With a roster high on athleticism and speed, the 2005-06 Wisconsin Badger men's basketball team would seem ideally suited to run and gun. However, the conference they play in would suggest otherwise.
'You have to understand that in the Big Ten ... 85 percent of the game is going to be running offensively organized basketball,' Badger forward Alando Tucker said. 'We still have to learn how to run half-court basketball.'
Tucker would know. The 6'6' junior with a school record 38' vertical jump is one of the more seasoned players on the team, with two seasons of Big Ten play under his belt.
The Big Ten conference is one of the most methodical in the country. The fundamentals are stressed'??defense, rebounding, patience in the half-court. But that doesn't mean the Badgers aren't looking for their window to push the ball.
'If we have opportunities, there's not a fast break that a coach in the country wouldn't take if you have the opportunities,' head coach Bo Ryan explained. 'But again, as I've said, how many easy layups do you get in the Big Ten in transition'?
Senior forward Ray Nixon, whose 81 games played ranks first among members of the Badgers, sees an outfit of players this year that would relish the chance to turn up the tempo.
'The group we have now are more young and running guys,' he said. 'They're ready to get up and down the floor.' Nixon added that the team's outlook on the break will hinge on their opponents' style of play.
'We'll try. It depends on what team we're playing. Some teams we have to slow it down for, some teams we might look to get up and down the court,' he said.
If the opportunity is there for the Badgers to run, the ball is almost always going to touch the hands of their point guard, junior Kammron Taylor. After appearing in all 34 games last year, predominantly off the bench, Taylor is ready to embrace a larger role on the court.
'Being the point guard, I just have to make good decisions,' Taylor said. 'I know I'm quick. I know I'm fast. None of that can benefit the team if I'm out there making bad decisions. Now I have to use my quickness to my advantage.'
Coach Ryan has already seen notable improvement in Taylor, who scored 18 points, ten above his season average, in the Badgers' loss to North Carolina in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament last season.
'He's more aware, his court awareness is there,' Ryan noted. 'The thing now is that he knows the things he needs to do and executing that every time is what's expected, especially from that position.'
'A person in Kam's spot has to be better, tougher, wiser, more mature than anybody on the floor at all times,' Ryan said.
Taylor made a commitment over the summer to enhance his ball handling and decision making, both of which are essential in making or breaking a transition opportunity.
He also honed his defensive skills, defending the likes of freshman Mickey Perry and sophomore Michael Flowers on a daily basis in the offseason.
When asked if he believed the fast break would be more prevalent for Wisconsin this year, Taylor seemed to think it would.
'Definitely,' he responded. 'Coach has been getting on us, saying, 'push the ball.' We run a lot of drills that consist of pushing the ball and making decisions on the run. That's one thing [Ryan] might want to do this year.'
Tucker, who was first on the team in scoring last year (15.2) and second in rebounding (6.1), said that for the Badgers to even think about outrunning their opponent, their focus will need to be on the defensive end of the floor.
'We're going to be able to push the ball up court,' he said. 'But everything starts on defense.'
