The UW men's basketball team had a facelift after the 2000-'01 season.
It wasn't so much a facelift as it was drastic reconstructive surgery.
After the Badgers lost 50-49 to Georgia State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, interim head coach Brad Soderberg was let go and UW-Milwaukee coach Bo Ryan was hired.
A few months later, the Badgers lost senior leaders Mike Kelley, Mark Vershaw, Andy Kowske and Roy Boone'who accounted for 57 percent of the UW offense in 2000-'01'to graduation. Maurice Linton, who started eight games for the Badgers during the year, also graduated.
While UW lost a few other offensive weapons during the course of the off-season, Ryan said the toughest part about losing the talented seniors from last year's squad was losing the leadership they brought to the team.
'I think what's difficult about the guys that just left is because they were in those [leadership] roles for a longer period of time than probably most seniors,' Ryan said. 'Well, you just have to hope that the next group you have has individuals in there that are willing to do the same [as the departed seniors].'
Ryan will find out if he has those kinds of individuals on this year's team, which has a mixture of veterans along with a bunch of untested underclassmen. The core of UW's senior talent starts with guard Travon Davis, who played in 21 of UW's 29 games last season, and forward Charlie Wills, who started nine games for the Badgers and averaged 4.2 points per game.
Ryan said he would look to Davis and Wills as the two leaders on the team, since they have been on UW's last three NCAA Tournament teams.
'Charlie and Travon have done an excellent job of setting the tone by their example,' Ryan said. 'To see these guys attack these drills they way they have, I'm very pleased with that.'
Another leader on this year's team will be junior guard Kirk Penney, who started 22 games in 2000-'01 and was one of two players on last year's squad to average more than 11 points per game.
Penney said it is important for the more experienced players to help their younger teammates adjust, both physically and mentally.
'If I can help [the young players] in any way by just being there and sharing some of the experiences I've been through and physically help them out on the court, I think it will help them for sure,' Penney said.
The other two returning letterwinners are sophomores Dave Mader and Freddie Owens, neither of whom started a game last season.
Added to the mix are a group of young scholarship players and three walk-ons. Since most of the players on the team are so young and inexperienced, Ryan is working on establishing the fundamentals.
'Everything right now has been practice to practice, and we're not discussing opponents, we're not discussing the other teams,' Ryan said. 'That doesn't even come up.'
No matter how experienced the players are, they all will have to deal with Ryan's run-and-gun offensive style, which is a big departure from the slow, methodical approach of Dick Bennett and Soderberg.
Ryan said while his style may be different than some of the players are used to, his game plan is pretty basic.
'Style is still trying to get a good shot on offense and not giving up one on defense,' Ryan said.
Learning a new style of play might be the biggest challenge for the Badgers, but their schedule might come in a close second. After playing the third-toughest schedule in the nation in 2000-'01, UW might have an even tougher one this year. The Badgers have to face UNLV, Georgia Tech, Temple and Tennessee in nonconference play, along with their traditionally tough foes in the Big Ten.
While the Badgers still have three weeks until their first regular-season game, Penney said the limited practices the UW team has participated in so far have been pretty successful and the best is yet to come.
'We're working so hard right now that I think good things are ahead of us,' Penney said.
