Seniors Koch and Farokhmanesh look toward an uncertain future

Uncertainty. It is a common theme among many seniors of the University of Northern Iowa's 2010 graduating class. Questions of where one will be living and working (if working at all) dominate thoughts and generate anxiety as one retires from what many consider the best years of their lives.

The bittersweetness that comes with graduating college is not often applied to that of a future professional basketball player. Images of mansions, sports cars and shoe contracts seem to cloud the fact that most college basketball players will not sign multi-million dollar contracts like the University of Kentucky's John Wall or Ohio State University's Evan Turner (the top two projected picks in the 2010 NBA Draft). Only 60 individuals are drafted each year into the NBA and just a handful more sign free agent contracts.

Seniors Adam Koch and Ali Farokhmanesh will most likely not be playing in the NBA anytime soon. They will not know what their future careers entail June 24 as league commissioner David Stern announces the 2010 draft class. That possibility still lingers for their teammate Jordan Eglseder. However, Koch and Farokhmanesh know they must wait until August to discover which overseas country could be their next home as they look to sign with a professional basketball team in Europe.

“It’s tough because it’s so up in the air right now. We don’t know what we’re going to be doing. That’s the hardest part," said Koch.

“Every year coming into basketball, from there you kind of know where you’re going to end up. It’s kind of like being a senior in high school again,” Farokhmanesh added.

Professional basketball in Europe, although considered less competitive than the NBA, still produces players that have proven themselves in the NBA and can provide its players with more-than-comfortable pay. Clubs compete domestically in hopes of being deemed their country's best team and being invited to compete in the prestigious "Euroleague," which consists of the best teams in Europe and parts of Asia.

“It’s almost how they do minor league (baseball) here. They have leagues (comparable) to AAA, AA, A. In each individual country they have that too, but sometimes the leagues within those countries play each other,” said Farokhmanesh.

Thinking toward the future, Koch and Farokhmanesh hope to experience some remnants of Midwest America while they compete overseas.

“In most places in Europe a lot of people can probably speak English anyways, but I want to go somewhere where it at least feels somewhat like home,” Farokhmanesh said.

For now, the two can only concentrate on working out and gaining enough positive exposure to earn the best contract possible. Koch plans to attend a few workouts with various NBA teams, then spend most of his summer working out in Indianapolis.

Farokhmanesh will find some clarity in his summer plans once he signs with an agent that can help him weigh his options. However, he says that he will most likely end up playing in a summer league.

During that time, it seems as if nostalgic thoughts are bound to present themselves.

“I think this year, basketball-wise, is as good as it is going to get. It’ll be tough for anything to top this year,” said Koch.

“The biggest thing I will miss is having that college experience… There’s just something about the college atmosphere with games and everything too that we won’t be able to find again. I mean, even in the NBA, it’s nothing like what it is in college,” Farokhmanesh added.

Koch and Farokhmanesh are now also experiencing and learning about the business side of professional basketball. Koch recently signed with an agent, while Farokhmanesh plans to do the same sometime soon.

“You’re totally on your own now with everything. In college, you have coaches taking care of you, and all you had to do was hang out with your teammates and play a little bit. Now it’s different. To say it’s a business thing, it’s true,” Koch said.

Nevertheless, much excitement will also be experienced in the coming months as Koch and Farokhmanesh prepare to play a game that they both love professionally. But even as they live overseas getting paid to play a game, the impression that UNI basketball has made on them will remain with them.

"I'd rather play more college (basketball), but it will be fun to see what happens," said Koch.