While the Wisconsin men’s basketball team is entering a new era as a result of both Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker’s departures, the women’s basketball team is defined by continuity and experience.
The 2015-’16 Badgers return six letter winners and four starters, including the top three scorers from last season.
Yet with so much experience returning, head coach Bobbie Kelsey hopes that the Badgers don’t experience nearly as many injuries to their team.
“We have a lot of young ladies returning from injury. I would look down the bench and see people in street clothes, and so that was a little disheartening for us because we know that was probably 35 points sitting over there that could possibly contributed to our success,” Kelsey said at Big Ten Media Day Thursday in Chicago
Sixth-year senior Michala Johnson is back for her sixth season after being granted an extra year of eligibility due to an ACL injury, which kept her out of all but six games last season. Two years ago, Johnson was the Badgers’ leading scorer (16.6 points per game) and rebounder (7.3 rebounds per game).
“Our goal is just to stay healthy,” Kelsey said. “So the trainer has a big job, and the strength coach. But they’re very capable. They’re great, and they do an excellent job of keeping the kids on the court.”
Kelsey recognizes that, thanks to the leadership of Johnson, as well as seniors Dakota Whyte, Tessa Cichy and Nicole Bauman, this particular Badgers group is a confident group. But at the same time she recognizes that due to her team’s past struggles, the onus is on her to keep her team positive no matter the result.
“My goal as a coach is to give them confidence to know that no matter what happens, we’re going to stick together. We’re going to be unbreakable,” Kelsey said.
In terms of playing style, Kelsey said she wants her team to be successful on both ends of the floor.
“I don’t just want to be a defensive team or offensive team. I want us to be a complete team,” Kelsey said.
Last season, the Badgers went down in program history as one of the program’s most proficient 3-point shooting teams. In Big Ten play, Wisconsin set school records for most triples, triples per game, and 3-point shooting percentage. Yet even with such success from behind the arc, Kelsey hopes to foster a malleable group.
“We like players to be versatile, multifaceted, be able to play more than one position,” she said.
Adding, “I don’t pigeonhole our kids. Our 6-foot-4 posts are doing ball handling because they have to have a comfort with it.”
Such a tactic, according to Kelsey, also limits her players’ anxiety and nervousness as they will have already practiced a variety of situations. Kelsey also talked about the importance of constant communication with her players especially to guarantee that her players know their role.
Nonetheless, even after a 9-20 season, Kelsey is confident her senior laden team will be a legitimate Big Ten foe.
“I feel like other teams in our league know that when you play Wisconsin, we’re going to bring our best game,” Kelsey said.
