UNI's Sonnen lives, loves to lead

By Nancy Justis

CEDAR FALLS -- It takes just a few words to describe University of Northern Iowa junior basketball guard Marc Sonnen.

Talkative. Self-confident. Likes to have fun. Leader. Polite. Hard worker. Energetic. And leader again.

Leading is what Sonnen loves. He loved playing quarterback at Tartan High School in St. Paul, Minn. his last two years. He loves playing point guard as part of the Panthers' basketball team.

“Football probably is my favorite sport, still is today,” he said. “I miss it a lot. Just the contact, the ‘Friday night lights'. You can call the plays, you're the leader on the field, kind of like you are on the basketball court being a point guard. That was something I really connected with.”

Sonnen considers his father one of his inspirations. “He comes to every single (home) game. He wasn't big into sports. He didn't understand (sports) but he just liked watching me play. My sister (three years older) loved coming to all my games but she now has a bigger job.

“My mom passed away when I was 10 from brain cancer. (My dad is) a big person I look up to for all the struggles he dealt with – losing mom, raising my sister and I by himself, and business wasn't good.

“I worked my butt off in sports and to be a good student and a good man for him. Luckily, I got a scholarship to play basketball so he didn't have to worry about paying for some of my school.”

Sonnen's arms are covered in tattoos. If you aren't near enough it's difficult to see what they are. Most are for his mother and family.

“I have a (complete) letter my mom wrote to me (before she died) about our relationship and how she cared about me and what she wanted me to be like when I got older,” he said. “How she wanted me to be a big role model. Be a good kid growing up, listen to my dad, how she loved me. I have a picture of her on my right arm. Everyday I wake up and see those.”

One of his pre-game routines is to pray to his mother. “I keep in touch with her.”

Sonnen grew up playing basketball, football and baseball. Baseball was his least favorite, playing primarily because his friends played. “It wasn't something I was interested in. It was slow-paced. I'm kind of a kid who likes fast-paced.”

Many of his friends also played football. “Something you could go out and play catch, hang out with your buddies.” He played wide receiver and safety until his junior year when the starting signal caller was injured. “It's something I fell in love with, being a leader out there.”

Obviously, Sonnen loves basketball, also, playing in the inner city of St. Paul before moving out to the “suburbs” for high school. “It was something that really helped me out playing like that because it got me really tough as a player mentally and physically, too,” he said. “I played with a lot of older kids while growing up, going to the rec centers, playing against 18-year-olds. When I started playing AAU I was playing a year up.”

“Marc has really improved in terms of his leadership,” UNI head coach Ben Jacobson said. “He's putting in a tremendous amount of time outside of practice and it shows in both his leadership and his play. He is doing a great job leading.”

Sonnen is the fourth basketball player from Tartan High School to play for the Panthers. He's followed in the footsteps of Eric Crawford (now a UNI assistant), Eric Coleman and Kwadzo Ahelegbe. His high school team came to Cedar Falls every year to play in tournaments. He met Coach Ben Jacobson when he was a freshman.

“I played with Kwadzo my freshman year in high school,” Sonnen said. “He was a big role model for me and he took me under his wing. I thought I could still have that connection when I got here. And I did.”

Sonnen got some looks from several Division II and Division III schools for football but had already committed to UNI for basketball as a junior. “I just felt this was the right place for me.”

“Marc's energy and personality really attracted us to him,” Jacobson said. “He's a terrific kid. From a basketball standpoint his versatility and competitiveness stood out and certainly fit our recruiting priorities.”

Sonnen can play at any guard position and last year even played the four-man spot, guarding men half a foot taller. “Sometimes I like having the ball in my hands and sometimes I like being on the wing,” he said. “I think it's kind of fun to mix it up. I really don't have a favorite.

“I consider myself a very unselfish player. I'd rather get another teammate open than get my own shot.”

“Marc has worked very hard to improve his game,” Jacobson said. “That work ethic has impacted both his play and his teammates. He has the ability to play multiple positions at the offensive end of the floor and is a high-level defender.”

Sonnen fits in well with his team and the community. “I enjoy the kind of people I'm around while I'm here. I'd never want to go play for a different team, or be under any other coaches. I think the University is a great university. I think all the people are for us, not just because we're basketball players, but because we're good men. Even if we lose we have fans behind us. I appreciate that.”

The Panthers have nine true or red shirt freshmen on the roster. “I connect with all of them,” Sonnen said. “They all look up to me, they all listen to me, and I listen to them. To be a leader you've got to be able, not just lead kids, but to listen to them. You're not always right. They can teach me some things I need to know.”