Before Kevin Garnett led a revolution of early entrants into the NBA draft, the key to success in college basketball was developing your players over a four year span.
This meant typical “freshman mistakes” – whatever that phrase actually means – often would earn a young-stud a seat on the bench rather then the exasperated acceptance coaches display today toward future lottery picks. And this makes sense; when you have a one-year rental car, you need to get as much mileage out of it as possible.
Still, with the antiquated Bo Ryan (just kidding coach), the old adage remains: Young players learn the hard way from their mistakes. Just watch any time Mike Bruesewitz, Ryan Evans or even Josh Gasser turn the ball over – Ryan will be pulling up a sub before the ball is even going the other way.
The result, of course, has been impressive (and sometimes funny) consistency. It is a pretty good bet that every season national pundits will underrate the Badgers. And every season Wisconsin will finish in the top four of the Big Ten and earn an NCAA Tournament berth. You just have to shake your head and laugh after a while about the annual pattern. Or rage in a column. One of the two.
The reason for this consistency that seems to take everyone outside the state of Wisconsin by surprise each season is easy to ascertain:
Badger players improve each season. And I mean each and every season.
A look at this squad’s senior class provides a perfect example.
Anyone who knows basketball knew Jon Leuer was going to be Bo’s next star after Leuer’s freshman year. He already possessed the skill set that excels in the swing offense, and his 25 point explosion at Michigan was a savory taste of what was to come.
But Bo incorporated him slowly, with Marcus Landry and Joe Krabbenhoft ahead in the rotation.
The result was Leuer developing all parts of his game – instead of being forced into major minutes as a perimeter-oriented sophomore. With talented guys ahead of him, Leuer couldn’t just play acceptable or fine to warrant major minutes; he had to be excellent. And thus he worked to make sure he became excellent. Now Leuer can score literally from anywhere on the floor.
An even better example is Keaton Nankivil.
Nankivil’s points per game, blocks per game and field goal percentage have improved every single year. He has finally put together his immense skill set with the confidence to pull the trigger in actual game action.
Now Nankivil lures the opposing shot blocker away from the hoop or makes him pay with a 3-pointer he is shooting 47 percent on. Not coincidentally, the Badgers rank No. 1 in the nation in points per possession.
Even the rest of the senior class, with Tim Jarmusz, Wquinton Smith and Bret Valentyn, has put together its finest season in the last year of the program.
Ryan draws heat from local media and bloggers alike every season for not being able to bring in top-rated recruits (What’s up Vander Blue). More criticism will be heaped on him tomorrow, when top-ranked Wisconsin native J.P. Tokoto likely decides he will be taking his talents to North Carolina.* But then those same media members and bloggers will be praising Bo in March for making an 11th straight NCAA Tournament.
*Just so all students know, you are required upon admission to indiscriminately hate Tar Heels coach Roy Williams for the sins he committed against former Wisconsin coach and all-time good guy Dick Bennett. For those who don’t know, Williams decided to take a few shots at the physical play that came with Wisconsin (and Michigan State’s) Final Four run in 2000. The comments qualified as the height of petty, and by several accounts hurt Bennett when he heard. So yeah, despise him with all your might. (As usual, tip of the hat to Joe Posnanski for the asterisk interlude.)
It seems pretty clear why. Ryan needs recruits hungry enough to work for their playing time. Not a single Badger comes in to the program thinking he is entitled to see the floor.
Jon Leuer will end up this season as a first-team All-American.
It is noteworthy he didn’t start out that way.
Michael is a senior majoring in journalism. Think Bo Ryan is overrated? He will give you 684 reasons why you are wrong if you email him at [email protected] or tweet at him @michaelbleach.
