I'm worried about the status of our men's basketball team for next season. Head coach Bo Ryan has a lot on his plate since he has to replace five seniors, four of which were starters, and possibly associate head coach Rob Jeter, who has been interviewed by UW-Milwaukee for the head coach position.
Not only is Jeter Ryan's right hand man, but he also deals with much of the Badgers' recruiting and if he were to take the position in Milwaukee the recruits could go with him.
Well, have no fear, Bo, because I'm here for you. I have been scouting out the UW campus and I know of some prospects that would fit in perfectly next season. For future reference, you can also cut down your traveling cost for recruiting since all my suggestions played basketball during their high school and AAU careers right here in Wisconsin.
First, to replace your three senior forwards might I suggest tapping into the UW football team. You can take your pick from 6'8' offensive linemen Joe Thomas, Danny Kaye, and 6'5' defensive lineman Justin Ostrowski. With any of these guys, boxing out on the boards and clearing the lane would be the last of your worries since each lineman carries intimidating size.
Think about it Bo. If you would have had just one of these guys to help out Mike Wilkinson in the middle against UNC, Sean May might have been too afraid to even leave the bench.
Also, don't even think these new players won't mesh with your current roster. Growing up, Ostrowski played AAU basketball for the Randolph Boys Club and with none other than Tanner Bronson ran the point for this team.
If you put Ostrowski on your team, this could help Bronson work his way into the rotation. Let's be honest. What would be sweeter than seeing a Bronson ally-oop to Ostrowski?
All right, so now I know you're concerned about replacing your defensive specialist, Clayton Hanson. Well all you need to do is look to the UW soccer team and find Matt Jelacic. He was a four year varsity starter at Marquette High School in Milwaukee and an AAU teammate of Kaye on the Wisconsin Shooters and he can take a charge just as well, if not better than Hanson.
You may have to remind him, though, that kicking the ball into the net won't be necessary once he joins your team.
Finally, to compensate the loss of guard Sharif Chambliss, you should call on Barry Alvarez for one more favor to use defensive back Ben Strickland. His size of 5'9' may put up a red flag for you but have him race against Kammron Taylor and I can assure you that he could keep up with any guard in the Big Ten.
If you put Thomas on your team, he and Strickland can maybe share some plays with you from their days with the Brookfield Magic AAU team and Brookfield Central High School team.
I know next season is still a while a way for you Bo, but hopefully my suggestions will give you some direction as you start to figure everything out. You can just thank me, coach Alvarez and soccer coach Jeff Rohrman when you make it to the Final Four next year with this team I assembled for you.
Betsy is a sophomore majoring in sociology and hopefully journalism at some point. She can be reached for comment at eagolomski@wisc.edu.
