Indiana University Athletics
From Brooklyn to Bloomington
9/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 22, 2005
IUHOOSIERS.com recently sat down with the quartet of Brooklyn transplants currently on the football team. Junior wide receiver Lance Bennett, junior wide receiver Jahkeen Gilmore, junior offensive lineman Chris Mangiero and senior linebacker John Pannozzo each took time out to reflect on the drastic change of moving from Brooklyn to Bloomington.
What is the biggest difference between Brooklyn and Bloomington?
Junior wide receiver Lance Bennett
"The size, obviously, and the diversity. There was a lot of diversity back there. Also, they had a big night scene."
Junior wide receiver Jahkeen Gilmore
"It is slower out here. Business is a lot slower. It is a lot smaller town here. It is a big city back home. There are a lot more people in New York City."
Junior offensive lineman Chris Mangiero
"Brooklyn is a city, and Bloomington is a little bit slower and a little bit country. I'll tell you what, it was a great experience coming out here. Growing up in the city my whole life, I really enjoy the country. It is just a different way of life. I like the people out here. They are definitely different. They seem a little bit nicer out here and in less of a rush. At first, I hated it. It has grown on me. I like it more and more every day I am out here."
Senior linebacker John Pannozzo
"It is just a lot more fast-paced back home. There are a lot more people. Bloomington is a college town. There aren't that many things going on outside of class. People are just trying to meet people here. Back at home, people have jobs and there is a lot more going on. It is a lot more diverse back there."
What do you miss the most about Brooklyn?
Junior wide receiver Lance Bennett
"My friends. I never really was a big club scene guy."
Junior wide receiver Jahkeen Gilmore
"To be honest with you. I miss the lights, the noises and the trains going by my house. We live right next to the train."
Junior offensive lineman Chris Mangiero
"The food. It is not even close. Every time I go home, I gain like 10 or 20 pounds. I eat like crazy. I struggle out here with any kind of Italian food. That is the biggest thing. There are always my friends, but food far surpasses them."
Senior linebacker John Pannozzo
"The diversity. You can just walk around and see thousands of people. There is always stuff going on in the street. There are so many stores. I miss the population and that packed feeling."
What do you like the most about Bloomington?
Junior wide receiver Lance Bennett
"I like that it still has a big-city feel, even for a college town. Also, just being able to play in front of 50-80 thousand people every week."
Junior wide receiver Jahkeen Gilmore
"It is a little different. It is away from home. I get to have a different experience with a different environment from other places. It is calm and collected. When I get back home, it is crazy."
Junior offensive lineman Chris Mangiero
"I love my football team. I really love my buddies out here. There are a lot of great guys on the team. I have a ball with them. This is the first year I have really felt close to the team. I am having a lot of fun playing ball this year, more so than years in the past."
Senior linebacker John Pannozzo
"I like how it is laid back. Even though there are 40,000 people on campus, it is a lot more laid back. There is time to relax and there are a lot of parks around here. There is a lot of green that you probably don't get to see back home."
On Pannozzo losing his accent:
Senior linebacker John Pannozzo
"Every time I am around linebackers Kyle Killion and Jake Powers, they try to see how I am saying ball or dollar. They try to get on me. I am trying to adjust out here. When I go home, people say that I have lost it."
