After the Wisconsin men’s basketball practice Thursday night, redshirt sophomore guard Zak Showalter stuck around late to work on all facets of his jump shot.

Why is Showalter, who is currently averaging just 7.3 minutes per game for the Badgers, staying after-hours to work on his game?

When senior guard Traevon Jackson went down with a foot injury in the Jan. 11 loss to Rutgers, sophomore guard Bronson Koenig was the first player who came to Badger fans’ minds as the guy who would have to step up in Jackson’s absence.

Taking Koenig’s spot off the bench: enter Showalter.

The 21-year-old redshirt sophomore from Germantown, Wisconsin, has not seen much of the court since joining the Wisconsin basketball program in 2012. Now, with the Badgers’ backcourt depth even shallower than it was before, Showalter may finally have his opportunity.

Coming out of high school, Showalter received 15 scholarships offers including ones from UW-Green Bay, UW-Milwaukee and Dayton. Yet, Showalter had always dreamt of playing for head coach Bo Ryan and Wisconsin.

“Growing up in Wisconsin, I watched the Badgers in pretty much every game they played since I was four years old,” Showalter said. “This is the school I’ve wanted to go to all along, so I couldn’t pass it up when the opportunity came.”

Ryan didn’t have enough scholarships to offer one to Showalter, but he still wanted him to be a part of the program, and with that, Showalter decided to be a preferred walk-on for Ryan.

In his freshman season, Showalter appeared in 22 games, but never saw the court enough to be a real contributor to the team. In anticipating his sophomore season was going to be more of the same, Showalter decided to redshirt.

Showalter was unsure of his future with Wisconsin, but even with that doubt in his mind, he was sure on staying committed to the program.

“I’m just a glass half-full, optimistic guy,” Showalter said. “You always have to look down the road, and on a day when you are maybe not feeling like things are going your way, you just have to see the bigger picture. I just need to keep working every single day. You can never get too satisfied with where you are at.”

Showalter’s commitment to the team has led him to this moment where he will be the first and only guard to come off the bench for Ryan. While he may not see the same minutes Koenig did coming off the bench, Showalter is still sure to see more minutes than he ever has in his tenure at Wisconsin.

The first big increase in playing time came in Wisconsin’s blowout win over Iowa last Tuesday. Showalter played 18 minutes, recording five points, three rebounds and two assists in that time.

While his numbers don’t jump out of the box score, his coach said it is merely the energy and toughness Showalter can bring off the bench that allows him to have a positive impact on both ends of the floor.

“I think he is figuring out what he can do and play to his strengths and not get out of what he’s good at right now,” associate head coach Greg Gard said. “I just thought his overall presence and demeanor on the floor was much more relaxed.”

Saturday’s overtime victory against Michigan might have been an even bigger testament to the importance of Showalter, and even though he only played 10 minutes, a majority of those minutes came during the most important moments of the game.

Ryan decided to defer from going deep into his bench Saturday, which resulted in Koenig and redshirt senior guard Josh Gasser playing nearly the entire game. But, when Koenig was in foul trouble and ultimately fouled out late in the overtime period, Ryan turned to Showalter to close things out.

Showalter took full-advantage of his time, grabbing two defensive rebounds with Michigan threatening to crawl back into the game and showed great hustle when he forced Michigan sophomore forward Zak Irvin to knock the ball out of bounds off a Wisconsin miss, giving the Badgers a fresh shot clock late in the game.

Showalter didn’t attempt a field goal or a free throw, but he showed that he doesn’t have to stuff the stat sheet to make his presence on the court known. Junior forward Sam Dekker said Showalter has a “bulldog mentality,” and is exactly the type of player Ryan loves to have on the team.

“He’s obviously a guy who is going come in and do his role and not care how many points he puts on the board, not care about the box score,” Dekker said. “He just wants to go out there and work hard, be a defensive stopper and play with energy. He’s not afraid to take an elbow, not afraid to get on the floor, and you have to love it and expect it out of him every night.”

With Jackson out for what should be at least a month, Showalter is done watching the games from the bench– the redshirt sophomore is looking to leave everything he has on the court.

“I’m just trying to make the most of my opportunities,” Showalter said. “I know what it’s like to not see the floor now, so I just have to make the most of what I can every time I get in there.”