Former Tigers star ready for supporting role

Photo by Ryan Kronberg Former Spencer standout and current UNI Panther Brian Haak drains a 3-pointer last Friday during UNI's win over Northern Illinois in the BTI Tip-Off Tourney at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls. The Panthers defeated Northern Illinois 75-45 in their season opener; Haak scored five points, added three assists and two rebounds.

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Brian Haak isn't used to fighting for playing time or trying to find his role within a team.

A multi-sport standout for Spencer, and one of the best all-around basketball talents the Tigers have seen in the past decade, Haak was used to being the centerpiece of his prep teams.

As 3-year starter during his high school days, Haak made his mark with the Tigers as the first player in school history to record 1,000 points and 500 assists in a career.

A first team All-State player after averaging 20.4 points, 9.8 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists as a senior, Haak graduated from Spencer in 2005 as the all-time leader in steals and assists, and as the school's third all-time leading scorer.

With his natural ability and all-around skills, there was never any question whether Haak would be on the court when December rolled around.

The situation has changed just a little.

In his third year as a walk-on at the University of Northern Iowa, Haak finds himself fighting for playing time and hoping to work himself into the Panthers' 2007-08 plans.

"I think I've come a long ways," Haak said on adjusting to the college game. "It's quite a different aspect of playing here. It's a lot faster."

Haak spent last season as a reserve point guard, playing in nine games for first-year coach Ben Jacobson.

Opportunity has knocked for Haak to assume a larger role early this season, however, with a pair of key injuries to two of UNI's top guards.

Carlton Reed, a transfer from Iowa, broke his foot and is expected to be out until early December, and Kwadzo Ahelegbe, a sophomore who played in 30 games and started four in 2006-07, will be sidelined for the entire season after undergoing surgery yesterday on a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

Haak had made the switch to play primarily as an off-guard this season, but with the injuries, may find himself back in the point guard role.

"I'm comfortable either way. I played point my entire high school career. I'm used to that," Haak said. "The wing spot, I feel comfortable there just catching and shooting, but I've been working at point quite a bit, too. I think my shot's coming along real well. I've got to continue to work on ball handling and if they need me to step in, I'll feel free to step in."

Haak, who redshirted in his first year with the Panthers, says his first two years in the program have helped prepare him for potential contributions this season.

"I think my redshirt year helped me a ton," Haak said. "You lift a lot more than the guys that are playing and you've got to practice along with what they do, too. You learn the game just as fast as everybody else.

"Personally, I think the redshirt year helped me out tremendously, learning the game under (Ben) Jacobson, (John) Little and (Erik) Crawford," Haak added, referring to UNI's former players who helped lead the Panthers to their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006. "They really pushed me to get better and I feel that I've gotten better every year."

The prospect of adjusting to the more physical college game was the biggest area of improvement for Haak as he began his UNI career.

"I obviously had to put on some weight lifting-wise. I've probably put on 20 pounds since my days back in high school, which always helps," Haak commented. "Some guys are quite a bit bigger than what I was used to in the Lakes Conference. It's a lot more physical and you've got to adapt to that.

"A lot more goes in college than in high school, even playing with our own guys in pickup games and stuff. You learn fast," Haak added. "The coaches do a really good job of getting us into that playing field and getting ready. You've got to adjust fast otherwise you're not going to last too long."

And there's always room to improve that shot.

"I shot pretty well in high school, but now that I'm in college, I'm focusing on one sport and I can concentrate year round with it," Haak stated. "I feel like I've been shooting the ball really well lately, and I feel confident with it."

Playing year round is a must for college athletes, and Haak took full advantage of his second offseason with the Panthers.

This offseason was quite a bit different than typical years, however, as Haak and his UNI teammates were chosen to represent Team USA at the World University Games in Thailand.

"The offseason this year went really well with the trip to Thailand. That's quite the experience," Haak said. "We worked a lot harder than what we normally do in those few months."

