Julius Michalik

jbhtexas · 12-20-2006, 07:20 PM

The Hubalek talk today reminded me of the year when Julius Michalik was a freshman. JM seemed to be a Euro-player (i.e. tall, lean, perimeter-oriented) as well, but ISU really had no post players. Loren Meyer was too green to start at post, so JO stuck JM in the post for the first part of that freshman year. I'm sure JM would have rather played the wing and hoisted up three's, but he did what the team and coaches needed him to do, and he played post until Meyer was able to contribute more. ISU went on to have a pretty good year.

In the long run, I think playing the post made JM a more well-rounded player. He could shoot three's, but he also learned how to work inside and take the ball to basket.

pulse · 12-21-2006, 09:11 AM

Julo was so much more talented. He could dribble, shoot the 3, played hard and was a decent player down low.. So really the only similarites between the 2 are that they were both born on the same continent. I always loved it the few times he would decide to bring the ball up the court and would dribble behind his back and go around a guy.

joepublic · 12-21-2006, 09:26 AM

Julo could also pass and distribute the ball. Very crafty player. Had skills.

cys_av8r · 12-21-2006, 09:27 AM

I love 'ole Julius! I had a TOUGH Chemistry class and guess who sat next to me everyday? Julius was getting an education and playing some solid ball.

Cystate22 · 12-21-2006, 09:37 AM

His name is spelled Jiri!

GM4ISU · 12-21-2006, 09:44 AM

Julius was twice the player as Jiri even at a freshman

travman23 · 12-21-2006, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by Cystate22

His name is spelled Jiri!

Maybe Juri is a combo of Julius and Jiri! You could cross Jiri with Dirk Nowitski and get Jirk or Diri too!

tigershoops31 · 12-21-2006, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by GM4ISU

Julius was twice the player as Jiri even at a freshman

Not only twice the player, but he is perhaps the funniest man I have ever had the priviledge to meet. I got to room with him at ISU bball camp one summer and he was a riot. Just constantly cracking jokes but you could never tell cause he would just deadpan no matter what he said. He also was attached to his game boy. He said when he was playing in France everybody had one and he got hooked. At camp they had an end of the week event for the kids called "man vs. machine" in which Julo rode a golf cart and raced around the Lied against a bball manager on foot. This time it came right down to the finish and they were neck and neck. Julo swerves at the kid with about 20 meters to go and the kid bites it as Julo rides through the finish line hands in the air. Nothing funnier than seeing the gigantic guy with the receding hair line crunched into a golf cart and celebrating. Just a couple of my favorite Julo memories to share :)

Cyfan322 · 12-21-2006, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by travman23

You could cross Jiri with Dirk Nowitski and get Jirk or Diri too!

LOL, this cracked me up.

thunderdave · 12-21-2006, 11:36 AM

I was in a golf tournament with in Boone and had Julo in the group with us.
He teed off from the ladies tees, whenever he was ready and drove the cart across the tee boxes all day long.
Most of our group was too shocked/laughing too hard to say anything to him.
By the end of the day, we we're pretty drunk and laughing at him every time he crawled out of the cart to swing at the ball.

wonkadog · 12-21-2006, 11:40 AM

Now THAT'S hillarious. A drunk Julo stumbling out of his cart to hit the ball. It seems as though he has a passion for golf carts...

Cydar · 12-21-2006, 11:44 AM

I remember once when Julo was in a game at The Rec. The other team was trash talking at him. Julo scored a bucket, when down the court and said "Come on, Baby. Show me what you got!"

I hope everything is going well with Julo...

travman23 · 12-21-2006, 11:58 AM

Wasn't he one of the celeb shoot 5 for 5 contests a few years ago? I remember them asking what he was up to and he's farming somewhere in Iowa now I believe.

tigershoops31 · 12-21-2006, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by travman23

Wasn't he one of the celeb shoot 5 for 5 contests a few years ago? I remember them asking what he was up to and he's farming somewhere in Iowa now I believe.

He was farming in the Harlan area at least up until last year and was volunteer coaching with the Harlan Varsity boys bball team last yeah when they won it. Apparently somebody said he is not with the team for this season but I can't verify that.

lomashad · 12-21-2006, 12:38 PM

Julius is now an basketball assistant coach at Tri-Center in Neola. Other than his obvious limp from the car accident a couple of years ago he is doing well. He coached the whole JV game that I saw with a sucker in his mouth until one of the kids asked him to take it out because they couldn't understand him! LOL