What I’m about to suggest may seem no less ridiculous than quoting pre-Socratic philosophers in sports columns, but here it goes. The UW women’s basketball team will be a legitimate Big Ten title contender within the next three years.
Yes, the team that went 4-12 in conference play last year and opened this season with a loss to the Wisconsin AAU squad will make a serious run at the Big Ten crown by the 2007-08 season. I know it sounds crazy, especially coming on the heels of a pair of losses at the Houston Classic, but Lisa Stone’s young squad has as much potential as any team in the Big Ten.
With the deepest and most talented freshman class in the conference, the Badgers are just three seasons away from taking on the role of Big Ten frontrunner. Stone’s squad may struggle through the 2004-05 campaign with an undersized and inexperienced roster, but by next season things should begin to fall into place. By the time Wisconin’s freshman class develops into a group of veteran upperclassmen, the Badgers should take the conference by storm. They are simply too talented not to.
Wisconsin’s freshman class features standouts at every spot on the floor. With Wisconsin’s all-time prep scoring leader in the backcourt and the reigning Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year on the wing, the Badgers will have a pair of explosive scorers on the perimeter in Jolene Anderson and Janese Banks. In the post, Wisconsin will feature Lesha Jones, the No. 56-ranked player in the nation by Blue Star Index, and 2004 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year Danielle Ward. Toss in guards Akiya Alexander, the No. 18-ranked shooting guard in the nation by All Star Girls Report, and Shari’ Welton and the 2007 Badgers will have a downright scary group of veteran leaders.
With no shortage of scoring on the perimeter and in the post, the only question mark appears to be at point guard. Anderson may prove to be the top shooting guard in the Big Ten and could move to the point if necessary, Banks will provide another quality scorer on the wing or in the backcourt, Jones (who will join the team next season after taking a redshirt this year to recover from a torn ACL) should develop into a strong center and Ward will provide speed and athleticism at power forward. If Anderson, Banks, Alexander or Welton can develop into a capable floor general over the next three years — or Stone brings someone in to fill the role — it will be tough to stop the Wisconsin attack.
The potential is also there on the defensive side. Wisconsin’s perimeter defense should be stifling behind the play of Banks, who has already begun to emerge as the Badgers’ top perimeter defender, and Anderson, who averaged eight steals per game as a senior at South Shore High.
Wisconsin’s defensive presence should be even more intimidating in the paint, where the Badgers will feature a pair of forwards who each averaged more than eight blocks per game in their final prep season. Ward should develop into an imposing presence after averaging 8.8 blocks per game in her senior season at Rufus King High School, and Jones figures to disrupt would-be scorers with equal proficiency after averaging nine blocks per game in her senior season at Martin Luther King High.
The Badgers’ phenomenal freshman class has already begun to show what it is capable of. Anderson and Banks have each started all four games of the regular season and are beginning to look like the top players on the team.
Anderson has been the Badgers’ brightest star from day one, when the freshman phenom dropped 18 points and 11 rebounds in the opening exhibition contest. Anderson has scored in double figures in every game this season and currently leads the Badgers in scoring with 16.5 points per game. The standout guard is shooting over 50 percent from the field and has knocked down 35.7 percent of her looks from three-point range.
Though Banks is still feeling the effects of a knee injury that forced her to miss all of exhibition play, she has already supplanted last season’s leading scorer Ashley Josephson in the starting lineup. There can be no clearer indication that a team is in the midst of a dramatic turnaround than to see a true freshman replace the returning scoring leader in the starting lineup. When that freshman is coming off an injury that forced her to miss significant practice time, the statement is even stronger. This team is clearly on the rise.
The Wisconsin squad that takes the floor over the next three seasons will not even resemble the one that went 4-12 in Big Ten play last year. After next season, every member of the 2003-04 squad will have departed and the current freshman class will have two full seasons under its belt. When the freshmen become upperclassmen, the rookie mistakes that have plagued the Badgers this season (read: 48 turnovers over the past two games) will no longer be an issue.
Three seasons from now, the most talented freshman class in the Big Ten will be the most talented senior class in the Big Ten, a transition that could translate into a conference title. In a few short years, the Badgers will move from a group of young upstarts to a conference juggernaut.
Of course, it isn’t quite that simple. Potential is not always fulfilled and high school accolades have never guaranteed a successful transition to the college game, but the Badgers have as bright a future as any team in the Big Ten.
Anderson has already proven herself at the college level and Banks and Ward are well on their way. Though it remains to be seen how Jones will respond after sitting out this season with a torn ACL, and Alexander and Welton are unlikely to see significant minutes this year with upperclassmen Stephanie Rich, Jordan Wilson and Ebba Gebisa firmly entrenched as starters, all six members of the Badgers’ vaunted recruiting class will be able to showcase their talents over the next three years.
Wisconsin may look like a conference doormat at the moment, but in just three short years the team that has gone 17-38 over the past two seasons will be the team to beat in the Big Ten.
