BUZZER
THE TIMES-DELPHIC
MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2010
PAGE 6G
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? ADAM EMMENECKER
Former basketball great tries out German league dropped a heartbreaker 101-99 on a 3-point basket at the buzzer. Emmenecker was guarding the Hilltoppers’ Ty Rogers on that play and said that when he released the ball, he thought there was no way it was going in. “I just thought, ‘No way,’” Emmenecker said. “Then it got closer, and I
necker said. “We got beat by a buzzerbeater. What better way to go out?” After graduating, Emmenecker decided to continue his basketball It was a new experience for Adam career overseas. He signed a oneEmmenecker to witness the Missouri year contract to play for the Deutsche Valley Conference tournament from Bank Skyliners Frankfurt. a fan’s point of view, rather than as He said that overall the experience a player. was positive, but the atmosphere was “It’s definitely a much different than the different perspective game in the U.S. than as a player,” “It was more like a Emmenecker said. soccer game,” Emme“You notice some of necker said. “The fans can the different things beat drums for an entire as a fan. You notice game.” some of the atmoEmmenecker was the sphere, and really back-up point guard and soak it in.” played behind the GerEmmenecker was man national point guard the starting point Roller Pascal. He said guard on the memoplaying professionally was rable 2008 Drake basdifferent than in college ketball team that won because the talent was so both the Valley regu– ADAM EMMENECKER on the Western Kentucky deep. Teams would play lar season and tournanine or 10 players per buzzer-beater in the NCAA tournament. game, as opposed to colment titles, then went to the NCAA tournalege ball, where coaches ment. sometimes played as little Emmenecker, a former walk-on, was like, ‘Uh-oh.’ I remember Bucky as six players. rose from obscurity to lead the Bull- (forward Jonathan Cox) collapsing af“There was a lot of talent, indogs and capture the Larry Bird ter it went in. I tried to pick him up cluding a few former NBA players,” MVC Player of the Year award. but he said ‘No, just leave me here.’” Emmenecker said. “I thought I played Emmenecker said that season was Emmenecker still hasn’t seen the well. I got about 15 minutes a game.” the most memorable of his career, game in its entirety since then, but Even though the experience in and he still can’t escape how the sea- he said that the loss still hurts. But as Europe was unforgettable, nothing son ended. time has passed, he realizes that his will compare to his senior season. Drake was named a No. 5 seed in team was beat on such a memorable “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think the West region and faced No. 12 seed shot and that it could have ended about it,” he said. “We could have Western Kentucky in the first round. much worse. been playing UCLA in the Sweet In one of the most memorable games “The more you get separated from 16. Western Kentucky made a great in March Madness history, Drake it, it hurts in a different way,” Emme- run.” n by MATT MORAN
Copy Editor matthew.moran@drake.edu
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I just thought, ‘No way.’ Then it got closer, and I was like, ‘Uhoh.’ I remember Bucky (forward Jonathan Cox) collapsing after it went in. I tried to pick him up, but he said, ‘No, just leave me here.’
photo by SARAH ANDREWS | Photo/Design Editor
ADAM EMMENECKER shoots around here in the alumni basketball game this year. He was the MVC player of the year in 2008.
JILL MARTIN
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ZACH JOHNSON
Alumna excels in Irish, Luxembourg teams by MARY BESS BOLLING Sports Editor tdsports@drake.edu
The connection to Iowa holds strong for alumna Jill Martin. A member of the women’s basketball 2008 Missouri Valley Conference championship team, Martin went on to play professional basketball in two different European countries after graduation. Martin now lives oceans away from her free and full-service washer and dryer at her family’s home in Norwalk, Iowa, oceans away from the concrete schoolyard courts where she honed her basketball skills that have earned her spots on three foreign professional teams and oceans away in a country that has three official languages—none of which is English. “Jill attacked that challenge head on, just like she does on the court,” said senior Drake guard Jordann Plummer, Martin’s former teammate and roommate. “Her confidence is contagious.” Plummer and Martin keep in touch via Facebook and Skype, and Martin has helped counsel Plummer in her decision to play professional basketball in Europe after her graduation this spring. “I asked her if it was really for me and if she thinks I’m prepared for it,” Plummer said. “She helped me get a feel for what it’d be like.” Though Martin said she can now look back and determine what makes a player ready to play halfway across the world; her first trip abroad was not worry-free. Before she came into her current team in Luxembourg, Martin moved to Ireland to play for the national team. “I had so many apprehensions before moving to Ireland the first time, I don’t even know where to start,” Martin
said. “I just kept thinking that I’d be that far from home and everything I’d ever known.” Martin said her first year in Ireland was a great experience and she wouldn’t have traded it for anything. “The team was like a family, and I was really spoiled there,” Martin said. “I’m realizing that now.” Her realization comes after a sevenmonth stay in Luxembourg, where the language barrier has challenged Martin and taken her out of her comfort zone. “At times I feel very secluded, because most of the players will speak their own language, so I can’t relate to what they’re saying,” Martin said. But in a six-degrees-of-separationesque coincidence, Martin was able to make a connection to Luxembourg before she even booked her flight. She had dinner with Drake men’s basketball player Frank Wiseler’s family at the Drake Diner last summer before moving to Luxembourg. Since her move out to Luxembourg, she’s visited their home a few times for meals and said it helps to keep her ties to Des Moines. “It’s been a nice connection to home and they helped me feel more comfortable here right off the bat,” Martin said. Wiseler plays with Martin’s stepbrother, freshman Reece Uhlenhopp. She said she keeps up with the men’s basketball team through her conversations with Uhlenhopp, but she avidly follows the women’s team, catching the live stream of a game every chance she gets and following the standings on the Internet regularly. Martin’s initial move overseas was to Ireland, where she and former Iowa State guard Mary Fox roomed together and bonded as the only two Americans
