Eric Menk ‘96
Eric Menk attended LSSU from 1992-1996 where he was a member of the LSSU Men’s Basketball team, having captured the 1996 GLIAC regular season title, and also the GLIAC Tournament Championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.
“Coach Terry Smith recruited me out of high school and coached me for my 4 years at LSSU. Lake Superior State was the only 4-year college or university in the state of Michigan to offer me a scholarship out of high school,” Menk commented. “Thank you, Coach Smith, for the opportunity, the experience, and the guidance you provided me with during my time at Lake State. Thank you, Lake Superior State University, the athletic department, the men’s basketball program, and all of my teammates I played with. I will be forever grateful for my experience as a Laker.”
While at LSSU Menk led the Lakers in scoring for three consecutive seasons (1993-94, 1994-95, and 1995-96) and also led the team in rebounding in all four seasons. He had 1,800 career points and 735 career rebounds in 105 games played. Menk was a 3-time All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference performer having made Second Team All-GLIAC (1993-94) and First Team All-GLIAC (1994-95, 1995-96). As a senior, he captained his team, who went on to win the school’s only GLIAC tournament championship. That year, 1996, he was GLIAC Player of the Year and MVP of the GLIAC tournament.
After leaving LSSU, Menk played professional basketball from 1996-2016 in the Danish Elite Division (Ligaen), Philippine Basketball League (PBL), ASEAN Basketball League (ABL), and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was selected as League MVP three times while in the PBL, and has been named as one of the PBA’s 40 Greatest Players and voted PBA MVP in 2005. Menk also played on the Philippine National Team in 2002 in the Asian Games, and in 2007 in the FIBA-Asia.
Following his professional playing career he worked as a sports commentator and analyst for two television networks in the Philippines, created his own podcast, and did a 2-year stint as an assistant coach in the ABL. Menk then went on to earn an MA in Sports Administration from Northwestern University in 2022.
Menk is the son of Al and Lucia Menk, and now lives in Wesley Chapel, Florida, with his wife, Erin Campos and children Alexa (11) and Sebastian (8).