By Ethan Moore, Sports Editor.
Jacob Thomann, an exercise science major here at Delta, is the starting center for the men’s basketball team and has been playing ball since he was a third grader in his hometown of Iron Mountain. Thomann was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula and in his short time here at Delta, he’s noticed a big difference in how the game is played down here.
“The biggest difference from playing in the (Upper Peninsula) and playing down here is the tempo.” Says Thomann, “In the (Upper Peninsula) we have a lot more half court teams that try to slow the game down, here we have more running teams that push the ball up the court to get a quick basket.”
Back in high school, Thomann was named to the 2nd team all-conference, as well as 2nd team all-UP in his senior season. In his final season at Iron Mountain, he led the Mountaineers to a district title while leading the team in rebounding and blocks. Thomann has always loved playing basketball and the actual competition doesn’t faze him.
“I treat every practice like a game.” Says Thomann. “So when I look at practices as a game, the real games don’t seem like a big deal and I just see it as another night of doing what I love.”
Thomann is currently leading the Pioneers in blocks on the season and is consistently playing a high volume of minutes. He’s set goals for himself and his team not just on the court, but also for his life going forward.
“My aspirations with basketball are to win the conference this year, and hopefully get the chance to play at a four year university.” Explains Thomann. “In life they are to be the best that I can be.”
The team is off to a slow start this season (2-12), but that doesn’t have Thomann discouraged from what this team can do.
“Our rough start does not discourage me. All I think about is getting better. We are a very young team and when we get the hang of college basketball we are not going to lose easy games like we have been.”