Andreas Helmigk had been no more than a bit player for the Wisconsin men’s basketball team before Saturday. Having played no more than 13 minutes in any game in his one-year career with the Badgers, the sophomore received the start against Detroit and did not disappoint, recording a career-high 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go along with four rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes of action.

“I’m just working pretty hard in practice every day,” said Helmigk, who replaced senior Dave Mader in the starting lineup. “It’s not much different. I just imagined myself being in practice. I’m glad that I had the chance; that coach gave me a chance and I made something out of it.”

For Helmigk, a 6-foot-9 forward/center from Kalgenfurt, Austria, Saturday became a crowning achievement for what has been a tumultuous time since arriving in Madison.

Forced to redshirt in 2001 after he tore his ACL in a preseason practice, Helmigk was left watching the action from the sidelines. The injury has been nagging, and his body took some time to readjust to basketball during the 2002 season. Finally with a clean bill of health, Helmigk made the most of his opportunities on the floor against Detroit.

“During the last couple games it wasn’t there for me,” Helmigk said of his contributions. “Starting probably gave me the confidence to make shots in the game.”

Against Detroit, Helmigk became a reliable offensive presence for the Badgers, scoring six straight points midway through the first half. He made good cuts without the ball, and drove to the hoop to draw fouls when he did. It was as good a performance as Badger fans have seen from Helmigk, and hopefully the confidence he’s gained will carry over into the remainder of the season.

“I think it was all about being open and the fact that he had the confidence to knock it down,” head coach Bo Ryan said. “He’s been practicing hard. It’s just that he’s had some injuries and that enflamed tendon. Who knows if he had been healthy what would have in other games. I can’t ever worry about that. He did the job tonight.”

Helmigk’s teammates were not surprised with the performance and hustle from their smooth post player.

“We know what Andreas can do,” senior guard Freddie Owens said. “We’re in practice with him everyday, and he’s on the scout team or on the first team or whatever. He plays hard and he gets things done on the floor, rebounds, scores, and block shots, whatever you need. Coming into the game we knew what to expect out of him; it was just a matter of him showing everyone else what he can do.”

If Helmigk can continue to provide reliable minutes for the Badgers, Bo Ryan may have found the stop gap needed to fill the starting spot vacated by injured forward Alando Tucker. While it’s more than apparent that senior center Dave Mader remains in the coaches’ doghouse, the team will need Helmigk to remain a contributor in the post.

Jokingly, Ryan characterized the week as a strong one for Helmigk not only for his performance, but a supposed “wiener-schnitzel that he got from his mom” in Klagenfurt.

“Weiner-schnitzel and a “W”, that’s pretty good if you can get those two things in just a couple days,” Ryan snipped.