SPORTS SHORTS MEN’S BASKETBALL
Polka’s focus sets the tone for Ramblers
had some unwelcome advice: You need to arrive earlier. “Weights and workouts are scheduled for
W
7 a.m. But that really means you need to be there at 6:45 a.m. and start warming up. Coach [Jim] Whitesell expects you to be ready to go at 7,” Polka explains. Offering guidance to green first-year players
is just one of the self-assigned duties for Polka, a fifth-year senior and captain of the men’s basketball team. He is regarded by his team- mates and coaches as a hard worker, an unself- ish player, and a team leader. “Andy Polka exemplifies the ideal Loyola athlete,” Whitesell says. “He cares about his teammates. He works hard on the court and in the classroom.” Polka embraces his role as a team
leader. “I try to be a supportive team- mate, especially to the freshmen,” Polka says. “Coming in to play college basketball for the first time can be overwhelming. I tell them they need to be focused on school and basketball.” Polka practices what he
preaches. He is serious about his coursework, carrying a triple major in finance, sports management, and operations management. He recently picked up a minor in business management. His work ethic extends to the basketball court, where he is regarded as a lunch bucket player willing to sacrifice points for rebounds and assists. He began the season ranked 10th in career rebounds with 765, and within striking distance of joining Les Hunter and LaRue Martin as
hen the bleary-eyed freshmen limped into the gym this summer for morning workouts, Andy Polka
the only other Ramblers to grab 1,000 boards. He also is a threat to break Martin’s all-time rebound mark of 1,062. “It’s unbelievable just to be considered in
the same category as LaRue Martin. But I’d rather win games than get the record,” Polka says. He’s been hungry for a winning season at Loyola ever since he arrived in fall 2006 after a successful career at Oshkosh West High School in Wisconsin. Earlier that year, he earned the state’s Mr. Basketball Award after leading Oshkosh West to a 26-0 season and the Division I state title, averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds per game. Coming to Loyola, Polka made an immedi-
ate impact with his rebounding prowess and defensive skills. He was the first player in two decades to haul in 200 rebounds in both his freshman and sophomore seasons. But in his junior year, Polka suffered a severe ankle injury that would keep him off the court most of the season. It was a difficult time, not only because he wanted to be playing and contributing to the team, but it was hard recovering from ankle surgery. Polka credits Head Athletic Trainer Tom Hitcho with helping him recover. “Hitch was a real mentor for me. He not
only helped me recover physically, he had such a positive attitude, which kept me moti- vated,” Polka says. Hitcho says the motivation came from
within Polka. “Andy was always positive and always willing to work hard,” Hitcho says. “It was a very serious injury and required a lot of rehab. He always wanted to do more. Sometimes I had to slow him down.” Entering his final season of
eligibility, Polka is anxious for the Ramblers to do well and to prove
wrong the prognosticators who picked Loyola to finish low in a Horizon League
dominated in recent years by Butler University. “I saw a lot of polls that picked us 7th, 8th, 9th. I don’t see us that low. We have five guys who can score 8–12 points a game. I think we’re going to surprise some people,” Polka says. Polka not only has his sights set on
the rebounding record, but also gradua- tion. Once he finishes his undergraduate work, Polka will either play basketball overseas or go to graduate school. His ultimate dream is to coach.
ESPN HONORS SOCCER SENIOR Will Martin, a senior defender on the Loyola men’s soccer team, was named ESPN The Magazine Second Team Academic All-America on Nov. 18
and became only the second Rambler ever to earn Academic All-America accolades, joining Markian Zyga in 2007. A biology major, Martin was the captain of the Rambler defense and helped the squad to five shutouts in 2010. He netted one goal and tallied a pair of assists for a career-best four points this fall and also earned a spot on the 2010 Horizon League Championship All-Tournament Team.
RUNNER NABS NIAAA SCHOLARSHIP
Cross country freshman Alyvia Clark was named the female winner of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA)
Student-Athlete Scholarship, which is given annually to one male and one female student-athlete. In addition to receiving a monetary scholarship of $2,000, Clark spoke at the National Conference for Athletic Administrators and presented her prize-winning essay “How High School Athletics Have Impacted My Life.” A key member of the Loyola cross country team, Clark finished 21st at the Horizon League Championships in October, helping the Ramblers to a second-place team showing.
CURRAN HITS 1,000 VOLLEYBALL KILLS
Mallory Curran became the 14th player in Loyola women’s volleyball history to record 1,000 career kills when she smashed her 18th kill in a five-set
victory over Valparaiso on Nov. 13. The 6-foot-1 middle blocker finished her career with 1,005 putaways and totaled a career- best 23 kills in the season finale versus Valpo.
AN AUSPICIOUS START FOR RAMBLERS
The men’s basketball team raced out of the starting blocks to a 7–0 record in November, the best start by a Loyola squad since the 1962–63 team that went on to win the NCAA Championship, which rolled to 21 consecutive victories to open the season.
FALL / WINT ER 2010
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© STEVE WOLTMANN
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