University of Minnesota Athletics
A Critical Choice: Junior Forward Zach Puchtel
12/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The question that invariably follows is why? Why when he’s figuratively reached the summit would Puchtel choose to return again to the base of the mountain? For someone so obviously bright, it’s a choice that at least on paper, doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. “People question why I didn’t just graduate and get on with my life instead of just sitting on a bench for a year,” Puchtel said, conceding that to others it probably appears he’s made a regrettable decision. “It’s hard to convince other people,” he admitted. “But I realize that what I’m doing will be beneficial for me in the long-run.”
So how could leaving familiar surroundings and putting a hopeful future on hold for a seemingly secondary role on a basketball team be beneficial? Puchtel responded that he’s received something invaluable while at Minnesota; he ultimately rediscovered his own identity.
By contrast, Puchtel’s character took a hit following the 2001 football season at Harvard. He played tight end for the Crimson, but decided to give it up following his freshman campaign. He said after making that difficult decision, it always seemed like a part of him was missing. “It’s as if I was trying to be someone that I wasn’t when I quit football,” he explained. Puchtel then joined Harvard’s JV basketball team and even played rugby in an attempt to fill the void. Yet a sense of emptiness persisted.
Puchtel then had an epiphany nearly two years ago while he and some friends were discussing their futures. “They were planning to go off to careers in investment banking because they’re good in math,” he recalled of the discussion. “That started me thinking, ‘What am I best at?’ I came to the conclusion that my athletic talents are some of the greatest gifts that I have. So then I started thinking about what I could do right away to take advantage of my youthfulness and my situation.”
Puchtel’s odyssey eventually led him to contact fellow Hopkins High School graduate, James Ware, who also happens to be Minnesota’s Director of Basketball Operations. Soon after his initial discussion with Ware, he learned there was a walk-on spot with the Gophers available for him if he wanted it. Faced with the tough decision of whether or not to accept Minnesota’s offer, Puchtel cleverly considered his options. “I remember thinking, ‘When I’m 65 years old, am I going to look back and wish I would have given it a chance?” He decided the answer was yes, so he knew he had to take the risk.
Yet, on the surface, it still appears that Puchtel has given up so much and received very little in return. But that’s not at all how he sees it. “It’s all made a lot of sense since I’ve gotten here,” he said, noting that through playing basketball for Minnesota he has regained a missing piece of his identity. “It’s been great because of all the wonderful things that go into sports; the team camaraderie, the competition, having something to work for and having a bunch of people work towards a common goal. Those are all things that I missed having in my life and it was something that Minnesota offered to me.”
Convincing others of his viewpoint, however, is admittedly still challenging “I don’t think right now I could convince someone else that the experience (at Minnesota) was worth what I gave up (at Harvard),” he said of his choice to transfer. Nevertheless, Puchtel obviously values playing for the Maroon and Gold because being a Gopher has not only helped him regain a lost piece of his identity, but he also says enduring such a “humbling” experience has actually enhanced his character and made him an altogether stronger person.
Puchtel had never before been a reserve player, so one of the lessons he’s had to learn on this team is patience. “I’m used to having rewards, like recognition and playing time, and those things haven’t come to me here,” he said. “But to say that it’s tough to cheer for your best friends out on the court is ridiculous. That’s not the difficult part. The difficult part is swallowing my pride and realizing my role on the team and to accept it.”
Accepting his role on the team has meant that Puchtel has had to switch the focus of his on-the-court goals. He acknowledged coming in with aspirations of earning as much playing time as possible. “Certainly, I still want to play,” he commented. “But this experience has become very selfless for me and that’s a good thing.”
Now his goals are more team-oriented than they are personal. “I want us to win a Big Ten Championship. I want to get to the NCAA tournament and then I want us to get further than we did last year,” he stated.
Puchtel’s team-first attitude and solid work ethic are on display at practice everyday where No. 32 goes toe-to-toe with Minnesota’s frontline players; guys who are typically three inches taller and 20 pounds heavier than the 6-6, 250-pounder. Puchtel, however, doesn’t back down from the challenge of guarding bigger players. He said his objective is to get guys better by adding a physical element to the team so he tries to be as aggressive as possible. He believes the more physical he plays, then the more prepared the frontline is going to be.