photo courtest of JILL MARTIN
on the team. “That was a huge blessing because she knew the ropes and it was really nice to have her there to show me the lay of the land,” Martin said. Head Coach Amy Stephens also helped prepare Martin for her time abroad, using her own experience to teach her about playing professionally in Europe. Stephens made sure that Martin finished her undergraduate degree before moving overseas. Stephens said she would’ve changed one thing about her own year in the professional leagues in Germany—she would’ve finished her bachelor’s degree before going. “I made sure that she didn’t have academic responsibilities so that she had no academics hanging over her head while she was abroad,” Stephens said. Stephens also set Martin up with an agent who connected her with coaches in Ireland. “Jill has the maturity and the coping skills to adapt to any situation and overcome those challenges because of what she went through in basketball,” Stephens said. “She has what I like to call a competitive spirit.” Stephens said the adversity Martin had to overcome in her years at Drake prepared her for her time overseas. Red-shirting in her fourth year due to two major back surgeries playing for the Bulldogs, Martin stayed on the team for a fifth year—the 2007-08 season. That season, the Drake women’s basketball team won the Missouri Valley Conference championship. “She fought through those injuries, came back and won a championship the next year,” Stephens said. “Her drive is remarkable, and that’s why she’s made it for two years in the pros.” n
FILE PHOTO
JILL MARTIN with her mother in Luxembourg right before a professional game. She graduated from Drake in 2008.
Masters champion keeps ties to Drake by JACK THUMSER
Staff Writer john.thumser@drake.edu
Being an athlete from Iowa is almost synonymous with being the underdog. Just look at Kurt Warner. During his Pro Bowl seasons as the quarterback for the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams and his resurgence with the Arizona Cardinals in the past few years, he became a media and public darling because of his rags-toriches story. So it’s not a surprise that Drake graduate and 2007 Masters champion golfer Zach Johnson is often portrayed in the same light. “Zach is a great representative of our school and state,” Athletic Director Sandy Hatfield Clubb said. “He was never the top player on his high school or college team, but he is an underdog, just like Drake.” Born in Iowa City and raised in Cedar Rapids – also Warner’s hometown, coincidently—Johnson enjoyed playing many sports and picked up golf at age 10. Success came early for Johnson when his Regis High School golf team won the class 3A Iowa High School Athletic Association state championship when he was just a sophomore. He was the No. 2 player on the squad. During his time at Drake, Johnson retained the role of No. 2 player, helping the Bulldogs win two Missouri Valley Conference championships and make three NCAA Regional tournament appearances. Although he was not the most talented player Drake had ever seen, Head Coach Scott Bohlender said it was his intangible skills that took him to the next level. “There are many players out there with Zach’s talent who we will never know,” Bohlender said. “You have to be talented, strong mentally and have everything go your way to make it to his level. You could be a fantastic golfer with a strong work ethic and play at a very high level, but never get beyond the mini tours.” After graduating from Drake in 1998, Johnson played on several small tours and eventually worked his way up the Nationwide Tour, golf ’s equivalent to minor league baseball. When he earned nearly $500,000 in 2003, he earned an automatic spot on the PGA Tour. In his first season, Johnson picked up his first tour victory at the BellSouth Classic on April 4, 2004. Although it would be his only win for three years, his performance on tour was good enough to warrant an invitation to represent the United States in the prestigious Ryder Cup in 2006. Despite his successes, Johnson was still flying under the radar going into his third season on the tour. On April 8, 2007, however, everything would change for the humble golfer. At the start of the day, Johnson sat two strokes behind the leader, Stuart Appleby, in the 2007 Masters, golf ’s most prestigious tournament. After shooting a disappointing 76 in the third round, few expected him to make a run for the title on golf ’s biggest stage, especially with Tiger Woods one stroke off the lead. Fortunately for Johnson, exceeding expectations is what he does best. Over the last six holes, he tallied three birdies to card a final round score of 69 (three under par) and beat Woods, Retief Goosen and Rory Sabbatini by two strokes to win his second PGA Tour tournament and first career Major Championship. Since then, Johnson has become one of the top 10 golfers in the world, winning again in 2007, once in 2008 and twice in 2009. His career earnings now exceed $17 million. Undoubtedly, Johnson is one of Drake’s most famous graduates, and his impact on the university has been immeasurable. “He represents all that is good about Drake University and Drake athletics,” Hatfield Clubb said. He has also been a selling point in golf recruiting. Many golfers flock to southern schools for to avoid winter conditions, but Bohlender said Johnson proves you can succeed at a cold-weather school. “It’s not where you attend college that makes you good,” Bohlender said. “It’s your love of the game, and your desire to learn all its aspects.” n