
After finishing third in the Maui Invitational, Wisconsin men’s basketball head coach Bo Ryan is eager to impart the team’s growth from playing power conference teams last week to the rest of the season.
Ryan noted the Badgers’ experience in Hawaii showed him even at this early stage in the season, the team (4-1) did a great job of responding despite losing to Gonzaga Tuesday.
“That they want to compete, that they’re tough, that they can bounce back and that they can handle a little adversity, foul trouble, the ball not going in. You know, you find out about people in the struggle, so to speak,” Ryan said. “And it’s always about the struggle. That’s where the joy lies, as they say, in the struggle and not so much in the victory or whatever else happens. It’s the idea that what you go through and what it does for you. So hopefully it will help us be more competitive in our next games. I didn’t just make that up. Gandhi, I think, said it a long time ago, and a few other people.”
Winning ugly against Arizona Monday and falling to Gonzaga, the Badgers struggled to shoot from beyond the arc in the first two games of the tournament. UW finally found its stroke against Maryland, connecting on 10 of 22 three-point attempts.
“Well, we looked at shots, but we always look at shots. Boy, it’s not like they were clanking the front or whacking the bracket in the back on the ones that missed,” Ryan said. “Double-rimming out on so many of Jason’s (Bohannon), Keaton’s (Nankivil). Very few of them were what you would call ‘clankers.’ So if you’re shooting clankers, then that would be more of an issue.”
Wisconsin bounced back to beat Maryland after falling to a Gonzaga squad that outmatched the team in terms of physical readiness for the game, while the Badgers were a bit more weary from playing games on consecutive days.
“Gonzaga was definitely fresher than us,” Ryan said, “To their credit they must have used that extra rest pretty well because they just seemed like they had a little more bounce than us. … So for them to bounce that next day … was an advantage for them, but it helped us for Wednesday’s game to play a team like Gonzaga.”
Bruesewitz, Taylor and Nankivil Stepping Up
With junior forward Jon Leuer plagued by foul trouble against Arizona, freshman forward Mike Bruesewitz stepped in and played big minutes for the Badgers in Maui. Though he didn’t jump off the page on the scoreboard, Bruesewitz gave Wisconsin a strong defensive effort and showed poise under pressure.
Bruesewitz scored six points and pulled down seven key rebounds in just 22 minutes after replacing Leuer Monday.
“Mike went in there and boy, that’s why you coach,” Ryan said. “Him going in there and getting something done defensively … (and with) the life he gave us, we don’t come back 2-1 without him.”
During a recent film session, Ryan helped advise Keaton Nankivil on how he can capitalize on plays like his failed attempt to dunk in traffic, but commented on his development from last year to this season.
“If you took it, you wanted to take it strong, and you have a better chance, with two hands, of not getting hurt and coming away with a successful throwdown,” Ryan said of Nankivil’s dunk attempt. “He has been aggressive to the rim, I like that. That’s a definite improvement from last year where he was timid.”
Similarly, sophomore guard Jordan Taylor, who is averaging, 6.6 points a game and 2.8 assists, has been putting in extra practice in the gym to step up his game, gain minutes and repeat performances like his 19-point outing against Gonzaga.
“It’s called getting in the gym on your own,” Ryan said. “He has been putting in some extra time. He wants to be a player. And there’s another guy who has stepped in and improved from last year.”