As an average week of practice comes to a close, Badgers head coach Bo Ryan addresses his team. Ryan casually tells the players to stay out of trouble. He particularly addresses freshman center J.P. Gavinski, telling him not to go hunting over the weekend. Ryan does not want the big man playing with any guns. But the clever Gavinski comes up with a witty comeback, exclaiming, ""But coach, I carry two guns around every day!""
Gavinski rubs his biceps. The team bursts out in laughter.
This is the gentle side of J.P. Gavinski, the 6'11' freshman from Wisconsin Dells. Gavinski played his high school basketball at Wisconsin Dells High School and is currently a redshirt freshman in his first year at Wisconsin.
The previous after-practice story shows the sense of humor Gavinski's teammates love, but it is what happens during practice that shows why he now dons the red and white.
During practice, Gavinski, a promising young athlete who will receive no playing time this year, humbly prepares his fellow big men, junior centers Brian Butch and Greg Stiemsma, for the epic battles of the week. Most important is the long-term effect he will have on the team this year as he helps to prepare for the upcoming Big Ten schedule, when the Badgers will face some of the biggest centers in the country, including Ohio State's Greg Oden.
Gavinski's teammates recognize the sacrifice he makes for the team and how he channels his abilities to help the Badgers reach their goals. Senior guard Kammron Taylor acknowledged his development.
""He's becoming a pretty good shot-blocker and a pretty good defensive player,"" Taylor said. ""He really helps our bigs on the defensive end.""
And Taylor was not kidding, either. At practice, Gavinski's gentle side disappears, and the big man wreaks havoc on Butch and Stiemsma, blocking shots and boxing out.
UW assistant coach Greg Gard also commented on Gavinski's role on the team. Gard noted Gavinski pushes himself in practice, which raises the level of the practice and improves those who get the most playing time. Gard also stated that redshirting proves to be more of an advantage to centers than to other players, as it gives them an opportunity to improve their strength, a much needed characteristic for centers.
""He always plays the biggest player on the scout team,"" Gard said. And it appears the in-practice experience paid off for Wisconsin against in-state rival Marquette. Gard noted Gavinski would act as Golden Eagle forward Ousmane Barro in practice. In the game, Wisconsin held Barro to a mere five points en route to a 70-66 victory.
The great thing about this year's Badger team is the centers have developed a relationship with one another, both on and off the court. On the court, Gavinski helps his fellow centers improve. Off the court, he hangs out at junior center Greg Stiemsma's house. In fact, Butch, Stiemsma and Gavinski all grew up playing high school basketball in Wisconsin.
Stiemsma also commented on how Gavinski makes him better at practice, blocking shots and forcing him to find new ways to get to the rim.
Finally, Gavinski gave his own insight into his steady improvement, noting that he focuses every day on his outside game, posting-up and lifting weights in order to get stronger.
Gavinski commented on the transition from high school to college hoops, admitting, ""College, man, everyone's just as good as you are ... it's a whole new level.""
Still, Gavinski claims that he is learning a lot about the game from his center counterparts, Butch and Stiemsma.
""You can look at some of the stuff that they do,"" he said. ""Constructive criticism, I guess. They do something to you; you can pick up on that.""
Perhaps Gavinski's opinion on his role in the team's quest for a conference title sums up what Badger fans have in store for the future.
""I'm just trying to go out there during practice and make everybody better, work with the big guys and make them better,\ he said. ""Rough ‘em up!""
Funny, funny.
