CEM DINC’S READY TO ROCK Former IU player about to “Lace ‘em up” Again
(Bloomingon, Ind.) Ask Cem Dinc if he’s ready to “rock JUCO” and he laughs heartily and exclaims, “Oh Yeah!” He’ll get his first chance to do just that at 2:00 p.m. local time this Saturday when the Marshalltown Tigers tip off against the Hamilton College Aliens in Marshalltown, Iowa.
For Dinc, who was playing for the Indiana Hoosiers a year ago, it will be his first collegiate basketball game since December 31, 2005, when he played five minutes at Ball State. “It’s been a long wait,” says Dinc.
Indeed it has been a long wait and the circuitous route Dinc traveled to wind up in Marshalltown took him to Germany, back to the United States, over to Istanbul, throughout Europe, and then on to Japan. During that time, he worked out with an NBA personal trainer, played for the Turkish National Team, and briefly considered turning pro and playing in Europe. All the while Dinc was racking up the frequent flier miles, though, he had one overriding desire. “I wanted to be in Bloomington,” he said. “I love the town and the people are so friendly. I love the way the crowd really supports the team and, of course, I wanted to keep playing for Indiana.”
That didn’t happen, obviously. After Indiana hired Kelvin Sampson to replace Mike Davis as head basketball coach, Dinc was told in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t wanted. According to Dinc, “there wasn’t any attempt [on Indiana’s part] to look for a solution or compromise that would have let me back on the team.” Nor was there even a hint of a promise for the future. “Coach Sampson told me he might be interested if I “go rock JUCO.”
“I was crushed,” Dinc says about his meeting with Sampson in September 2006. “I went over to my girlfriend’s house to lie down. I didn’t want to see anyone or talk to anybody.” When he did, though, he called Jason Smith, his high school coach at the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. The next day his cell phone started ringing. “I got offers from a lot of Division I and II schools and most of them said they had a scholarship available if I wanted it.”
So, with all the offers, why Marshalltown? “I like Coach (Brynjar) Brynjarsson,’ Dinc said. ‘He was up front and told me he wasn’t going to make any promises.” According to Dinc, Coach Brynjarsson said, “if you want to work hard, I’ll give you a second chance, but you’ll have to make it happen once you’re here.”
That’s precisely what Dinc has done. He’s worked long and hard both on the court and in the classroom to earn the opportunity. He’s grateful to Coach Smith and Coach Brynjarsson and feels a lot of personal satisfaction from accomplishing what he has since being forced out at Indiana. “I was disappointed, sure, but I don’t have any ill will towards Coach Sampson or Indiana. I never did. I was unhappy with myself and wanted a chance to prove I belong, but, you know, that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
Dinc feels he is in the best shape of his life. In Atlanta, his trainer worked with him on toughness, speed and battling through fatigue. “He kept telling me, ‘don’t just take the shot, make the shot!’” Then, training with the Turkish National team, Dinc developed the endurance he now uses to combat fatigue by long-distance running. “We ran and ran and ran,” he said. “It wasn’t fun.”
Since arriving at Marshalltown, Dinc has hit the weight room and further honed his basketball skills. “When I came to Bloomington in September 2005, I weighed 240 pounds. By the time I left, I’d lost 35 pounds.” Now, thanks to a steady diet of barbells, he’s increased his muscle mass and tips the scale at 250 pounds.
Dinc will start at center for Marshalltown come Saturday, replacing Abraham Ramos, a 6-9, 220 pound freshman from Venezuela, who ranks among the rebound leaders in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference. The Tigers average an astonishing 113 points per game. Their top three scorers come from the point and wing slots. “I’m out there to play tough defense, crash the boards and make some moves in the post,” said Dinc. “This team really needs an experienced big guy to compliment the guards. My jobs are to wipe the defensive boards clean, hit the outlet man to start the break and then hustle down as one of the trailers on offensive to maybe get a long rebound on my way to the glass or spot up for a pass and hit a three if I’m left open.”
Dinc, who earned a 4.0 grade point average this past semester, will earn his degree this May. He credits his setback at Indiana with creating a “fear of failing” that has motivated him to work hard. “I was really down when I left Indiana this past September, but it’s amazing how fast that feeling vanished after I got to Marshalltown. By building on every small success here, I’ve regained my confidence.”
So, what does the future hold for Dinc? “I’ll be playing D-1 ball next fall for sure,” he said. “Iowa State, Miami (Fla.), Boston University, Utah State, Nevada, Marist, Rhode Island and Binghampton are teams who have called recently. Has he heard from the Hoosiers? “Nope,’ says Dinc with a hint of sadness, but then, laughing, adds, “I may wind up back in Indiana, though, because Indiana State and Evansville have been in touch, too.”
Dinc doesn’t really have a favorite among all the suitors. He just appreciates every call he gets. He said some of the smaller schools that have called think he’s looking for “something big,” but he maintains that’s not necessarily the case. “Recruiting,’ he says, is ‘all about building relationships.” He’s become “buddies” with Iowa State coach Greg McDermott since enrolling at Marshalltown, but he’s really just “looking for the right fit.” Dinc wants teams interested in him to know that he’s a “strong guy—on and off the court.” Right now, though, he’s thankful just to be playing college basketball again—even if it’s not in front of a “big crowd like at Indiana.”
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