As the news of junior guard Josh Gasser tearing his ACL in an October Saturday morning practice filtered around the Twitter world, the hearts of Badger nation sank. As both someone who follows the UW hoops program and a journalist, I wrote off this Badgers squad. While much had been endorsed about the development of redshirt freshman guard George Marshall during his redshirt season and the drastic improvement of sophomore guard Traevon Jackson, they simply could not duplicate the experience and talent of Gasser—a two-year starter and one of three freshman to start in the Bo Ryan era.
After an ugly home loss to Virginia in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, my pessimistic attitude about this year’s squad grew. The point guard play was too inconsistent. The offense was not clicking. Ryan’s bread-and-butter—stifling defense—was the furthest thing from stifling. However, 15 conference games later, Ryan has proved myself and the rest of the country wrong once again, which is why he should be a no-brainer selection for the Big Ten Coach of the Year award.
According to teamrankings.com, Wisconsin returned 49 percent of its offensive production and 63 percent of its defensive production, and those numbers naturally decreased with the loss of Gasser. However, Ryan still found a way to vault his squad into contention for a league crown in a conference that’s filled with top-tier teams and is the toughest it has been in quite some time. So how did Ryan do it? How did this squad prove the doubters wrong again? The reasons are endless.
While the majority would think otherwise, Ryan has made the most of his available options offensively. Freshman forward Sam Dekker has transformed into one of the most consistent scorers off the bench in the conference. Jackson grows more confident with each shot. Junior guard Ben Brust has proven to be a true sharpshooter.
Sure, the Badgers slow the tempo down significantly compared to other teams in the conference, as they sit near the bottom of the Big Ten in points per possession, but they still find ways to stay in games no matter who the opponent. However, this year’s squad has ridden the wave of its defense when it is needed most, just like Ryan’s 12 previous teams have done since his arrival.
Of the top five teams in the league besides Wisconsin—Indiana, Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State—the Badgers’ defensive efforts have reigned supreme. Wisconsin has held these four opponents to 55.4 points per game, which is well below their combined scoring average of 74.7 points per game.
While defense has been a consistent signature of Ryan, another signature may be dealing with adversity. During the 2005-’06 season, the team was faced with the suspensions of Marcus Landry and Greg Stiemsma due to academics, but the team still managed to stay afloat. Moreover, during the 2008-’09 season, the team endured a six-game conference losing streak—once again, the Badgers did not flinch.
This season is no different, as adversity struck in more ways than one. In addition to Gasser’s season-ending injury, redshirt senior forward Mike Bruesewitz missed the start of the season with a gruesome leg injury and sophomore forward Frank Kaminsky was sidelined three games during a grueling part of the conference schedule.
“Coach Ryan has built his entire program on consistency. He demands consistency from his players in practice. He demands it in the off-season. He’s a creature of habit and that helps create consistent behaviors. He doesn’t get too high after a win. He doesn’t get too low after a loss. He is unphased by injuries,” former Wisconsin Director of Basketball Operations Joe Robinson said via email.
“That mentality has developed a belief in the entire program that no matter what happens, they will still be successful. Coach Ryan has confidence that every guy in the program will prepare in a way to be ready if they are ever called on.”
Is my vote for Ryan as the Big Ten Coach of the Year biased in nature? Although I follow the team religiously, I predicate myself as a journalist on giving credit where credit is due, and all of the credit should be given to the job Ryan has done this year, surpassing everyone’s expectations for the 12th season in a row.
Do you think Ryan is the Big Ten Coach of the Year? Let Rex know by sending him an email at sports@dailycardinal.com.
