Sports

Happy basketball players come from Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Badgers won the Big Ten Championship last night. Not the University of Wisconsin Badgers — though that would also be correct — but Wisconsin, the state.

With 12 of 16 players on the roster hailing from Dairyland high schools, the basketball team that has rolled through the conference season defeating every team not named Purdue is a unique microcosm of the state whose name graces the front of their jersey in big block letters.

From big cities, small towns and everywhere in between, these Badgers reflect the state not only demographically, but also through their signature blue-collar style: not flashy by any definition of the word, but nonetheless tough-minded and hardworking.

Among all conference teams, UW’s roster of 75 percent in-state talent is the highest.

Even for four players that played high school basketball outside Wisconsin, home is not too far away. Kevin Gullikson and Jon Leuer are from the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, Jason Bohannon is from Iowa, and Joe Krabbenhoft is a South Dakota native.

“It’s almost exclusively the Midwest,” UW assistant coach Gary Close said. “I think it’s neat. I think anytime you’ve got local flavor, fans like it, it’s good for the state. … They’ve represented their communities and our community really well.”

Not only does the heavy native concentration make the Badgers all the more unique in the Big Ten, it also adds an intriguing subplot to a season that has exceeded what everyone, UW head coach Bo Ryan included, expected this bunch to accomplish.

Talk to several Wisconsin players, and it becomes evident the shared bond of the state has helped foster a sense of family among the players.

Growing up playing against and trying to one-up each other on the basketball court helps make future teammates aware of each other’s abilities and build a respect for one another.

“The way that basketball is in Wisconsin, it’s not as big as other parts of the country,” forward and Madison native Keaton Nankivil said. “Everybody in Wisconsin that plays at this level kind of knows of each other before we get here.

“It helped to see Greg (Stiemsma) play AAU, play against Marcus (Landry), play against Brett (Valentyn) — all that stuff, it just helps everyone become familiar before we actually get here.”

Look no further than Nankivil for the best example of that familiarity. Nankivil and roommate Tim Jarmusz (Oshkosh, Wis.) had a long history together long before the two stepped foot on campus last summer.

In 2006, when both were juniors in high school, the Kohl Center got a sneak peak of what the two could offer when Nankivil’s Madison Memorial met Jarmusz’s Oshkosh West in the Division I state championship game.

Jarmusz scored 17 points and pulled down five rebounds as West overcame Nankivil’s 14-point, 10-rebound double-double, beating Memorial 52-40 and giving Tim bragging rights over Keaton.

The two developed a rapport playing AAU basketball together for the Fox Valley Skillz the following summer, and nearly met again in the state tournament the following year. Madison Memorial was defeated in overtime in the quarterfinal round, and Oshkosh West went on to defend its title.

“Watching each other play here in the state, some of us being enemies on opposite teams,” Jarmusz said. “But when you get here it’s just like everything changes; you become good friends. You’ve been through so much against each other; when you’re with each other, it’s just a lot more fun.”

Nankivil says he has put the championship loss behind him, but that doesn’t stop Jarmusz from throwing the occasional good-natured barbs at his roommate, reminding him who beat who in the big game.

“I was upset about it then, but it’s not a big deal anymore,” Nankivil said. “We’re just trying to do what we do now.”

What the Badgers are doing is win. A lot. Along the way, their success could be opening eyes around the country to pay attention and realize despite the lack of headliner talent, the state of Wisconsin plays some very good basketball.

“I’ve always thought we’ve been an underrated state,” Nankivil said. “You even look at what people that move out of the state do, like (Washington State senior) Kyle Weaver, people like that. We don’t have the highest profile players, maybe, but we do have good players and talented players and people that are making an impact in college basketball.”

It only makes sense then that keeping as much of that talent from getting away is one of the coaching staff’s highest priorities.

“You always want to look right next door first,” Close said.

That’s not to say UW head coach Bo Ryan wants to build a wall around the state, however.

“When you say ‘build a wall’ that’s an expression I’ve heard a lot about, but I always think of Berlin when you say that,” Ryan said, instead stressing the importance of having players that buy into his system. “If there’s good players … but not all of them, it’s not always a fit.”

That brings the conversation to last night, when four players who were absolute fits for Ryan played their last game in front of the home crowd. Fittingly enough, all four are native sons, who chose to stay stick around and represent their home state.

Madison’s Michael Flowers, Randolph’s Stiemsma, Appleton’s Brian Butch and Glendale’s Tanner Bronson did that better than any class ever to have played for Wisconsin. With last night’s 77-41 victory over Penn State, those four set the record for most career wins with 99 and clinched a share of the regular season conference championship for the first time since 2003.

“They’ll leave here, I would think, with a very positive feeling about what they’ve been a part of,” Ryan said. “I think they’ve been a part of something pretty special, and it’s early yet.”

Not bad for a bunch of Wisconsin Badgers.