DAVID STLUKA
24 » VARSITY
JUN E 20, 2013
While the 2013 men's basketball recruiting class is
getting up to speed this week ― with the six freshmen
beginning to familiarize themselves with the campus,
the city and the competition at the Kohl Center, not
necessarily in that order ― Sam Dekker will be on
hand to offer his support.
This was a courtesy extended to him last season
when Jared Berggren, Mike Bruesewitz, Ryan Evans,
Ben Brust and Josh Gasser took him under their wing.
"They saw me as someone who was going to have to
help the team right away," Dekker said. "They showed
me the ropes, on and off the court."
He was treated so well, he's now prepared to return
the favor. "I'm going to treat the freshmen this year
with the same respect to help them with whatever
they need," Dekker said. "If they have any questions
I'm going to be there to answer them and really try to
help them grow."
What's the best advice he could pass along as far as
transitioning to the college game?
"It's a whole different animal," said Dekker, who
averaged 9.6 points and 3.4 rebounds as a freshman.
"You have to come in with an open mind and just be a
sponge and try to obtain as much information as you
can. It all gets thrown at you and no one is going to
feel sorry for you if you're a step behind.
"So you have to stay mentally ready and be in the
gym as much as possible to be physically ready. If
you have a good work ethic and you're a good listener, you're going to be able to play and it won't be too
overwhelming for you.
"But if you come in and you think you have all the
answers and you think you're good enough, it's not
going to work. You have to remember there's always
going to be somebody better than you and you have
to take that mentality into every day when practicing
or just shooting around."
Dekker was no ordinary freshman from the standpoint of all the attention that he received after leading
Sheboygan Lutheran to the state championship with
a most memorable performance in the title game. In
addition, he was a Parade All-American and the Gatorade Player of the Year in Wisconsin.
"I had a lot of pressure ― kind of ― and I felt it at
times," he said. "But at the end of the day everything
that was basketball-related stayed within myself and
