Oct. 12, 2010

MADISON, Wis. -- Running in the hottest final-day conditions Bo Ryan could ever remember, the UW men's basketball team closed the book on its off-season training and ran the Elver Park Hill for final time of the 2010-11 season.

Twenty-one times up and 21 times down.

"Everybody is always talking about the mental aspect of running the hill," 6-foot-10 freshman Evan Anderson said after completing the grueling exercise. "They're right on. It's as much a mental obstacle as it is a physical struggle. Either way though, it's very, very challenging."

The story on Tuesday at the Elver Park Hill wasn't Anderson and his fellow freshmen finishing their first Hill season, it was Wisconsin's six-man senior class running The Hill for the final time. At the time, this graduation seems almost as exciting as the cap and gown they'll receive in May.

"Running my last hill is better than Christmas," senior Jon Leuer joked. "It feels great to be done, but four years went by fast."

Leuer, Keaton Nankivil and Tim Jarmusz may have completed four years of hills, but they've got nothing on five-year veterans J.P. Gavinski and Brett Valentyn. Figuring that the Badgers run an average of 140-150 hills each season, Gavinski and Valentyn have knocked off about 750 trips up and down in their UW careers.

"I can't even describe what I'm feeling right now," an exhausted Gavinski said from his back Tuesday afternoon. "I'm so glad to be finished."

Field House Madness The Badgers return to the UW Field House for the first time since 1998 for Saturday's season tip-off event, Field House Madness. Doors open at 2 p.m., with the team's scrimmage at 2:30 p.m.  |  Complete Details • Admission: Free (enter Gate B) • Promotions: Autographs, free t-shirts courtesy Big Ten Network, prize giveaways • UW Students: Free pizza, $500 Best Buy gift card drawing, season ticket giveaway

"You've done 750 hills J.P.?" Ryan asked, sounding surprised. "Well, we just wanted to make sure you knew how to do it correctly."

While temperatures in the high 70s may not have felt like winter was approaching, the final day at Elver Park signifies the end of the offseason and the official start of basketball season.

"The end is the beginning," Leuer said. "The last day at The Hill is exciting because it means practice is about to start. We get a chance to get on the court and see if all the hard work over the summer and fall paid off."

For the Badgers, the season begins with Saturday's "Field House Madness," a free public scrimmage in "the old barn" before Wisconsin takes on Ohio State football game.

"There are going to be a lot of people that get emotional with nostalgia being back in the Field House," Ryan told the players Tuesday. "It's kind of a throwback day, but no two-handed set shots out of you guys."

Doors to the UW Field House will open at 2 p.m. Saturday with the event starting at 2:30 p.m. "Field House Madness" will include player introductions, words from Coach Ryan, contests and giveaways and an autograph session after the intrasquad scrimmage. Admission is free.