This was Tate then...
And this is Tate now.
Remember Tate Unruh, the former Branson Pirate that won hearts over during the last two Blue and Gold Tournaments, as well as help take the Pirates one game away fro the Class 5 final four? Well, he’s a redshirt freshman at Northern Colorado and has agreed to share a few of his thoughts 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.
If you missed Tate’s first D-I Diary, click here. Keep reading for the rest of his second installment.
(And, if you’re at the Blue and Gold Tournament this week, keep your eyes peeled. He’s back for the holidays.
The Gear
Hey folks, its Tate out here in the CO. In my last entry I wanted to be kind of broad and just go cover a typical day, but I thought of a new topic to write on. One thing I always wondered about before this year was if the guys at Missouri State or Mizzou or wherever, got a bunch of gear and things of that nature just given to them. Well, I don’t know exactly how they run things there, but that’s pretty much how it goes here in Greeley.
Branson graduate Tate Unruh
I am a huge gear guy, love the stuff, and at UNC they hook us up! Sweats, hoodies, shorts, shoes, backpacks, shirts, (a ton of shirts) hats, more sweats, a winter coat that is much appreciated out in this insane weather. (Ha) I think the whole “D-1 experience” started to hit me when I opened my locker and for about four days straight there was a new “something” in there. That’s one of the best feelings ever! For about the first month of the season I wondered if it was going to keep up, I was sort of in shock. I’m so grateful for all of it though, I ask myself “why me?” all time You’ll never see me complaining, its such a blessing to be treated like this.
Some of the other little perks are from a food standpoint. For instance, after every game, each one of us (players) gets our own pizza to take home. Actually I take that back, its not always a pizza, sometimes it’s wings, sometimes its Qdoba. To be honest it’s whatever the majority of the guys want, which is usually just a pizza.
In my opinion the biggest/best perk we get is unlimited access to a gym, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. we can get in the gym, locker room, and practice gym. There is a gun (rebounding machine) in there and I’m pretty sure I could survive with just that. I’ve made it my goal to make 25,000 shots before the season is over; I have about 15,500 makes left.
So there you have it, those are the main perks that I have been blessed to receive in the first semester of my career, and as stated in my first entry, I am still living the dream, college basketball is 10 times more fun than I thought it would be. I’m coming home for the Blue and Gold and can’t wait to watch young guns go at it.
In Him
Tate
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