SUWANEE, GA - At an early age, Florida Elite’s Dante Buford had his sights set on dreams outside of this world.

His vision has been of universal proportions where the stars all line up for him to live out a dream. Buford’s dream, like any other player on the travel basketball circuit, is to make it to college then the league.

For Buford, it also means to someday leaving the world he knows behind to another one that seemed to far to reach in the distance.

“Growing up my mom told me I needed to grow up fast,” Buford said. “I used basketball to take responsibility on my own. I decided to jump off the porch and use basketball, which led me to Arlington Country Day.”

The Greenville, SC native is in his first year at the Jacksonville, Florida school and things are playing out beyond his wildest dreams. Buford is growing as a person, student and player with schools like Indiana, Oklahoma, Southern California, South Carolina, Wichita State, UNC Wilmington, Radford, Illinois and SMU extended offers.

After playing at Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions at Suwanee Sports Academy showed the versatility that will make him more intriguing to other schools. He finished averaging 18 points a game, which included a game-winning free throw in double overtime to beat PSB Select.

Buford was bouncy, athletic and displayed the versatility he has worked on all season. Considering that Buford only picked up the sport in the eighth grade because a friend told him to tryout because he was the tallest kid in class is definitely out of this world.

“He is a great teammate,” ACD and Elite teammate Brandone Francis said. “It is a blessing to play with someone like him. He is always encouraging and pulling for you. He is a great teammate. We have a nice chemistry together.”

Playing at ACD allows Buford to prepare for college on and off the basketball court, which is the message his mother, Tracie, ingrained in him.

“She taught me a lot about being on my own and getting ready for college life,” Buford said. “When I first moved away I started thinking, ‘was this a good idea.’ In the long run I was thinking on how I can help my family. Everyone’s dream is to get a free education, play professional ball and/or start a career.”

However, the career path Buford would be one if basketball was not in his life would be something out of this world – literally.

“I like Sci-fi stuff,” said Buford, a self-admitted computer geek. “Everyone calls me weird because I watch the Twilight Zone and am interested in Astronomy.”

While being away from family and worlds away from the Palmetto State, Buford understands his goals and dreams are closer because of basketball.