In between 5am gym training sessions and 12-hour shifts driving a bus, you could count on seeing Dan Stoddard on the court at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Canada. He's driven, dedicated, and - as a sophomore clocking in at 6ft 8in - easily the tallest member of the school's basketball team. There's just one thing - Stoddard is 40 years old. And he dreams of joining the NBA. When Stoddard first walked onto the court as a member of the Algonquin Thunder, he could he hear snickers from the opposing team's players and coaches. At 40 years old, Dan Stoddard is defying the odds to play basketball at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Canada. And he has dreams of making the NBA someday Stoddard (pictured seated, center) fits 5am gym training sessions, practice, games, and accounting classes around his 12-hour bus shifts When Stoddard first walked onto the court as a member of the Algonquin Thunder, he could he hear snickers from the opposing team's players and coaches 'People think it's a big show,' Stoddard told Longreads. 'I'm going to try to defy that. To change that view.' 'For those that love the game, they understand in a way what I am trying to do. For those that don't, they are snickering and laughing, maybe next year we beat them and the snickers stop. That's the plan.' But Stoddard is working hard to prove that his dreams aren't a joke or a sideshow act Stoddard has been working hard to make that dream a reality since he joined the team last year, juggling training, practice, and accounting classes with his job at OC Transpo, Ottawa's Public Transit System. 'All Dan cares about is getting better and better,' said Trevor Costello, the team's head coach. 'This f****r is constantly in pain. He's just so dedicated.' 'He sprained his ankle before last Christmas, and after a 12-hour shift driving a bus, his foot down on the ground the whole time, his foot was the size of a watermelon.' It's a goal that sounds crazy to most. Stoddard is trying to keep up with men half his age, not only for four full years of college ball, but in the big leagues as well. 'You can call it lunacy,' he said. 'I'm not saying I'll make the NBA or go play overseas, but I want to get to a point where I can do it.' 'So what if it happened at 42?' Stoddard continues, referring to the age he will be when he graduates. 'Who gives a s**t. I've always said age is a number, but that's bulls**t.' 'We all know it's old, especially when it comes to basketball. But if you can play, you can play, and I just want to have the definitive answer, to have someone tell me I don't have the talent to make it at the highest level. It's just to know.' 'The reality is that when growing up, you see the NBA, and that's where you want to be. It's the best, and you strive for the best,' he added. Stoddard joined the team last year, juggling training, practice, and accounting classes with a full-time job Up until last fall Stoddard was working as a bus driver (pictured), taking 12-hour shifts in between his training and practices 'You don't just want to be the guy no one remembers. That's all I'm trying to do.' It wasn't until high school that Stoddard first began to play ball. His height was a huge bonus, but he flunked out before he could develop his skills. Stoddard married his wife Amy at 20 years old, went on to have two children, and spent more than a decade going from job to job to support his family, with little sense of what he actually wanted to do. There were 100-hour work weeks at construction sites and sewer maintenance. At one point he was working three jobs at the same time, laying bricks in the morning, delivering beer at night, and bartending on weeks. While working as a bouncer, Stoddard was stabbed in the right shoulder. He was treated by paramedics that night, and showed up for work at his construction job the next morning. 'I spent a long part of my life not knowing what I wanted to do, or how I wanted to be perceived, or the legacy I wanted to leave behind,' he said. Stoddard said his teammates began to take him seriously when they saw him up at 5am to train at the gym 'All Dan cares about is getting better and better,' said Trevor Costello, the team's head coach. 'This f****r is constantly in pain. He's just so dedicated' 'He was living a s****y lifestyle,' Stoddard's wife Amy added. 'Taking little bits of everything around him that pissed him off and holding it in. He was miserable.' It was basketball where Stoddard would find joy once again, a place to escape from his relentless workload. He began playing on local playgrounds, putting in a dozen hours of practice four nights a week. He also began playing tournaments with a local team of men his age. It was there that he crossed paths with his future coach. Costello had been refereeing a tournament in the summer of 2017 when he first laid eyes on Stoddard, watching him keep up with players two decades younger. 