Towering over the competition

It's a question on the minds of many Hoosier fans: "Where will we find a big man?"\nPerhaps they should try looking on the IU golf course. That's where they will find 6-foot-7 freshman Rob Ockenfuss, a two-sport star in high school who has come into his own on the links for IU.\nBecause of his height, Ockenfuss uses clubs with longer-than-normal shafts. And while he knows that his clubs work just fine, their length has not saved Ockenfuss from some verbal jabbing by his teammates.\n"It differs from day to day," said freshman Heath Peters of the team's good-natured jokes. "There are different nicknames and things. It's just something to loosen up the atmosphere."\nOckenfuss, a native of Perkasie, Penn., played golf and basketball in high school. He finished in the top 15 in the state golf finals each of his last three seasons. Ockenfuss was also an all-league basketball selection.\nWhile he enjoyed playing both sports, Ockenfuss found the individual nature of golf to be more to his liking.\n"I liked the fact that I could control my own destiny," Ockenfuss said.\nIU coach Mike Mayer had heard noise about the lanky Pennsylvanian in golf circles.\n"It's hard for a 6-7 golfer to hide on the golf course," Mayer said.\nMayer did not get to see Ockenfuss play until he entered the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Indiana tournament at Heartland Crossing. \nPrior to seeing him play, Mayer had been impressed by Ockenfuss' academic resume in high school. After seeing Ockenfuss play, Mayer was more than pleased to invite him for an official visit to IU.\nBecause he was interested in playing golf and majoring in business, Ockenfuss was obliged to take up the offer.\n"It was one of the most impressive official visits I've ever had," Mayer said. "We established a very good relationship right off hand."\nThough he looked at Penn State and Miami (Ohio), Ockenfuss felt he would fit in better at IU.\nMayer was able to cash in a bet that other coaches were not willing to take.\n"Truthfully, Rob's height scared a lot of people away," Mayer said. "He's a diamond in the rough. He was overlooked because of his size, but we believe he has tremendous potential."\nOckenfuss has shown flashes of that potential throughout the 2001-02 campaign. He is tied for second on the team with 17 rounds played and has an average of 77.1. His best round was a 70 in the Xavier Invitational.\nIn fact, Ockenfuss did not play in a tournament for the first time since October when he sat out the Marshall Invitational last weekend. Mayer chose not to play Ockenfuss because of the layout of the course. \nOckenfuss will be back in the lineup this weekend when the team heads to Ohio State to play in the Kepler Intercollegiate. The OSU Scarlet course promises to be one of the toughest challenges the Hoosiers face this season, but Mayer is confident Ockenfuss will be prepared.\n"He doesn't shy away from difficult things," Mayer said. "The course and him should fit together very nicely."\nOckenfuss admitted there is room for progress in his game. Mayer and assistant coach Mike Kemper have been working to improve Ockenfuss' swing throughout the year.\n"As is the case with most people who are tall, he tends to get longer with his swing," Mayer said. "He's more of a wristy swinger, so we've worked on tightening it up."\nEven though there is still work to be done, Mayer has been pleasantly surprised with how fast he has seen Ockenfuss develop this year.\n"I did not anticipate him coming in and doing what he's doing," Mayer said. "At the beginning of the year, I would have thought he was a year away."\nMayer attributes the rapid development to Ockenfuss' maturity.\n"He brings maturity beyond his age," Mayer said. "Sometimes, we lose the team aspect of golf, and Rob helps hold that together"