Donald Sloan ’10
How a basketball career laid the foundation for entrepreneurial pursuits and life as a CEO
By Will Johnson ’01
Donald Sloan certainly had his moments as an Aggie Basketball student-athlete. Many Aggie fans will recall a specific night in Waco on March 5, 2008.
“That was a statement game,” Sloan recalled.
In an intense matchup with Baylor, the Aggies pulled away late and led 69-57 as the final seconds ticked away. Then, Sloan made his own statement.
“The game was over, but I had to figure out a way to put a stamp on it,” he said.
Sloan banked the ball off the glass and threw down an emphatic dunk with less than two seconds remaining. In response, the Ferrell Center went into a frenzy with Baylor fans throwing whatever they could find onto the court.
It’s one of those dunks that still carries a name. “It felt so good,” he said.
Later that season, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against top-seeded UCLA, Sloan found himself at the center of one of the most famous photos in Aggie Basketball history. During the final seconds of the game, with A&M trailing 51-49, he drove the lane and had the ball raked away as he rose to shoot, sealing the Bruins’ victory.
When pictures of the moment surfaced, it caused an uproar. The foul on Sloan was clear, revealing the Aggies had been robbed of two free throws and an opportunity to send the game to overtime.
“I just knew with the contact that I heard a whistle,” Sloan said. “Then I realized no whistle was ever blown. I was dumbfounded.”
It is clear that joy and dejection coexist within his basketball journey and career. Yet, when talking with Sloan now, it seems as if he would not have it any other way.
He is one of very few Texas A&M players to have made the NCAA Tournament in all four seasons of their eligibility. Through the ups and downs, Sloan learned several lessons along the way.
“The challenges in the industry are just like in basketball. You’re going to roll your ankle, and you’re going to get beat. In business, times can be slow. Rates can go up and down. So, for me, it was always about fighting.”
“If I had to pinpoint one thing that’s been key, it has to be discipline,” he said.
Sloan learned that lesson well in Aggieland.
“I thought I was tough growing up in inner city Dallas with different challenges,” he said. “But that was just another degree, and levels of it, once I got to A&M.”
Sloan played for two coaches while at A&M from 2006-10: Billy Gillispie and Mark Turgeon. While they had different styles, they instilled the same hard-working values into their programs and players.
“What am I taking with me from A&M?” Sloan reflected. “It was everything that we learned from those two coaches. It was all about discipline and being resilient.”
Those traits crafted a solid professional career as basketball continued after his time in Aggieland. He played six NBA seasons, including stints with the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets.
“The thick skin and the resilience,” Sloan said. “It stuck with me and it got even greater.”
Those lessons proved invaluable at the professional level.
“Just having that mindset of ‘I’m up next, I’ll be ready,’” he said. “That kind of carried me. They had those guys they needed to be the face, but they needed those tough guys in the locker room. They knew that if our point guard goes down, we can count on Sloan, and that’s what I gained a reputation for.”
Sloan knew his NBA role, and in return, it allowed him longevity.
“It wasn’t ‘He’s going to give you 50,’ but ‘He’s going to steer the ship,’” he added. “That’s how I was able to earn my career and my years.”
There were also professional stops in the Philippines, China, Germany and Australia.
“The journey has taken me so many places, and I don’t think I would have lasted as long as I did without that one thing — discipline,” Sloan said.
Professional basketball was an adventure, but throughout all the travels he never forgot Aggieland.
“The atmosphere and the love of the fans — I missed those days a lot when I was playing professionally,” Sloan said. “I played all over in the NBA, G-League and abroad. Nothing quite matched those days playing in Reed Arena.”
The journey continues as he has moved on from basketball and to America’s capital city in Washington, D.C. Today, Sloan is the owner and CEO of I’m Up Trucking Company, a transport and logistics operation based in Houston. The company works with several major distributors, restaurants, farmers and other entities to provide dependable, climate-controlled shipping across the United States.
I’m Up Trucking Company prides itself on the same reliability that defined Sloan’s basketball career. Just as it did during his playing days, the discipline he learned in Aggieland guides him in business today.
“The challenges in the industry are just like in basketball,” Sloan said. “You’re going to roll your ankle, and you’re going to get beat. In business, times can be slow. Rates can go up and down. So, for me, it was always about fighting.”
Sloan is giving back, too. He often hires former athletes to open new doors for them when their playing days are over. One of his A&M teammates, BJ Holmes, is in the business with him.
“He’s been a guy we’ve leaned on a lot,” Sloan said.
Life has presented many adventures for Sloan, yet he is not done. In fact, his path led him back to A&M to earn his degree in 2021.
The discipline, reliability and core values Sloan developed at A&M have opened doors throughout his life. Whether on the court, in the locker room or leading a company, those lessons continue to serve him well.