Central Michigan University Athletics
Dentlinger And Pantlind Enjoying Their Rookie Year
1/26/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2001
Basketball memories and lifelong friendships are what freshman roommates Adam Dentlinger (Arcadia, Iowa/Carroll Kuemper Catholic HS) and Tom Pantlind (East Grand Rapids/East Grand Rapids) are creating each day.
Their suite in Thorpe Hall provides hours of fun and crazy times as they live in a place where it is easy to get to know people by leaving the door open. The active lives of fellow residents in the hall sometimes prevent them falling asleep until after midnight.
Other freshmen basketball players also live in Thorpe. They are such a tight-knit group that they often watch television and eat in the dining commons together. As a herd of them walk into the cafeteria Adam claims he hears people say, "Man, you guys are tall, do you play on the basketball team?" He chuckles at the comment as if the residents had no clue why so many tall people were hanging out together.
Pantlind, who is redshirting this season, has known some of his teammates for quite some time. He played AAU basketball with Tony Bowne and Dan Quinn since the eighth grade. He has played against Chris Kaman and was impressed with the abilities of T.J. Meerman and J.R. Wallace in their high school days.
When comparing Mount Pleasant to Arcadia, Dentlinger claims they are very similar, but that doesn't stop his teammates from making Iowa jokes. Adam says the areas look the same, and the social activities in Mount Pleasant resemble the activities he would do in Iowa.
These hard-working freshmen notice some considerable differences from the high school game to the college level of play. They both agree that the speed of college basketball is much quicker. "You have to think and move faster, and it's more physical," said Pantlind. Dentlinger said, "There are no days off. There are no easy practices or games."
Both Adam and Tom have family members who are very supportive of their college basketball careers. Tom has a twin brother at Indiana University and says his dad and mom provide great inspiration in his life. Adam has a brother who also played college basketball. He looks to his brother to provide guidance and advice for the difficult situations student-athletes face. The support was so great that nearly 120 family members turned out to watch when CMU traveled to Drake earlier this season.
by: Andrea Wieczorek
