Everyone knows how spectacular Badger head coach Bo Ryan's UW career has been. The two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year has won conference titles and conference tournament championships, has been to Sweet 16s and an Elite 8 and has made the Kohl Center a home atmosphere that rivals any arena in the country. This year, the Badgers are 18-7 and standing a half game back of first place in the Big Ten at 8-4 in the conference. Despite the setbacks on and off the court, this is the finest coaching job of Bo Ryan's career.
Back in January, the Badgers hit a snag. They lost five of six games, culminating in an eight-point loss at Purdue. They also lost sophomore center Greg Stiemsma, who cited depression, and freshman forward Marcus Landry to academic ineligibility for the season. Freshman guard DeArron Williams left the team due to problems in the classroom as well.
The Badgers also came into the year with the second-youngest group in the conference, sporting only one senior in forward Ray Nixon.
Yet, here the Badgers are; right in the middle of the Big Ten race.
'It's got to be up there with [Ryan's] best years,' UW assistant coach Howard Moore said. 'Dealing with what he's had to deal with ... No matter how difficult it has been, no matter what the adversity, coach has been even keel.'
Moore asserts that Ryan's calmness during a stretch of rough games rubs off on his players. After losses to Ohio State, Illinois, Michigan, Purdue and even North Dakota State, Ryan could be seen in the media room swatting down questions about the team's low morale or lack of confidence.
Though he said he knows the media is good for the game of basketball, Ryan asserts that at times the press can cause dissension 'whether by accident, or they may have an ax to grind.' Ryan won't let his players be brought down by a tough stretch or by members of the media looking for a story. He has all the respect in the world for those who put forth effort, and he still saw that out in his struggling club.
'I think [staying calm] helps players focus on what's important,' Ryan said, 'not only on the basketball court, but in life, too.'
Despite the acceptance of losses, Ryan still can't find a way to understand why people were so surprised by the team's loss to North Dakota State. The effort was there, but UW 'just couldn't hit water if we feel out of a boat.'
'Basketball people look at those statistics: 24 forced turnovers, 22 offensive rebounds,' Ryan said. 'I don't think there's ever been a team in the history of basketball who dominated like that in those two categories and didn't win.'
If that's the case, and we can leave the research to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Badgers were the first. Yet Wisconsin has bounced back just in time to be able to control its own destiny. Coach Ryan and the team reviewed the mistakes, saw some little things that were going wrong and made the appropriate corrections.
'There are certain things in life that are so-called 'givens,' things you can't get away from,' Ryan said. 'Just like in class. If you don't take notes, you get sick academically. So if you struggle on a test, what's the best way to prepare for the next one'?
The answer: review and decipher the problems. The Badgers quickly solved those problems, helped by freshmen forwards Kevin Gullikson and Joe Krabbenhoft, who have taken on huge roles in the Badger rotation and are both key to the team's resurgence.
Despite the fact that the Badgers have moved forward successfully, Ryan has not forgotten about the players who can no longer participate in the team's quest for another conference ring.
'I look at these as experiences that occur because guys are not able to continue playing on the basketball team,' Ryan said of the loss of Stiemsma and Landry. 'But now in life there's a lot of things that happen to people where they couldn't continue to do something they were doing. How are you going to handle it? How does the coach handle it? How does someone in my position handle it'?
If anyone can handle players, it's coach Ryan.
'We're here for them,' Ryan continued. 'The main thing with Greg Stiemsma is to get healthy. It is a health issue. With Marcus, OK, gotta work a little harder. Are you going to work harder'?
To Ryan, players like Stiemsma and Landry have their whole careers to go. The players who are still active have a whole season to play. He refuses to label the problems the Badgers have experienced as adversity'maybe a setback, but certainly not adversity.
The winningest active coach in Division I basketball says he won't look at the negatives this season, only at the positives.
'The players that are playing still go on and other guys get more minutes,' Ryan said. 'I don't dwell on things that aren't, as much as I try to facilitate things that can be.'
Although Ryan has had his share of accomplishments, he won't allow you to remind him of them. The accolades are nice, but it's the effort of the guys that run the hardwood for him that the coach loves. With that said, he's got to love the year the Badgers are having. Despite the setbacks, the Badgers are having another strong year. Ryan, however, refuses to designate the year as his finest until the last game has been played.
'The whole idea is that when this season's over, all said and done, I'll be able to look at it and comment on how this ranks,' Ryan said. 'Now the main thing is keep these guys working. And our guys are still hanging, working hard, getting in the mix.'
UW is a half game out of first place in maybe the toughest conference in the country. Still, no one mentions the Badgers. Last year, the team had possibly the quietest Elite 8 run ever and played North Carolina better than most teams in the tournament. Still no one mentions Ryan. The coach, though, doesn't let that get to him, because he knows the people who truly matter are taking notice of UW.
'People know what these guys are doing in the basketball world,' Ryan said. 'A guy like you who looks around and sees how hard these guys work, I'm sure you appreciate it.'
I do, coach. And my bet is the rest of Madison and the state of Wisconsin does too.
