Division I Diary: Northern Colorado’s Tate Unruh

This was Tate then...

And this is Tate now.

Whether it was his record-tying eight 3-pointers in Branson’s Blue and Gold championship victory over Clever in 2008 , or pulling his weight in the Pirates’ Class 5 quarterfinal run last season, Unruh became a bonafide star amongst the Ozarks’ — and the state’s — elite.

Or maybe you know him for his size. Admittedly as a freshman, Unruh was 5-foot-5 and barely 100 pounds. He sprouted to 6-2 and 155 pounds, but still, many doubted his ability play at college basketball’s highest level.

Well, that’s where Northern Colorado comes in. Now, I’m sure few of you are familiar with the Bears, members of the Big Sky Conference and the lesser known of the state’s four D-I basketball programs. (Maybe it’s tied with Denver?) recruited Unruh and are redshirting him this season. But that hasn’t stopped Unruh from experiencing the D-I routines, taking a part of ESPN’s 24-hour college hoops marathon and being a vital practice player for a team that has the highest RPI of any Colorado university (8-2, 107).

Unruh has agreed to share a few of his thoughts with us throughout the season and let us know what it’s like in Greeley, Col. and what it’s like to be a Division I basketball player.

Living the Dream

Hey all! It’s Tate Unruh here in Greeley, Col. I just wanted to share a little bit with about what my experience has been thus far in making the D-1 leap. In one word, I would say this semester has been thrilling. Rarely will I have a day where I’m not on the go from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. but I love it!

Branson native Tate Unruh

To be honest, in my mind, I’m living the dream. I’ll take you through a typical day for a D-1 athlete, now as some of you might know, I am redshirting this year, so it’s a little different than some, but here’s the gist of it….

• 7 a.m. — Wake up, go to breakfast
• 8-8:50 a.m. — Head to first class
• 9:05-9:55 a.m. —Next class
• 10:10-11:00 a.m. —Class….again
• 11 a.m.-12:20 p.m. — Weights, normally not everyday in season, but redshirts = future powerlifters
• 12:30-1:10 p.m. — Lunch
• 1:25-2:15 p.m. — Last class (Phew)
• 3-5:30/6:00 p.m. – Practice
• 6:30 p.m. — Dinner
• 7-9 p.m. – Study Hall (Minimum of 8 hours/week)

So there it is. Game days are usually a little more laid back, and I’ll have a little more free time; same with weekends. There have been so many adjustments to the college game, and also the college life style.

I think the biggest difference on the court is how much quicker the game is. When I first got here in the fall, I felt like the pace was so much faster than I was used to. It didn’t take long to adjust, but that was huge! This season is going really well so far for us, were 8-2 and ranked 22^nd in the mid-major poll this week. We went to tournaments in Hawaii and at Air Force and won both of those. Our first loss came to Montana State, and with all due respect to them, we should have won that one going away.

The rest of this semester is huge for us, as we go to TCU and Oklahoma for big games there and when we get back the conference season will get kickin’.

This semester has been nothing short of a challenge on and off the court, but I’m surrounded by great people and that makes it a lot easier to adapt to a new home. As far as off the court goes, well, I love that part too! School is school and we all know how fun that is, but the academic side isn’t nearly as challenging as I thought. My roommates are from all over (Africa, Colorado) and they are great guys! We have meshed from day one, and we do everything together so our friendship is just growing and growing. I was able to find a local church to go to (which is really important to me) and I love it. Not a lot of the guys are crazy about going with me, but I usually find someone to drag with me.

So there you have it. I’ll try and keep udating all you guys back home as often as I can. Adios.

In Him,

Tate