Voskuhl has appeared in 34 games for the Bucks this season, averaging 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds. (Getty)

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February 13, 2008

MILWAUKEE -- As professional athletes go, Jake Voskuhl is a different breed in more ways than one.

And all of them are good ways.

Milwaukee became the fourth National Basketball Association city for Voskuhl and his family back on July 20, 2007, when the Bucks signed the 6-foot-11-inch, 255-pound center to a one-year contract.

Voskuhl might have set a team record even before his first practice as a Buck – in a category many do not associate with NBA players. It is called selflessness.

When asked by a reporter to tell Bucks fans what they could expect him to bring to the table this season, Voskuhl politely declined, saying only that, “I don’t like to talk about myself.”

The affable Voskuhl, though, spoke enthusiastically about his arrival in Milwaukee and his new team, even though he had barely met some of his teammates. He had a positive vibe about being a Milwaukee Buck from day one.

“You want to go to a team that wants you to be there,” he said. “Sometimes you get in situations where you're with a team and you're kind of an afterthought. I decided to come here because they really made it evident that they really wanted me here in a Bucks uniform. For me, it was really exciting.”

Bucks Head Coach Larry Krystkowiak was one of the individuals who convinced Voskuhl that Milwaukee was the place for him.

"Jake gives us another option at the post position," Krystkowiak said on the day of Voskuhl’s signing. "He’s someone that knows how to do the important things and is willing to go to work in the trenches.

“These are qualities that we plan to focus on as a team. He’s excited to come to Milwaukee, and we can’t wait to start working with him."

Voskuhl sought out a few references before signing with the Bucks.

“I talked to (former Bucks forward and rookie team announcer) Scott Williams, a good friend of mine,” he said. “ Everyone I know who's ever been with this organization has had nothing but good things to say about it.

“I know when Ray Allen was traded from here, he didn't want to be traded. And Desmond (Mason), the first time he was here, didn't want to be traded. Everyone who's been here seems to say high, high things about Milwaukee. Once you get here, you realize how nice it is here."

Through the first half of the season, Voskuhl had seen action in 28 games and was averaging 2.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per outing. He was making the most of his opportunities, shooting .558 from the field and .826 from the free-throw line -- marks that ranked him among the team leaders.

And most importantly, he was approaching his job – whatever that might entail -- the way he always has: like a pro’s pro.

"You've just got to work at it every day,” he said. “I don't think it matters who you are. There are times during the season that the team needs you more than other times.

"There's importance in having a lot of guys who can play and play well when they're called upon. There's moments when you wish you were playing more. Sometimes it's more challenging than others. But I think you have to be mature enough to step back and realize that, 'Hey, it's not all about you.'”

When was the last time you heard a professional athlete -- or anyone else, for that matter – sincerely utter those six words?

The rigors of an NBA schedule don’t always allow a lot of time for a player to take inventory, but Voskuhl has learned how important it is to do that.

"It's important to realize that there are so many other things that go into a successful team,” he said. “You just have to have a perspective. Sometimes when the season gets rolling, it's kind of a challenge not to get wrapped up in everything and kind of pour yourself out.

“Sometimes you need to take a 10,000-foot view of it all, take a step back and put things in perspective. You have to get dialed back in and get refocused on the team and its goals for the season and make it long-term and not short-term."

The Voskuhls, who call Phoenix home during the offseason, arrived here with a wait-and-see attitude before forming any lasting impressions of their new October-through-April environment.

Jake’s first season as a Buck just recently passed its midway point, but the jury has already submitted its verdict.

One of the decision-swaying moments came on a chilly Saturday night. Many lifetime Milwaukeeans were hunkered down indoors as a heavy snowstorm enveloped the area.

So once the Bucks game ended, the Voskuhls loaded up the family truckster and headed for refuge, right?

Not exactly.

“After the game, since we had Sunday off, I went back home, picked up my family and some friends and we went to a giant hill downtown right near the hospital,” Jake said. “We went sledding at like 3 in the morning and just tore it up. We had so much fun.

“That's the kind of thing you might ordinarily do in the offseason, but you never know how much it's going to snow, so you have to take advantage of it."

The Milwaukee area has been quite the winter wonderland for Jake, wife Jennifer and children Zoie, Skylar and Daisy. Jake had experienced snow during his years at the University of Connecticut and in his rookie NBA season in Chicago, so it wasn’t entirely new to him.

"It's colder here (than in Storrs, Conn.),” Voskuhl said. “We live in Phoenix in the offseason, so we never see snow there. I hadn't been in a snowy environment in six years.

“We love the snow, and it's snowed a ton here. We cut the girls loose in the backyard and they play in the snow all the time.”

Milwaukee’s flaky winter of 2007-08 hasn’t provided the only welcome mat for the Voskuhls since their arrival.

"One of the important things for us when we move to a new city is finding a good church, finding the right church,” Voskuhl said. “We were able to find that church very quickly. There are a lot of great churches out there, but we found the one we were supposed to be at, and have really gotten plugged in there. Those people have really embraced us.

"We live in Brookfield, and the church we go to is in New Berlin. It's called Poplar Creek. The people have been so amazing to us. And people in and out of the city have been so kind and so easy to be with. Everyone's been really respectful. It's been a great experience being here so far."

Changing places, as many NBA players do multiple times, can put them and their families on a rollercoaster. The ride is not always a fun-filled one.

“It takes time when you get to a new city,” Voskuhl said. “This is the fourth team I've played with. I played one year in Chicago, four years in Phoenix and two in Charlotte. It's not until you've been in a city for awhile that you can judge it; you just can't.

"We've been here about four months now, and I'd say every experience we've had has been terrific. The people in the area have been great.”

No matter where the future takes Jake Voskuhl – in basketball and beyond – the guess here is that he will continue to count his blessings.

He has worked hard to land and keep his job as a professional basketball player, yet he realizes that his presence in the NBA – and anyone else’s, for that matter – is not one of entitlement.

"You can look at my height -- I'm 6-11 -- and I didn't get to choose that; it's a gift from God,” Voskhul said. “So I have that perspective of thankfulness that I'm here for a reason, and it's not because of me; it's because of God's grace and gifts from him that I am where I'm at.

“Everyone's got different skills and talents and abilities. Everyone. As special as some of the guys are in this league are, whether they realize it or not, what they've been given is still a gift from God."

Yes, Jake Voskuhl is a breed apart.