In 2016, Dominic Shannon was preparing to make a change that would alter his life completely. After spending several years working as a branch rental manager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, he was ready to take a leap of faith and get his basketball development program off the ground. The program was the culmination of Dominic's lifelong passion for the sport and his sincere interest in working with and uplifting youth players; since launching All-In Sports, Dominic hasn't looked back.
These days, Dominic is the head of a robust sports club that emphasizes success inside and outside of basketball. All-In Sports boasts training programs for kids as young as 2 all the way up to the professional level, has five AAU teams (their current crop of fourth graders rank in the top 30 teams in the United States for their age group), and since 2020 has added an international component to their programming in partnership with fellow Grand Rapids native Tremaine Dalton of The Process Basketball.
In some ways, Dominic Shannon always knew he would eventually make the transition from basketball player to basketball coach. As he explained, his time on a court began around third or fourth grade, but "as long as I can remember, I’ve always been into sports, dribbling a ball, and football was my first love as a kid."
After playing in high school, college, and on a local semi-pro team, Dominic knew he wanted to do more in the sport. Thus, the foundation for All-In Sports was laid.
When he started All-In Sports in 2016, youth basketball development was the chief thing on Dominic's mind. But as fate would have it, he was soon linked up with Tremaine Dalton, an international basketball coach and trainer who works with clients at the NBA, European, and Olympic level.
Tremaine introduced ways to make All-In Sports stand out. As Dominic put it, "His platform and knowledge has provided me with a global understanding of this roundball game." In 2020, the pair hosted their first gun violence prevention event, In the Park With the Pros. Participants came together to enjoy basketball training and to learn more about responsible gun ownership.
The event lasted three days and brought about a significant drop in gun-related violence throughout that time. After repeating the feat in 2021, Dominic says that he and Tremaine are looking toward a future of "endeavors geared towards low-income/inner-city communities."
As Tremaine explained, despite being the second-largest city in Michigan, Grand Rapids doesn't offer a lot of options for youth who are looking to excel at sports. This is especially true in terms of quality basketball development; while there are a few programs in town, it's tough to find any that provide the potential All-In Sports encompasses.
He recognizes that this story is personal; as he put it, "We are on a mission to change the narrative about basketball in Grand Rapids. As one of the top development trainers in the world, I can fill in what the city lacks on its own." Additionally, Tremaine explains that there's more on the line for him than just a game.
"My motivation behind this are my children. I want them to see the history behind my journey and have the opportunity to be a part of it and grow within it. All-In's fourth grade AAU team is ranked top 30 in the United States amongst millions of teams — as my kids love basketball, they have the chance [and] opportunity to reap the fruits of our labors."
Before the kids and youth players at All-In Sports can imagine a bigger life through basketball, they have to first be able to DREAM — that is, they need to learn to adhere to the acronym that is at the heart of the program.
Dominic emphasizes that developing a player's character is just as important to themself and their team of coaches as developing their basketball skills is. As he put it, "The acronym D.R.E.A.M are the program's core values designed to positively impact their self-esteem. These values are to provide our student-athletes with daily inspiration. Each letter represents a word and a definition towards each word for motivation. D.R.E.A.M. stands for: 'D' is Dedication, 'R' is Respect, 'E' is Equality, 'A' is Admiration, and 'M' is Motivation, in hopes of encouraging the next generation to keep striving toward the goals."
In addition to All-In Sports, Dominic is also the current boys varsity head coach at Lee High School in Grand Rapids. His transition to the role from behavioral interventionist and youth sports coordinator at the school was a smooth one; as he shared, his "experience will aid in the continued advocacy for the youth."
Decades ago, Lee High School boasted one of the strongest basketball programs in the region. Dominic says that so far, his first year at the school has been successful, especially since he is able to closely incorporate the tenets of All-In Sports into the high school program. He explains, "The boys are understanding our expectations and have grown in areas of accountability, leadership, and execution. Our goal at Lee is to raise the standard of basketball in the community through teaching philosophies developed by The Process Basketball and All-In Sports."
To that end, both men are putting in the hard work that guiding children toward greatness requires. As Tremaine knows all too well, programs like All-In Sports are "important so that kids won't just totally rely on basketball itself. As they're playing, they're also learning about what opportunities the game can bring outside of what is in front of them."
He continues, "What I see with Dominic and All-In Sports is that he's building our community — he's saving it. This bridge created between me and him is giving kids an opportunity out. He's doing what the Malcolm X's and Sojourner Truths and Martin Luther Kings were doing. This is the new railroad, and we're using basketball as a means to make it happen."
