The Badger Herald: Sports: Krabbenhoft finds niche

Updated Tuesday, December 8, 2009, at 5:09 p.m.

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Krabbenhoft finds niche

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Also by Kristin Brandenburg:

By Kristin Brandenburg
Tuesday, February 12, 2008 9:17 p.m.

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Even the most casual of fans are aware of several things about University of Wisconsin’s men’s basketball team this season: That Wisconsin has been ranked in the top 25 for most of the season, that head coach Bo Ryan does a mean “Soulja Boy” dance and that junior forward Joe Krabbenhoft has emerged from behind the scenes to become one of UW’s most prominent players.

Prior to the 2007-08 season, Krabbenhoft spent the majority of his playing time below the radar, contributing at key moments with fundamentals rather than flair and letting his substance and consistency speak for themselves. But since the departure of the team’s top two scorers last season — Kammron Taylor and Big Ten Player of the Year Alando Tucker — Krabbenhoft has inherited one of the leading roles among the team.

“I’ve had to step up as a leader after Alando [Tucker] left.” Krabbenhoft said. “He would be the one taking shots, making plays, and now I’m stepping up and taking them.”

Krabbenhoft has certainly been stepping up. He is fifth on the team in scoring with 7.9 points per game, second in rebounding with 6.7 per game, shooting 78 percent from the line and 50 percent from the floor and has lead the team in each offensive category in at least one game this season. Week after week, he is filling up the stats sheet, and week after week he provides a substantial performance, improving in all aspects of the game since his sophomore season.

Ryan values Krabbenhoft’s versatility and attributes his success to his diligence on and off the court.

“He just comes every day, and I don’t know what else you can say.” Ryan said. “There are just some people who come out and give a great effort every day. The results may vary, but it’s that effort that can help [win games].”

Personal improvement on the part of Krabbenhoft has been responsible for his growing success. “[My] confidence has gotten better, and I’ve slowed my game down. I’m concerned with getting better, playing my hardest. I just want to improve.”

The 6-foot-7-inch forward from Sioux Falls, S.D., has always had a reputation for being a hard worker and places heavy importance on a strong work ethic to improve his skills. In high school he earned first-team all-state selection as a senior, led hometown Roosevelt High School to a third place finish at the state tournament and was named Gatorade state player of the year. He first suited up for the Badgers in the 2005-06 season as a freshman and was later named to the Big Ten all-freshman team.

“You’ve got to take advantages of opportunities to prove what you have learned, how far you’ve come.” Krabbenhoft said. “I feel good.”

Despite the national attention he has received as of late, Krabbenhoft feels the main goal is success within the team, and that is where his focus is concentrated.

“The thought of winning the Big Ten Championship, a National Championship, Final Four, all those that are out there in front of us keep me motivated,” Krabbenhoft said. “Game by game, we want to win every game and add up those wins. We want to be considered the best team at Wisconsin.”

<em>A minor editing error in the original article was corrected on Feb. 22, 2008.</em>

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