Adam Emmenecker

Infobox NCAA Athlete
name = Adam Emmenecker
nickname =

---

caption =
college = Drake
conference = MVC
sport = Basketball
position = Point guard
jersey = 15
status =
class =
career_start = 2004
career_end = 2008
height_ft = 6
height_in = 1
weight_lb = 189
nationality = United States
birth_date = birth date and age|1985|12|3
birth_place = Saginaw, Michigan
highschool = Arthur Hill High School, Saginaw, Michigan
career_highlights = y
honors =
awards = Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year (2008)
MVC Tournament MVP (2008)
All-MVC First Team (2008)
Captain, MVC Most Improved Team (2008)
MVC Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2008)
ESPN The Magazine Men's Basketball Academic All-America of the Year, University Division (2008)
records =
tournaments =
tournament_list =

Adam Cannata Emmenecker (born December 3 1985 in Saginaw, Michigancite web|url=http://www.godrakebulldogs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=71123&SPID=8121&DB_OEM_ID=15700&ATCLID=865709&Q_SEASON=2007 |title=2007-08 Men's Basketball Roster: #15 Adam Emmenecker |publisher=Drake University Athletics Department |accessdate=2008-03-09] ) is an American basketball player who completed his college career as a point guard at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in 2008. During the 2007-08 basketball season, Emmenecker, who had been a walk-on (non-scholarship player) for his first three years at Drake,cite press release|url=http://www.mvc-sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=2901&SPSID=36371&DB_OEM_ID=7600&ATCLID=1403210 |title=Juniors Highlight League's Specialty Award Units |publisher=Missouri Valley Conference |date=2008-03-05 |accessdate=2008-03-09] emerged from obscurity to lead the Bulldogs to a sweep of the regular-season and tournament titles in the Missouri Valley Conference, and received numerous honors for his performance as both a player and a student. Adam's parents are Michael A. Emmenecker and Jo-Ann B. Cannata of Saginaw, Michigan, he has one sister, Sara C. Emmenecker.

High school

While at Arthur Hill High School in Saginaw, Emmenecker was a two-sport star, starting for and captaining the basketball team for three years and earning all-league honors twice in baseball. His high school basketball statistics were those of a pass-first point guard—8.4 assists per game as opposed to only 4.7 points per game. He also averaged 5.9 rebounds and 3.2 steals per game. In his senior season of 2003-04, he led his team to a 22-2 record and a ranking of #25 in that year's final "USA Today" national high school basketball poll. Emmenecker was an honorable mention all-state player in Michigan's Class A, and was also named Arthur Hill's outstanding graduate of 2004.

Drake

Walk-on obscurity

Emmenecker received no NCAA Division I scholarship offers in basketball, and nearly decided to play baseball at Boston College before opting to attend Drake.cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatourney08/columns/story?id=3296550&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos2 |title=Drake's season a remarkable success story |first=Adam |last=Rittenberg |publisher="ESPN.com" |date=2008-03-16 |accessdate=2008-03-17] He received a Presidential Scholarship, a partial tuition scholarship "for academic achievement,"cite web|url=http://www.choose.drake.edu/admissions/finaid/merit.asp |title=Financial Aid: Merit Aid |publisher=Drake University |accessdate=2008-03-09] and also walked on to the basketball team. In his first season (2004-05), he played in 12 games, with his most extensive game action being six minutes against Western Illinois. As a sophomore in 2005-06, he played in 29 games, starting two, and averaged seven minutes. The following year, he became the Bulldogs' top reserve guard, averaging 11 minutes per game in 23 games before his season ended with a shoulder injury against Missouri State.

Campus Life

Adam currently is finishing his multiple degrees at Drake University.

2007-08: The Cinderella season

Going into the 2007-08 season, Drake was lightly regarded, returning only one starter, forward Klayton Korver, from a 2006-07 team that had won 17 games. In the MVC's preseason poll of media members, league coaches, and league sports information directors, the Bulldogs were picked to finish ninth out of 10 teams, and no Drake player was selected even as an honorable mention on the league's preseason all-conference team.cite press release|url=http://www.mvc-sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=36371&SPID=2901&DB_OEM_ID=7600&ATCLID=1286125 |title=Southern Illinois Picked to Win MVC Men's Basketball Title |publisher=Missouri Valley Conference |date=2007-10-30 |accessdate=2008-03-09] Emmenecker did achieve a personal milestone two days before the Bulldogs started their season. After three years as a walk-on, he was given a full athletic scholarship for his final season.

After splitting two games in California to open the season, Drake emerged as one of the surprises of the 2007-08 basketball season, embarking on a winning streak that would reach 21 games before ending on February 13 2008 against Southern Illinois. The Bulldogs went on to finish 15-3 in conference play, winning their first MVC regular-season title since 1971 by two games.cite press release|url=http://www.mvc-sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=36371&SPID=2901&DB_OEM_ID=7600&ATCLID=1403281 |title=Men's Basketball Notebook —Tournament Preview |publisher=Missouri Valley Conference |date=2008-03-03 |accessdate=2008-03-09] They added the MVC Tournament to their regular-season crown, securing their first NCAA Tournament bid since 1971 and their first postseason berth of any kind since the 1986 NIT.cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280692181 |title=Drake pummels Illinois State, sweeps MVC titles |author=Associated Press |publisher="ESPN.com" |date=2008-03-09 |accessdate=2008-03-09] The Bulldogs went on to lose an overtime heartbreaker in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Western Kentucky on a long three-pointer at the buzzer by Western's Ty Rogers. In his final competitive game, Emmenecker struggled with his shooting from the field, going 0-for-10, but still got a double-double with 11 points and 14 assists. [cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=284000035 |title=Rogers' desperation 26-foot 3 in OT lifts No. 12 W. Kentucky past No. 5 Drake |author=Associated Press |publisher="ESPN.com" |date=2008-03-21 |accessdate=2008-03-27]

