at footlocker there are soccer cleats in every color you can imagine. People also stare at us a lot due to our different appearance and stature. However fans still recognize many of the veteran players and ask for pictures all the time.

F – Any new languages or lingo you can share? How about local foods that you like?

DR – There are a few slang words I’ve learned that I shouldn’t repeat but I’ve also learned some basketball terms. “Encima de la pantalla” means “over/on top of the screen” and three-pointers are simply “triples.” We found a restaurant that made the best tacos and fresh fruit smoothies I’ve ever had. And that’s really saying something.

F – Hardest thing about living where you live?

DR – The hardest thing is being away from everything familiar. Leaving all my family and friends is hard enough so leaving the language and culture behind has been difficult. We also don’t have breaks during the season so I may not be able to come home for a good 6-7 months.

F – Anything else you think Cal Poly fans would be interested to know about your foray into Australian/Mexican/Israeli professional basketball?

DR – I still rock the CP gear! I really miss the Cal Poly fans and being able to play in front of so many people I knew. I’ll be checking in on the team throughout the entire season.