He’s definitely convinced Gopher assistant coach Jim Molinari of his formula for team success. Molinari said Puchtel plays more physical than what the other players will likely experience in an actual game. “He tries to make everyone else better. That’s a hard role, but he savors it,” Coach Molinari said of the Gopher forward. “There’s no question Zach is a big part of our team winning. He’s simply a joy to be around as a coach because he’s hard-nosed, tough-minded and selfless.”
Puchtel is equally driven off the court. He’s been studying business while at Minnesota. However, when he completes his basketball eligibility this spring and returns to Cambridge, Mass. next year, none of the credits he’s completed at Minnesota will count toward the psychology degree he’ll earn from Harvard. Regardless of that fact, Puchtel still referred to his time at Minnesota as the best learning experience of his life. “I’ve been put in situations that I’m not used to,” he explained. “I therefore didn’t know how to deal with them, but have persevered.” So the lessons he’s learned here he said are ones he can apply to whatever challenge he accepts next.
A self-described “dreamer,” Puchtel has not settled on his next personal venture. He expects he’ll eventually earn a graduate degree in either business or law, but now with a renewed spirit, he hasn’t completely dismissed football from his future. “I just feel like there’s things I want to do in my life and I might as well try and do them,” he said of his plans.
It’s obvious that Zach Puchtel already possessed all the necessary tools for personal success in a number of disciplines. His experience at Minnesota only seems to have sharpened those traits. “Zach is going to have some delayed gratification,” Coach Molinari said of Puchtel’s Golden Gopher experience. “He might not see it on the court, but I really believe that he’s sowing seeds of great success in life by the way he’s handled it. Whatever he chooses to do, there’s no doubt he’ll be successful.”
Puchtel confirms he’d make the same decision all over again. “I knew it was going to be difficult and I knew there were going to be hurdles and that my goals weren’t necessarily attainable right away,” he declared. “But I also know the experience will eventually pay off in whatever I choose to do later in life.”
Story written by Kevin Noth, athletic communications graduate assistant. Zach Puchtel had the proverbial finish-line clearly in sight. He was just a year away from completing his undergraduate studies at Harvard and could shortly expect a wealth of post-collegiate opportunities having earned a Bachelor’s degree from one of America’s most prestigious universities. Yet instead of planning for the familiar future of either gainful employment or graduate school which awaited fellow members of his senior class, Puchtel took what others might view as a U-turn. He decided to forego his senior year at Harvard for a chance to walk-on to the Gopher men’s basketball team.
The question that invariably follows is why? Why when he’s figuratively reached the summit would Puchtel choose to return again to the base of the mountain? For someone so obviously bright, it’s a choice that at least on paper, doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. “People question why I didn’t just graduate and get on with my life instead of just sitting on a bench for a year,” Puchtel said, conceding that to others it probably appears he’s made a regrettable decision. “It’s hard to convince other people,” he admitted. “But I realize that what I’m doing will be beneficial for me in the long-run.”
So how could leaving familiar surroundings and putting a hopeful future on hold for a seemingly secondary role on a basketball team be beneficial? Puchtel responded that he’s received something invaluable while at Minnesota; he ultimately rediscovered his own identity.
By contrast, Puchtel’s character took a hit following the 2001 football season at Harvard. He played tight end for the Crimson, but decided to give it up following his freshman campaign. He said after making that difficult decision, it always seemed like a part of him was missing. “It’s as if I was trying to be someone that I wasn’t when I quit football,” he explained. Puchtel then joined Harvard’s JV basketball team and even played rugby in an attempt to fill the void. Yet a sense of emptiness persisted.
Puchtel then had an epiphany nearly two years ago while he and some friends were discussing their futures. “They were planning to go off to careers in investment banking because they’re good in math,” he recalled of the discussion. “That started me thinking, ‘What am I best at?’ I came to the conclusion that my athletic talents are some of the greatest gifts that I have. So then I started thinking about what I could do right away to take advantage of my youthfulness and my situation.”
Puchtel’s odyssey eventually led him to contact fellow Hopkins High School graduate, James Ware, who also happens to be Minnesota’s Director of Basketball Operations. Soon after his initial discussion with Ware, he learned there was a walk-on spot with the Gophers available for him if he wanted it. Faced with the tough decision of whether or not to accept Minnesota’s offer, Puchtel cleverly considered his options. “I remember thinking, ‘When I’m 65 years old, am I going to look back and wish I would have given it a chance?” He decided the answer was yes, so he knew he had to take the risk.