'Look at the size of you!' Costello told Stoddard at the time. 'You could play for my team.' Costello didn't have much to lose. Algonquin had been struggling for years and he'd just lost three players and his lead recruiter. 'I don't want to demean it, but Algonquin is a last chance resort,' he said. 'It's tough to get kids.' It's a goal that sounds crazy to most. Stoddard is trying to keep up with men half his age, not only for four full years of college ball, but in the big leagues as well Stoddard said he wants to get to point where he has the ability to make it to the NBA or play ball overseas Costello invited to Stoddard to try out, but the coach took his ability seriously. 'Dan was far from a sideshow,' he said. 'I'm all about winning games. I'm hardly getting paid enough to do this as a goof.' 'Did I know he would ultimately end up starting for us? That might be pushing it. His upside is far from that of a 22-year-old, but his brain is working so much harder.' And Stoddard has been pushing his body to the limits, losing 150 pounds in a year with another 50 to go. 'I do everything I can to pretend like I am 10 years younger,' Stoddard said. 'When I work out, I keep saying to myself, "You're only 30 years old, you have plenty of time.' 'I'm trying to make a [professional team] notice, so in the meantime I want my body to be ready to compete if that call does come.' 'I can keep up with guys half my age - after another six months of training, am I going to be faster? Stronger? I want to keep seeing.' And Stoddard has the full blessing of Amy, his wife of 20 years (pictured together) Stoddard has become beloved at the college and on the court, inspiring other players and fans After a year on the team some reality has set in, Stoddard admitted. Just this season there has been a broken nose, and a dislocated finger and kneecap. 'I'd love to see where my body can take me, but I'm also a realist,' he said. 'Trevor has told me I have a spot on the roster until I don't want it anymore, but I know the toll it is taking on my body. I know the pain that will come.' But Stoddard said there is 'no question' that his drive and dedication is bigger than ever. 'I will continue to train and be better, use the momentum that I have created to be the best ball player I can be,' he said. 'Frustration grows as I feel I have a lot more to offer and potentially won't get the chance to show it.' Stoddard also recently lost his job at OC Transpo, compounding his fears of not being able to support his wife and family. But Amy said she continues to fully support her husband, and doesn't think he'll be quitting anytime soon. 'There is no way he'll stop,' she said. 'After last season, he said he was going to quit, and then he was back in the gym the next day. I want him to keep playing ball until he can longer physically get his feet into his sneakers.' Stoddard has also been pushing his body to the limits, losing 150 pounds in a year with another 50 to go Stoddard's stats have been promising. He averaged 6.4 points and five rebounds per game his sophomore season, and his field goal percentage is fourth-best in the conference at 54.7 'He has worked his a** off for the last two years to get here, and he's earned it.' During Stoddard's first year, Costello didn't think he would make it to Christmas. But now he believes the 40-year-old's potential is limitless. Stoddard's stats have been promising as well. He averaged 6.4 points and five rebounds per game his sophomore season, and his field goal percentage is fourth-best in the conference at 54.7. 'If I'm not talented enough, I can live with that, but that doesn't mean I don't want to put in the effort to be the best player I can be,' Stoddard said. 'I don't want to be wasting time hemming and hawing thinking about it.' And all of Stoddard's hard work has not gone unnoticed, including by those young players who were once shocked by the sight of him on the basketball court. 'I told him it was an honor to play for him,' said Yusuf Ali, who plays for Seneca College. 'I know people out there are scared of the risks to pursue their dreams. 'He is a hero in my eyes. This doesn't happen every day.' 'If I'm not talented enough, I can live with that, but that doesn't mean I don't want to put in the effort to be the best player I can be,' Stoddard said. 'I don't want to be wasting time hemming and hawing thinking about it'All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility