Leuer's presence felt in starting role
March 01, 2009 | Men's Basketball
He might not be the flashiest or strongest, but Jon Leuer understands the fundamentals of basketball. Coming to the end of his sophomore season, Leuer has filled the void at the center position for the Badgers during the stretch run of the 2008-09 season.
For the first 22 games of the season, Leuer was watching the opening tip-off from the bench. He split time with teammate Keaton Nankivil, logging double-digit minutes in almost every game this season. Leuer's first start as a Badger came against Illinois on Feb. 5, where Wisconsin snapped their six-game conference losing streak.
'The only change since starting is that I have to find the opponents strengths and weaknesses from the start,' Leuer said. 'Regardless of when I get onto the floor, our principles and rules are the same. I just try to bring everything I have whenever I'm playing.'
Since Leuer was inserted into the Wisconsin starting lineup, the Badgers have gone 6-1 en route to turning around their season. During the impressive streak, the Long Lake, Minn. native has averaged over nine points and close to 27 minutes per game.
'When it comes down to it, I focus on trying to make the right decision rather than trying to do something spectacular,' he said. 'Making the right decision not only helps out my game, but it makes us a better team. Instead of trying to force things, we slow it down and try to play unselfish basketball.'
On Sunday afternoon in his seventh start of the season, Leuer finished with 10 points on 5-9 shooting, four rebounds and a block. His high shooting percentage was in large part due to Michigan's defensive scheme, as Leuer's presence was felt in the low post. The Wolverines used as many as five types of defenses against the Badgers, most notably their 1-3-1 and man-to-man design.
'We came into this game knowing that they were going to throw different defenses at us,' Leuer said. 'We focused a lot of our practice time on breaking down different defenses. As long as we are cutting hard and moving the ball, there are going to be open shots.'
With the win, the Badgers moved to 6-2 against Big Ten teams at home this season. Wisconsin will travel to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers on Wednesday, Mar. 4. The Border Battle will be particularly important during this matchup, as both teams fight for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
'We are going to continue to take it one game at a time like we have all season,' said Leuer, a Minnesota native. 'We don't change our schemes for anybody. When we travel to Minnesota, we are going to practice and prepare the same way we have all season.'
If it's anything like recent weeks, that preparation will pay dividends for the Badgers in March.