Yet, on the surface, it still appears that Puchtel has given up so much and received very little in return. But that’s not at all how he sees it. “It’s all made a lot of sense since I’ve gotten here,” he said, noting that through playing basketball for Minnesota he has regained a missing piece of his identity. “It’s been great because of all the wonderful things that go into sports; the team camaraderie, the competition, having something to work for and having a bunch of people work towards a common goal. Those are all things that I missed having in my life and it was something that Minnesota offered to me.”
Convincing others of his viewpoint, however, is admittedly still challenging “I don’t think right now I could convince someone else that the experience (at Minnesota) was worth what I gave up (at Harvard),” he said of his choice to transfer. Nevertheless, Puchtel obviously values playing for the Maroon and Gold because being a Gopher has not only helped him regain a lost piece of his identity, but he also says enduring such a “humbling” experience has actually enhanced his character and made him an altogether stronger person.
Puchtel had never before been a reserve player, so one of the lessons he’s had to learn on this team is patience. “I’m used to having rewards, like recognition and playing time, and those things haven’t come to me here,” he said. “But to say that it’s tough to cheer for your best friends out on the court is ridiculous. That’s not the difficult part. The difficult part is swallowing my pride and realizing my role on the team and to accept it.”
Accepting his role on the team has meant that Puchtel has had to switch the focus of his on-the-court goals. He acknowledged coming in with aspirations of earning as much playing time as possible. “Certainly, I still want to play,” he commented. “But this experience has become very selfless for me and that’s a good thing.”
Now his goals are more team-oriented than they are personal. “I want us to win a Big Ten Championship. I want to get to the NCAA tournament and then I want us to get further than we did last year,” he stated.
Puchtel’s team-first attitude and solid work ethic are on display at practice everyday where No. 32 goes toe-to-toe with Minnesota’s frontline players; guys who are typically three inches taller and 20 pounds heavier than the 6-6, 250-pounder. Puchtel, however, doesn’t back down from the challenge of guarding bigger players. He said his objective is to get guys better by adding a physical element to the team so he tries to be as aggressive as possible. He believes the more physical he plays, then the more prepared the frontline is going to be.
He’s definitely convinced Gopher assistant coach Jim Molinari of his formula for team success. Molinari said Puchtel plays more physical than what the other players will likely experience in an actual game. “He tries to make everyone else better. That’s a hard role, but he savors it,” Coach Molinari said of the Gopher forward. “There’s no question Zach is a big part of our team winning. He’s simply a joy to be around as a coach because he’s hard-nosed, tough-minded and selfless.”
Puchtel is equally driven off the court. He’s been studying business while at Minnesota. However, when he completes his basketball eligibility this spring and returns to Cambridge, Mass. next year, none of the credits he’s completed at Minnesota will count toward the psychology degree he’ll earn from Harvard. Regardless of that fact, Puchtel still referred to his time at Minnesota as the best learning experience of his life. “I’ve been put in situations that I’m not used to,” he explained. “I therefore didn’t know how to deal with them, but have persevered.” So the lessons he’s learned here he said are ones he can apply to whatever challenge he accepts next.
A self-described “dreamer,” Puchtel has not settled on his next personal venture. He expects he’ll eventually earn a graduate degree in either business or law, but now with a renewed spirit, he hasn’t completely dismissed football from his future. “I just feel like there’s things I want to do in my life and I might as well try and do them,” he said of his plans.
It’s obvious that Zach Puchtel already possessed all the necessary tools for personal success in a number of disciplines. His experience at Minnesota only seems to have sharpened those traits. “Zach is going to have some delayed gratification,” Coach Molinari said of Puchtel’s Golden Gopher experience. “He might not see it on the court, but I really believe that he’s sowing seeds of great success in life by the way he’s handled it. Whatever he chooses to do, there’s no doubt he’ll be successful.”
Puchtel confirms he’d make the same decision all over again. “I knew it was going to be difficult and I knew there were going to be hurdles and that my goals weren’t necessarily attainable right away,” he declared. “But I also know the experience will eventually pay off in whatever I choose to do later in life.”
Story written by Kevin Noth, athletic communications graduate assistant.
