The UW men’s basketball team looks to conclude its exhibition play this Wednesday, facing Minnesota State at the Kohl Center. The team will then begin preparations for opening it’s regular season play this Sunday where they will host Prairie View A&M
With the conclusion of the exhibition season upon the team, they look to make final evaluations on rotations and different combinations.
“It will depend on what’s happening in all of the drills. Who is accomplishing what we are looking for through the learning curve of are you better today than yesterday and so on,” head coach Bo Ryan said.
Ryan will show no favorites to his players in the decision making process and that is something they are all aware of.
“Those guys that keep showing progress are the guys that are going to get more minutes; It’s never mattered to me whether they were scholarship players or non-scholarship players, they are all players so whoever earns it will receive it,” Ryan said.
Freshman up to the challenge
When it comes to outstanding early impressions from the exhibition play, guard Josh Gasser has been at the top of UW’s list.
“He can handle the ball, he can see the floor, he can move his feet, he pays attention to everything that is said, and he can be a little chippy at times in competition – which you like,” Ryan said. “The chippiest guy we have had since I have been here was Michael Flowers and I just loved coaching him because he always felt that whatever was going to be next he could do it better than anybody else – not by saying it, but just by doing it.”
Gasser is an overall very diverse player offensively and Ryan is looking forward to seeing what he brings this season on the defensive end of the floor.
“The offensive things, the instincts are there; defensively I want to see how far he can take it,” Ryan said.
Bringing the upperclassmen and the new guys together can always have mixed results, but Gasser has made a strong first impression on the veterans.
“Guys always had something good to say about him. If he was one of those guys being picked (during pick-up games), I would think that would be a good thing,” Ryan said.
Getting defensive
According to Head Coach Bo Ryan, the biggest factor in the success of Wisconsin’s season will be the level of their defense.
“It’s probably going to rest in the hands of the best defenders to get some early time in the guard spot, because we are going to play some really good teams that have some guys that can beat you off the bounce, that are real good shooters,” Ryan said. “We are going to have to find something defensively and work from there.”
Ryan likes to stick to the basics, and not over-complicate his playing style. It’s a basic system that relies on effort.
“My defensive system is not intricate; don’t let people to the rim, stop the ball and cover shooters – how much easier can you make it”? said Ryan. “Try doing that against guys with the ball that are so quick and that can do so many things and play off a screen so well, that’s always the competition that is taking place on every possession.”
Anderson contemplating redshirt
Freshman center Evan Anderson will decide soon if he will be playing with the Badgers this season, or redshirting, a choice that is entirely up to him.
“It’s always the players decision (to redshirt), we don’t say one way or the other,” Ryan said.
The decision to redshirt can come from personal reasons, looking at who is ahead of you on the team, or what the outlook for competing for actual minutes look like.
“I think he will have to decide whether or not he is ready to compete for minutes or if he wants to help us in practice and develop,” said Ryan.
There are multiple other options on the team for big men, and another strong candidate at center has been sophomore Jared Berggren.
“Jared in practice has been playing really well, so there is a 6-10 (center) who can compete,” Ryan said.
