Despite recent struggles for the Wisconsin women’s basketball team (8-18, 4-10 Big Ten), discouragement is the last thing on head coach Bobbie Kelsey’s mind as the Badgers prepare for their final two opponents of the season.
Although the Badgers have dropped five consecutive Big Ten games, Kelsey seemed upbeat at her Monday press conference while the team prepares for a showdown Thursday night on the road against the Indiana Hoosiers (5-22, 0-14).
Although the Badgers have hit a rough patch, Kelsey has been encouraged by her team’s attitude.
“I am proud of our team from last night’s game (68-59 loss at Nebraska),” Kelsey said. “We were down a lot but didn’t give up. We persevered in the face of adversity. It is very encouraging when you don’t give up. This group has a lot of pride and wants to do well.”
One surprise that’s emerged as of late is freshman point guard Lacia Gorman, who’s caught the eye of Kelsey lately and is starting to adjust to the college game.
Although it’s been a challenge to find her place on the court, Gorman has shown promising development the last two games, scoring 19 points over the recent stretch for Wisconsin. UW’s head coach has taken notice of Gorman’s improvement and had encouraging words about her young point guard.
“Lacia did a great job,” Kelsey said. “She has been coming on as of late and has gained a lot of confidence these last two games. She can handle the ball and has a lot of upside to her. It carries a lot of responsibility to be a point guard.”
The Badgers will look to build momentum as they end the regular season this week with matchups at Indiana Thursday night and a home game against Illinois Sunday. It’s an important stretch for a team that is looking for a spark heading into the Big Ten Tournament.
Wisconsin’s game against Indiana poses a lot of challenges, starting with the fact that Indiana has yet to win a conference game and is hungry to get its first Big Ten victory.
“Indiana is scary because we don’t want to be the first team to lose to them,” Kelsey said. “They don’t have anything to lose, and we cannot take them for granted. We are not looking at it as an easy game. This is an important stretch for our team because you always want to play well going into a tournament and have the confidence to know you can play with anyone.”
As the Badgers’ season winds down, there have been a lot of good memories to reflect on. Sunday will be a special day as the seniors play their final home game at the Kohl Center.
Entering the season, Kelsey didn’t know what to expect. She said that things could go very well or very badly. Taking over a new group and a new program is tough for most coaches; however, she praised the leadership of her seniors.
“I am so grateful to the seniors from day one,” Kelsey said. “It was almost like having 12 freshmen at the beginning of the year. I have to credit the group and their maturity to accept someone they don’t know.”
After accepting the coaching position, Kelsey knew she wasn’t going to inherit a Stanford-caliber team. She understood that the transition was not going to be easy and that hard work would be critical in building a record of success.
Kelsey, who was previously an assistant coach for four seasons at Stanford, helped lead the Cardinal to a 137-14 record and four consecutive Final Fours. Her plans for success are the same in Madison as she tries to resurrect the women’s basketball team into a title contender.
The new coach believes she can bring her experience to Wisconsin and make a lasting contribution to the program.
“The challenge is to take a group without all the names and accolades and see what they can do,” she said. “I felt it was time to help another group. [The journey] must start somewhere, and there isn’t a place I would rather do it than Wisconsin.”