Each year brings new promise for the Wisconsin men’s basketball team, and Badger freshmen certainly play a role in fulfilling that promise. While there may not be any big name recruits this season, the incoming class certainly has a lot to offer.
The five freshmen each bring something different to the table, though each one’s talent is evident.
The five freshmen include guards George Marshall, Jordan Smith and Traevon Jackson, forward Jared Uthoff and big man Frank Kaminsky.
“They have different types of players across the board,” sophomore guard Ben Brust said. “So it’s good that it’s pretty diverse and they all bring something different to the table.”
The Badgers get a little bit of everything from the freshmen, as they possess a variety of strengths that cover nearly every aspect of Wisconsin basketball.
“I would have to go with my offense, especially my post offense,” Kaminksy said when asked about his main strengths.
While the former Benet Academy star was brought to Madison mostly for his offense, the speedy Marshall seems to be able to pick it up more on the defensive end.
“I take great pride in my defense,” Marshall said. “That’s definitely another one of my strengths.”
It is hard to pick out many similarities between the freshmen, but the difference in their individual play doesn’t affect the chemistry within the team.
“They’re all good guys, they welcomed me with open arms and it has been a pretty easy process,” Marshall said. “I feel like I learn something everyday.”
Fitting into a new system can be difficult for any new player, and the transition from high school to college is always a big leap. For these freshman, though, the experienced veterans on the team have made the change much easier.
From senior guard Jordan Taylor to junior forward Jared Berggren, the forwards and guards both have the leadership above them to succeed in the system right away.
“The leadership has been very good. Jared Berggren and Jordan Taylor are definitely the leaders out there and have been teaching me everything,” Kaminsky said. “I have been learning from them every day. [Junior forward] Mike Bruesewitz helps me out a lot, too, and the coaching staff is great.”
While history may show that freshmen playing time isn’t easy to come by at Wisconsin, the players realize that the work they put in every day will eventually lead to chances to play down the road.
The 2011-’12 season is underway for the Badgers, and thanks to the promise shown from the team’s rookie players, the excitement for not only this season, but also years down the road, is definitely high
