The phrase direction of the program"" is thrown around far too often in the world of college sports. It describes the idea that actions now are somehow sowing the seeds of future success.
The nice part about this is that it is very hard to prove the ""direction"" of a program since the predictions are so long term. This whole topic, however, intersects with UW sports when it comes to the football and basketball teams, especially in terms of recruiting.
Many fans believe that garnering highly-rated recruits means success in the long term and often turn to the inexact measures supplied by websites like Scout.com and Rivals.com. The Badgers have gone against that belief as Bo Ryan has never pulled in supremely highly-rated recruits and Bielema's classes have not been ranked in the top-25.
Both coaches have programs which are consistent but rarely spectacular, and this status quo irks some fans. They feel the teams should be taking ""the next step"" into the role of perennial national power.
If only it were that easy.
The first factor that the programs have to contend with is their history. Before Barry Alvarez, the football team was mostly know for one great game (1962 Rose Bowl), a few good players and a long losing tradition. On the hardwood, the Badgers were mediocre at best until the mid-90s and were propelled by the coaching of Ryan and Dick Bennett.
Making the jump from bottom dweller to power, both on the field and in recruiting, requires a tremendous amount of luck combined with getting a few great players at the right time.
Both programs made the small jump but lacked an all-time great player, like Magic Johnson at Michigan State, to make a name for the the school.
This situation is further muddied but the fact that Alvarez, Ryan and Bennett built their success on rather rigid systems. The football team's run-centric attack will offer little help in attracting top-flight quarterbacks and running backs.
Although Bo Ryan's teams have been very successful, the swing offense tends to attract a certain kind of player, usually those who are willing to sacrifice the chance to showcase individual talents and play at a slower pace.
These systems simply do not catch the eyes of the strongest, fastest and most exciting high school players.
The low high school talent level in the state of Wisconsin also does not favor the Badgers. Consider the fact that when Brian Butch, one of the most highly regarded Wisconsin prep players ever, arrived on campus, he was tremendously poor in terms of conditioning and lacked any semblance of bulk.
High school football teams in the Badger state usually employ run-heavy offenses that rely on run-first quarterbacks.
This might be great for producing linemen and runners, but leaves Bielema woefully short on in-state quarterbacks and receivers. To put a point on it, Tyler Donovan is the only Wisconsin native to start at QB for the Badgers since 1987.
Both coaches rely somewhat heavily on in-state recruiting because, as much as it might shock some, it's sometimes hard to sell Wisconsin. This is not to say that Madison isn't a nice town. It's just hard to sell Texans and Floridians on a place this cold.
Now, this may sound like all hope is lost, but there is a good course of action.
For the basketball team it will be a slow and steady process. Keep getting solid and occasionally spectacular players and maybe go after a few more players from the roundball-rich state of Illinois. Dick Bennett's 2000 Final Four squad proved that the basketball postseason can be a bit random (as that team had very little talent) and eventually Ryan's number will come up.
Bret Bielema's path to greatness may go through Illinois and Ohio. Getting top talent form Florida, California and Texas is not realistic. Illinois, however, has a plethora of talent and no dominant in-state schools (though Notre Dame pulls in a lot of good Chicago kids).
If they can steal unappreciated Ohioans a la Lee Evens, get players from unappreciated areas like the Northeast and most importantly, constantly grab top prospects from Illinois, perhaps they could make a jump into the big time.
For now, UW fans have consistent bowls and berths in the NCAA tournament. It's a good thing that 7-5 is a disappointment, but fans must see that there is a very long way to go before Wisconsin is mentioned as a perennial power in either sport.
Think Ben should shut it and that five-star Florida prospects are the only way Wisconsin will become top-flight program? Set him straight at breiner@wisc.edu.
