At a small college in Atchison, Kan., Jallen Messersmith has made a big impact—nationally, not just on campus at Benedictine College.
Messersmith, 20, who will be junior in the fall, told his basketball coach about a year ago that he's gay. The coach, Ryan Moody, was accepting, as were Messersmith's teammates.
And the story of the openly gay college basketball player became public knowledge in May, first reported by Outsports.com .
Messersmith is believed to be the first openly gay active player in men's college basketball in the United States. His coming-out to the world came on the heels of Jason Collins coming out as the first active NBA player.
"It's been really cool, actually," Messersmith said by phone in mid-June when asked about the responses that he's received, including media coverage in USA TODAY and the Associated Press, among other high-profile mainstream outlets.
"I definitely was not expecting the recognition that I've gotten. I just thought [my coming out would] generate some [local] media coverage, but not as much [nationally] as I've gotten. I just figured it'd be coverage in my [hometown] newspaper in Blue Springs, Kan., maybe the Kansas City Star, too.
"But what I've gotten has been very surprising, and it's been a cool experience to have that happened."
And when he went to this year's Kansas City Pride, Messersmith was a local, homegrown superstar. "It was neat having people come up to me, thanking me for coming out, etc."
Also at Kansas City Pride, he met Alex Roe, 20, and the two are now dating.
Messersmith, who stands 6-foot-7 and was fourth in NAIA in shot blocking this past season as a sophomore, came out to his parents in May, 2012. He told his coach at the beginning of the 2012-13 fall semester, and admits he was "really nervous" to do, not knowing how Moody would react.
"He told me that he was really supportive, that it wasn't going to change anything, including my [spot] on the team, etc.," Messersmith said.
Messersmith never formally told his teammates. Instead, when he was back at school at the beginning of his sophomore season, along with his mom, she told the mom of a teammate, Brett Fisher. Fisher's mom then told her son, and from there "people just started finding out about it," Messersmith said. "I didn't make a huge deal of it because I didn't think it was a huge deal.
"I actually didn't tell any [of my teammates] individually; it just kind of came out."
He had no issues about his sexual orientation with any teammates. "They have all been very supportive," he said. "I don't really know what I was expecting when I came out, but [everyone on the team] has been 100 percent [supportive], and I'm grateful for how it's gone."
Messersmith feared the worst—because he's endured the taunts, the ridicule, the name-calling, and more. Messersmith admitted he was bullied throughout elementary school. "I was called gay and other anti-gay slurs," he said. "It definitely was hard, and sixth grade was brutal, an everyday [occurrence of bullying.] I couldn't get away from it."
In fact, he was taken out of public school for seventh and eighth grades, and was home-schooled.
As a freshman at Blue Springs High School, the bullying continued a little, he said, though not nearly as bad. "Once I got into basketball, I stopped paying attention, stopped caring what people thought and said. In fact, any negative comments just pushed me to go harder, be the best player I could be," he said.
Their comments were his motivation, and that's still his mantra.
Messersmith said being the first openly gay active men's college player "is a cool thing, but I also wish it didn't have to be; I wish it was just normal, something that happened in everyday life." That said, "if I can help even one person," with what they're going through, it will be even more rewarding.
"I sure hope it's helped someone," he said.
Messersmith said he's received hundreds of correspondence since his coming-out story has gone public. Strangers from around the world have reached out via social media, and his email in-box has been flooded.
He tagged the Collins' coming-out as "awesome, another big step, especially since it was in my sport. I definitely could relate to his story."
Messersmith knows the taunts next season might be louder and more intense next season, especially since his story has gone worldwide since the final basket of his sophomore season. "I'm prepared for it, and it will just push me to play better. It's not a big deal," he said. "I've had a ton of support from the school. The support has been awesome."
Benedictine athletic director Charlie Gartenmayer and basketball coach Moody issued a statement on Messersmith's coming-out: "We support Jallen as a Benedictine College student and as a member of the Raven basketball team. Obviously, it would be inappropriate for us to discuss the private lives of students. As an institution we treat students with respect and sensitivity."
Messersmith added, "Times are changing and [being out] is becoming more and more accepted and people are understanding more and more that [gays in sports] is a normal thing."
Messersmith has not done anything within the LGBT community, yet. He is looking at his options, he said.
Off the court, Messersmith is the class treasurer at Benedictine. He enjoys drawing and plays the piano.
