The UW men's basketball team was present for Big Ten Media Day in Chicago last weekend, represented by head coach Bo Ryan, and senior forwards Marcus Landry and Joe Krabbenhoft. Both Landry and Krabbenhoft were selected for their experience and knowledge of Wisconsin basketball, but as many found out, the bond between the two of them goes far beyond their athletic careers at UW.
We were roommates my freshman year.
He's my best friend,"" Landry said. ""I look back and think about some guys on other teams, but me and Joe, we came in and we stuck through it, through everything.""
Krabbenhoft, the godfather of Landry's youngest daughter, believes his connection with Landry translates on the court as well.
""On the court I have more chemistry with him than anyone I've ever played with,"" Krabbenhoft said. ""We know where the other person's going to be. It's cliché to talk about that kind of on-court awareness about each other but we really have that. Off the court, we talk about the game and the team all the time. I think with the other leaders, we have a chance to be a pretty good leadership group.""
Wisconsin's other seniors are forwards Morris Cain and Kevin Gullikson. Coach Bo Ryan also emphasized how fortunate the Badgers are to have Landry and Krabbenhoft as senior leaders.
""What I really like is the fact that they like to play, that they love to compete and that they're doing extremely well with the development of their total person,"" Ryan said.
""They've both come a long way in how they deal with people, how much they learn in the classroom and outside the classroom. But we're going to need some help, and that's what we're looking for right now,"" he said.
In the backcourt, two key returning juniors - guards Jason Bohannon and Trevon Hughes - will likely play major roles for Wisconsin this season. With Michael Flowers graduating, both Bohannon and Hughes will be relied upon to replace some of Flowers's intensity and consistency. But Krabbenhoft believes the duo's experience from last year will be an advantage.
""They're doing great,"" Krabbenhoft said. ""People talk about how in order to be a successful team in March you're going to need a backcourt that has experience, takes care of the ball and does the right things. [Bohannon and Hughes] have that experience and they're proven, and I think they've done a great job so far this year - they're going to be quite the tandem.""
Up front, the Badgers lost a lot of size from last year, as Brian Butch and Greg Stiemsma took the majority of minutes at center last season. But Krabbenhoft thinks that there are several taller players that could have a positive impact in Ryan's system.
""We lose guys every year and everybody around the country does. This year everybody's focused to look at that size we lost,"" Krabbenhoft said."" ""But we've got some size in there, maybe you don't know their names or don't know their faces, but by the end of this year, they're determined that they're going to be good players and help this team win ballgames.""
The Badgers are coming off one of the most successful seasons in school history with 31 victories, and the title of Big Ten regular season and conference champions. Krabbenhoft says that while he is proud of last year's accomplishments, he has tried to clear his mind in order to stay hungry for another successful season.
""Last season was great, and I think that in 20 years, I will be even more proud of what we accomplished last year than I am right now,"" Krabbenhoft said.
""But this year we're going to try and make a name for this team. There's new faces and new guys that are a part of the team that want to be a part of something special, and I'm just here to try and make that happen for them and for myself.""
