Featured Athlete of the Week: Tommy Fernitz, basketball DePauw University

Thursday, March 12, 2015
Tommy Fernitz (Courtesy Photo)

Tommy Fernitz is a senior basketball player and communication major at DePauw University. He was born Aug. 16, 1993 to Dan and Kathy Fernitz.

He is the yougest of three, with a brother and a sister.

He enjoys watching "House of Cards" and "The Dark Knight." Fernitz enjoys reading Sports Illustrated and Jay Bilas' "Toughness."

Fernitz enjoys pepperoni deep dish pizza and his favorite athletes are Derrick Rose and Brian Urlacher.

Banner Graphic: What is different this year, being a senior on the team?

Tommy Fernitz: The biggest thing is that the guys look up to you a little bit more. You're the oldest guys on the team so everyone looking up to you for advice on how to handle business. That's the biggest thing I've notice.

BG: What was the offseason like?

TF: I handled it the same as I did the year before. I went to work right away and prepared for the season. I did a summer leaugue with a couple of teammates that live around me. I also had the chance to play some professional teams over the summer in Brazil. That was an awesome experience. It really helped me play against some awesome competition and it was something different as well.

BG: Who do you look up to in your personal life?

TF: My dad. I really look up to him. He's been awesome helping me and sending me to DePauw, just supporting me. He's given me good advice about tough things that happen in life. He's just soemone I really up to. He's been awesome for my brother and sister too.

BG: What can sports teach you about life?

TF: The biggest thing is hard work. That's one of the main things that I've learned. It's not easy to be a sussesful athlete. You really have to put in the hard work. That's relatable to life. It's not going to be easy. It's competitive out there. I'm going through the job process right now. One thing that helped me is out-working people. That's one thing basketball has taught me.

BG: What are some of your favorite memories at DePauw?

TF: These past couple of weeks have been really memorable. Coming in as a freshman the goal was to win the conference tournament and to play in the NCAA tournament. Being able to do that was an awesome acheivement. Cutting down the nets at Ohio Wesleyan -- that's something that I'll always remember.

BG: What are your plans after graduating?

TF: I'm still figuring all that out right now. I've got some interviews lined up and with basketball it makes it hard to figure that stuff out early on. I also might have an oppurtunity to play overseas. So right now I'm sorting through all that. I still have to have some conversations with my parents to see what's going to work best.

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