New and improved Koenig shines
After spending most of the offseason in Los Angeles working out with various high-profile basketball trainers, Bronson Koenig returned to Madison this fall in what he called the best shape of his life.
It didn’t take long for Koenig and his new and improved body to make an impact on the court.
Koenig led all scorers in the Badgers' intra-squad scrimmage game Sunday afternoon with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting. While Koenig’s White team fell 48-46, the senior guard was explosive off the dribble and showed considerable range on his jump shot.
“He’s definitely quicker, leaner, faster with the ball,” head coach Greg Gard said. “Decision making and some of that we’ve talked about that’ll get better as we go through and get more accustomed to who’s on the floor together.”
One of the highlights from the intra-squad competition came toward the end of the first half when Koenig used a nifty crossover dribble to get into the paint before dishing off a no-look pass to sophomore forward Alex Illikainen for an easy layup.
Minutes earlier Koenig knocked down consecutive NBA-range three-pointers, much to the joy of the Badger faithful.
Koenig was also active on the defensive end, finishing with three steals in 37 minutes of play. His most impressive takeaway came with just under 13 minutes to go in the second half when Koenig, guarding sophomore Khalil Iverson in the post, exploded vertically to grab redshirt senior guard Zak Showalter’s pass.
Van Vliet returns to floor, shows off length
Sophomore forward Andy Van Vliet returned to the Kohl Center floor for the first time in more than a year after sitting out last season due to NCAA eligibility violations.
The Belgium forward put on more than 20 pounds during the offseason and has worked tirelessly to become a stronger basketball player. Much like Koenig, Van Vliet showed off his progress, finishing the scrimmage with seven points, eight rebounds and one block in 29 minutes of play.
On multiple other occasions, Van Vliet displayed his length, disrupting shots from redshirt sophomore forward Ethan Happ, Showalter and sophomore forward Charles Thomas among others.
Illikainen more aggressive, seeks more playing time
Assistant coach Howard Moore was impressed with Alex Illikainen when he showed up to camp this fall.
The sophomore forward came back 15 to 20 pounds stronger according to Moore, with a rejuvenated hunger to make an impact on the floor.
Illikainen did just that Sunday afternoon, finishing the Red-White scrimmage with nine points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes of play.
Midway through the second half the White Team head coach Howard Moore yelled across the floor at Illikainen, prompting him to move his feet more on defense. Illikainen did just that, responding with better post defense down the stretch and a few buckets in the paint that were a result of solid initial post position.
Happ finishes with a quiet double-double, three-point shot still needs work
Last season, reigning Big-Ten Freshman of the Year Ethan Happ established himself as one of the best young players in the country. This year, he looks to build on that success.
Happ quietly had a double-double in Red’s win Sunday evening including the game-winning free throws with seven seconds left.
After emerging as a dominant post-player last season, Happ is looking to improve his outside jumper. He didn’t show much improvement though Sunday afternoon, choosing to play mostly around the basket and failing to hit the rim on his lone, three-point attempt of the afternoon.
