This past winter in the McLeod Center, Panther fans got used to hearing a new name announced over the loudspeakers after sinking key 3-point baskets: “Kyle Pock.”

From Bolivar, Missouri, 6’6” true freshman Pock appeared in 33 games for the Panthers, averaging over 12 minutes per game. With one season under his belt, he’s just getting used to calling the McLeod Center home.

“I had to look up Cedar Falls on the map when they recruited me, I didn’t know where it was,” he said. “But it’s a really good place. I really like it here, and I’m looking forward to coming back next year.”

Pock estimates that he’s been playing basketball since the age of four. Though he’s spent almost his entire life playing the sport, getting serious with it playing on a travel team in high school, the transition to college athletics was no easy task.

“The college game is a lot different than high school,” he said. “It’s a lot more physical, and it’s a lot faster. It definitely was a big transition period last summer, and through the fall and really for the whole season.”

Pock said that the coaching staff, players and overall team culture is what really drew him to UNI. When he first started with the team, he saw that collaborative culture in action.

“It was a good dynamic to come into because the whole team had come back from the previous year. It was a close group of guys, and we had a lot of older leadership, which made it a lot easier to transition into a new place,” he said.

When on the court, Pock brings some key height to the floor and an even more valuable 3-point shot. He averaged 3.8 points per game, but had several standout performances over the season. In the Panthers’ home victory against UIC in January, Pock shot 100%, going 3-3 from beyond the arc and setting his second-highest scoring game of the season at 13 points.

“I feel like I made a lot of strides this year, just getting used to playing at this level and the physicality and the speed,” he said. “I think I made quite a lot of improvement, especially on defense.”

Though the team is losing several players to the transfer portal, Pock is looking to next season as an opportunity to step up.

“Obviously everyone wants to see a little more minutes with the turnover of the team we’re going to have,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot of new guys, so I’m just looking to have a little bit bigger role, a little more voice in the team and a little more of a leadership role next year.”