Here in the heart of Badger Nation, it seems almost hyperbolic to tout Bo Ryan’s coaching prowess. After all, his list of accolades at UW — 217 wins, a .727 winning percentage, nine straight NCAA Tournament appearances, two Sweet Sixteen births, two Big Ten Tournament championships and successful mastery of the Hambone and Soulja Bo dances — pretty much speaks for itself.
However, after the 2010 Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball season, Ryan is wholeheartedly deserving of even more praise. Don’t expect him to listen to it, though.
After junior forward Jon Leuer — the team’s leading scorer and rebounder at 15.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game — fractured a bone in his wrist in the Badgers’ 73-66 Jan. 9 victory over Purdue, much of the college basketball world was preparing to write Wisconsin’s obituary. After all, who would step up in place of the 6-10, 240 lb. power forward who also excels on the perimeter? Keaton Nankivil? Ryan Evans? Tim Jarmusz? Mike Bruesewitz? The now-departed Ian Markolf?
Yet, resisting the urge to mix and match the above-mentioned big guys in and out of the lineup, Ryan exhibited the patience and calm, rational thinking that has defined his coaching tenure at Wisconsin. Playing to his team’s strengths, Ryan inserted sophomore guard Jordan Taylor into the lineup to provide the Badgers with a formidable three-guard lineup along with senior co-captains Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon.
Having gotten off to a solid 13-3 (3-1) start before Leuer went down, the Badgers, at the minimum, really just had to tread along until their starting power forward returned. Leuer ended up returning Feb. 18 against Minnesota, and the Badgers went 6-3 in his absence. Crisis averted.
On the court this season, Ryan’s coaching genius was as evident as ever. The Badgers executed Ryan’s patented swing offense to the Big Ten’s second-best scoring margin at +10.2 points per game, behind only Ohio State at +12.6. In addition, Ryan’s squad exemplified traditional UW basketball as the Big Ten’s No. 1 scoring defense, allowing only 56.9 points per game; the second-best was Purdue, nearly five points worse at 61.3.
Renowned for his ability to coach up players and instill a mentally tough, confident attitude, 2009-2010 saw some of Ryan’s best work. Nankivil, who moved into the starting lineup this year with the departures of Marcus Landry and Joe Krabbenhoft, saw his points per game nearly double from last year’s 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game to this year’s 8.1 and 4.7. Badger fans were even treated to a few Nanky throw-downs this year, a stark contrast from the attitude the seemingly-delicate forward exhibited the previous year.
While the second round exit to Cornell in the NCAA Tournament was surely a disappointment for Wisconsin, Ryan’s coaching ability provided more than just a silver lining. Already earning $1.25 million per year through 2015, UW extended Ryan an additional year, saying in numbers what Badger Nation knows all too well — Bo Ryan is one heck of a coach.
