Feb. 1, 2008

Coming out of high school Adam Koch was a highly sought out recruit. The likes of Washington State, West Virginia, Butler and many Missouri Valley conference schools were interested in the 6-8 forward from Ashwaubenon, Wis. After spending numerous nights taking telephone calls from recruiters, Koch signed with the school he considered to be the best fit for him, the University of Northern Iowa.

 

Koch first became interested in UNI when he attended the UNI Big-Man camp in the summer after his junior year.

 

"I felt the camp really helped me develop into a better overall player, and the coaching staff showed a lot of interest in me," Koch said.

 

Koch's final decision came after his official visit to UNI.

 

"When I came on my visit I knew this was the place where I wanted to go to school. I really liked the coaches, players, and the environment of the Cedar Falls area," Koch said. "I also knew the Missouri Valley Conference was one of the top leagues in the country, and knew that multiple teams can qualify for the NCAA tournament from this league every year."

 

Little did the Panthers know when they signed Koch, they would also be getting his younger brother Jake two years later. Jake, a high school senior recently signed his letter-of-intent to play at UNI. Jake is also listed at 6-8, but is not afraid to go outside and shoot the three. "We definitely play the game very similar, I would say I am more explosive player than Jake, but he is a really good passer for his height" said the proud older brother."

 

When Adam and Jake are on the court together, it will mark the first time since the 1968-69 season that a tandem of brothers will play together at UNI.

 

"I am really looking forward to having the chance to play along with my brother, and not many people get a chance to play college basketball with their brother," Koch said. "Jake will probably redshirt his freshman year, but my senior year we should get the chance to play together."

 

Being so close in age many people would think the brothers played on the same high school team. However, Adam and Jake have never played on the same team in their high school careers.

 

"During my senior year we had a really strong team and we won every game until we were upset in the first round of the Division I state tournament. Jake was a sophomore, and playing at a large high school so he was not moved up to the varsity level," Koch said. 

 

Growing up in a basketball family has helped the Koch brothers develop into Division I athletes. Their father Brian played collegiate basketball at Wisconsin-Stevens Point with NBA guard Terry Porter under former Wisconsin head coach Dick Bennett.

 

"My dad has been a big influence in all areas of my life. He was the person who introduced me to basketball, and a lot of my success is a credit to him giving me opportunities to be successful," said the thankful son.

 

After appearing in all 31 games as a freshman and averaging 2.8 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per contest for the Panthers, Koch has made huge strides on the court in his sophomore campaign. Koch credits much of his success after playing a year behind all-conference performer Grant Stout.

 

"Grant was a great mentor for me, and taught me all the little things I needed to know about playing Division I basketball. The trip to Thailand this summer and playing against international competition has made me feel more comfortable on the court this season," Koch said.

 

This season Koch notched a career high 20 points against Valley foe Evansville on Jan. 2. Koch made seven of his eight field goal attempts in the contest, and connected on six of nine free-throws.

 

"I was just more aggressive that game than I normally am. The coaches keep telling me I need to be more aggressive, and it is something I still have to work on," Koch said.

 

Koch also played a key role in helping the Panthers win their season-opening BTI-Tipoff tournament scoring 17 points in the championship game against Massachusetts.

 

Even though the team struggled in the early part of the MVC race, Koch still has hope the team can pull it together to help finish the season strong.

 

"I know we have dug ourselves a hole in the Valley standings, but anything is possible in this league. If we can't get a share of the regular season title, everything starts from scratch at the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. Hopefully, we are playing our best basketball at the end of the season and can turn this around," said the optimistic Koch.