The former walk-on emerged as a major star in Drake's Cinderella season. Although he averaged only 8.5 points per game for the season, his average in MVC regular-season play was 10.3.cite web|url=http://www.godrakebulldogs.com/fls/15700/statistics/mbb07/teamcume.htm#TEAM.IND
title=Drake Season Statistics: Season Box Score |publisher=Drake University Athletics Department |date=2008-03-09 |accessdate=2008-03-09] Emmenecker's contributions in other facets of the game proved much more important than his scoring. His 6.45 assists per game led the MVC by more than one per game,cite web|url=http://www.mvc.org/mbb/stats/individual.pdf |title=2007-08 Missouri Valley Conference Individual Basketball Statistics |publisher=Missouri Valley Conference |format=PDF |date=2008-03-26 |accessdate=2008-03-27] and he set a single-season school record for assists. [cite press release|url=http://www.godrakebulldogs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=71122&SPID=8121&DB_OEM_ID=15700&ATCLID=1401812 |title=Seniors Close Out Home Careers In Style With 73-63 Victory Past Wichita State |publisher=Drake University Athletics Department |date=2008-02-29 |accessdate=2008-03-09] He was also among the league's top five in steals and assist-to-turnover ratio, and in the league's top 10 in minutes played, free throw percentage, and—somewhat surprisingly for a 6'1" (1.85 m) point guard—offensive rebounds.cite web|url=http://www.mvc.org/mbb/stats/CONFLDRS.HTM#conf.wki |title=Missouri Valley Conference Leaders: Individual Basketball Statistics |publisher=Missouri Valley Conference |date=2008-03-09 |accessdate=2008-03-09]

Emmenecker became the MVC's most-decorated player of the 2007-08 season:
* He was named as the captain of the MVC's All-Improved Team, joining Drake teammates Jonathan Cox and Leonard Houston on that team.
* He also made the All-MVC first team alongside Josh Young.cite press release|url=http://www.mvc-sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=36371&SPID=2901&DB_OEM_ID=7600&ATCLID=1403220 |title=Emmenecker Is Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year |publisher=Missouri Valley Conference |date=2008-03-04 |accessdate=2008-03-09]
* In addition, he was named the Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year.
* Finally, he was named MVP of the 2008 MVC Tournament.

When the MVC announced him as season MVP, it called him "perhaps the most improbable MVC Player of the Year (based on pre-season expectations) in league history." Entering the 2007-08 season, he had played 58 games in three seasons, but had only started two, and had career totals of 57 points and 64 assists. His 2007-08 season totals in points, assists, and rebounds all were at least double his previous career statistics in each category.

Emmenecker's 2007-08 season, and indeed his Drake career, may best be summed up by Keno Davis, who was a Drake assistant under his father, Dr. Tom Davis, when Emmenecker arrived as a walk-on, succeeded his father as head coach for the 2007-08 season, was named 2008 MVC Coach of the Year,cite press release|url=http://www.mvc-sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=2901&DB_OEM_ID=7600&SPSID=36371&ATCLID=1405413 |title=Drake's Keno Davis Named Valley’s Top Men’s Basketball Coach |publisher=Missouri Valley Conference |date=2008-03-06 |accessdate=2008-03-09] and won multiple national Coach of the Year awards: [cite press release|url=http://www.godrakebulldogs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=71122&SPID=8121&DB_OEM_ID=15700&ATCLID=1419616 |title=Davis Named Basketball Times National Coach Of Year |publisher=Drake University Athletics Department |date=2008-03-26 |accessdate=2008-03-27]

**It should also be noted Adam was recognized as Honorable Mention on the AP All-American Team. An honor almost as dubious as making one of the 3 All American Teams themselves. He shared Honorable Mention Honors with such stars as Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush and Darrell Aurthur (Kansas), Drew Neitzel (Michigan State), as well as Tyler Smith (Tennessee, transferred from Iowa due to family tragedy).

Academic accolades

Emmenecker's accomplishments on the court in 2007-08 were arguably eclipsed by his academic record. As of February 2008, he carried a 3.97 grade point average in four majors—management, business, finance, and entrepreneurial management. He was chosen as the 2008 Academic All-American of the Year in men's Division I basketball by the College Sports Information Directors of America,cite press release|url=http://www.cosida.com/documents/2008/2/26/2008_mbb_aaa.pdf |title=Drake's Emmenecker and Washington's (Mo.) Ruths Head 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men's Basketball Team |publisher=College Sports Information Directors of America |format=PDF |date=2008-02-26 |accessdate=2008-03-09] and was also named the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men's basketball.cite press release|url=http://www.mvc-sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=2901&DB_OEM_ID=7600&SPSID=36371&ATCLID=1405380 |title=Emmenecker Named Prairie-Farms Scholar-Athlete of the Year |publisher=Missouri Valley Conference |date=2008-03-06 |accessdate=2008-03-09]

Adam also passed on a very good job offer from the Principal Financial Group (which was offered to him before the excellent season, obviously) to pursue a possible Pro Basketball career in Europe. Principal will keep this job opportunity on the table for a man of Adam's caliber, if the Basketball thing doesn't work out. This guy has CEO written all over him and do not be surprised if down the road Adam sets his own thing up and creates his own company or organization with his great talent in life not to mention his 4 very good degrees earned from one of the better Academic Colleges in the Midwest and U.S.A.

References

External links

* [http://www.godrakebulldogs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=71123&SPID=8121&DB_OEM_ID=15700&ATCLID=865315&Q_SEASON=2007 Official Drake bio]