Haak and his Team USA teammates -- which included seniors Eric Coleman, Jared Josten and Adam Viet, juniors Travis Brown and Reed, sophomores Ahelegbe, Jordan Egleseder and Adam Koch, and redshirt freshmen Kerwin Dunham, and Josh Molstead -- spent two week in Thailand, playing six games in an 11-day swing.

"We had to get here and work and go all-out conditioning," Haak said of the preparation for the world games. "Getting the chance to play for the USA and go overseas like that, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity so it was fun to work for.

"It opened our eyes to what's out there and gave us the look of the overseas play," Haak added. "You've got the different lane, different ball, different rules and the 24-second shot clock was definitely a change. It's just adapting to stuff -- you're never going to know what's coming at you."

Team USA, which also included former Panthers Grant Stout and Brooks McKowen, went 5-1 during the trip, finishing ninth in the 24-team field. The UNI contingent dropped its first game to Lithuania before defeating Angola, Turkey, China, Finland and Israel.

"It was fun playing against those guys. Some of them play professionally overseas," Haak said. "Playing against better competition, that's how you get better."

Haak said the trip to Thailand, along with it being a once in a lifetime experience, gave UNI a strong head start preparing for the 2007-08 season.

"Defensively, the game's a lot quicker over there, you've got to get up and down the floor a lot faster," Haak commented. "We're probably in the best shape we've been in for a long time."

UNI opened its exhibition season on Halloween night against Wayne State and ran its regular season record to 3-0 to start the year, hosting and winning the BTI Tip-Off Tourney last weekend with wins over Northern Illinois, Cal Poly and Massachusetts.

Haak has seen action in all five games, turning in his strongest performance with five points, three assists and two rebounds in 14 minutes against Northern Illinois.

"We've got a good squad coming back," Haak said. "We've got some great seniors with Viet, Jostens and Coleman -- they'll be our leaders of the pack. And once Carlton (Reed) gets back, he's going to be a key to our success in the conference, and hopefully in the postseason as well."

UNI is hoping this season doesn't mimic its predecessor. In 2006-07, the Panthers also started strong, running out to an 8-1 mark and winning 13 of their first 15 games before hitting a mid-season slump.

"We kind of had a little slide there. That's tough on your morale when you lose a few that you shouldn't lose," Haak said.

UNI won its first four Missouri Valley Conference games last season, but the year went south following a heartbreaking road loss to Southern Illinois on Jan. 23. Starting with the Salukis, the Panthers dropped eight games in a 9-game stretch, seven of those losses coming in a conference they had controlled for the previous few seasons.

"Obviously that's a tough place to play. Their record there in the past few seasons is something crazy like 80-3," Haak said of Southern Illinois. "And when you come that close, that kind of kills the spirit real fast."

Haak and the Panthers are hoping last year's disappointment fuels a turnaround season this year.

"We learned a lot from last year. We started playing better toward the end of the season, but we kind of had a heartbreaker down in the Valley Tournament, too," Haak commented. "We would like to have done better down there and make it to the postseason, but I think we learned a lot from that. We've got to work much harder to get into postseason play."

Returning to the postseason -- the NCAA Tournament field in March -- where UNI had been for three straight years before last season, is where the Panthers ultimately plan to end up.

"Coleman and the other seniors have all experienced that," Haak said of the NCAA Tournament, "and I experienced that my first year when I redshirted -- I got to go along with that and see what it's really like. That's motivation enough to get back and play in the tournament again, not just be a spectator this time. We just want to get back there."

Those within the UNI program believe the Panthers have the right chemistry to put together a highly successful season, one that will be strengthened by the depth in the system.

"That's one thing this team has over some of the previous teams," Haak said. "We've obviously had great players in the past who have set up everything we have now, but I think our depth this year is going to be something that will play a key factor in our success.

"Everybody plays a role in everything," Haak added. "I think the depth of this team will be a good key to everything."

And for this former Tigers star, even a supporting role is exactly what he's been waiting, and working, for.

Charles City Press Sports Editor Ryan Kronberg contributed to this story.