Lucas at Large: Teammates embrace the competitive edge
October 19, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Mike Lucas
Badgers not afraid to fight for every opportunity on the court
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin senior guard Zak Showalter was sporting a fresh scratch on his left cheek. No explanation was needed. But he provided one anyway, maybe out of a sense of duty and/or pride after what coach Greg Gard might label as a practice "tussle" between Showalter and Khalil Iverson.
"That's going to happen," said Showalter, not taking offense. "That's what you expect. A guy like me, I wear a mouth guard every day because I know my head is going to be in situations. I try to be as safe as I can. But I'm trying to make the best play for my team and I'll do what it takes.
"On the court, it has been extremely competitive. That was kind of expected with the group coming back. Everyone is trying to crack a spot in that lineup and the guys in the lineup — or so-called lineup — are trying to keep their spots. That's what you want — guys giving their all."
Redshirt freshman guard Brevin Pritzl was wearing a hat to cover up the redness on his forehead, the result of a stray elbow and tussle with freshman Aleem Ford. Given the numbers, the returning experience, Gard anticipated this kind of environment. And he has welcomed it, too.
"I just like this group and how they attack every day and how they come to play and they compete," Gard said Monday. "It has been extremely competitive. There have been some tussles at times. I think everyone sees that there's a lot of potential here in terms of who could be on the floor.
"So they understand there's going to be some scraps for minutes. Like I said, the biggest thing is that I appreciate how hard they've worked and approached everything. The older guys have done a good job of leading, yet the younger guys have not taken a backseat at all. They've been extremely competitive."
Showalter is first team All-Floor Burn.
"He's the guy who does it all, offensively and defensively," said freshman guard D'Mitrik Trice, whose older brother, Travis, starred at Michigan State. "He (Showalter) just plays strong and tough. He has that mindset that you want on your team and you hate to play against."
Comfortable with his Badger indoctrination, Trice noted, "Everything is a competition around here. We have very competitive guys. With 98 percent of the minutes coming back from last year, it's going to be tough to get on the floor. But it's the competitive spirit that really makes everyone better."
Trice, Ford and freshman walk-on Michael Ballard have not looked out of place. "They know where to be and what is expected of them," said Vitto Brown, one of four senior leaders, along with Showalter, Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes. "Competition always breeds growth in my opinion."
That is the predominant sentiment. "Each day," Pritzl said, "everybody is trying to prove how much better they've gotten. It's really a competition to push each other to get better every single day. I love it. You wouldn't trade it (the competitive atmosphere) for anything else."
What is there not to love about so many returning players competing for minutes?
"Since I've been here," said Aaron Moesch, a redshirt junior, "it's the most competitive group we've had. We've got 17 guys who come out every day and compete. It speaks volumes to how hard we worked this summer just to close that gap from top to bottom."
Moesch and Brown have their own tussles.
"Personally, we go back and forth," Moesch said. "Everything we do is a competition."
That might include trivial pursuits in the locker room to team building in the weight room. "We share the weight room bench," said Brown, "and we're always seeing who can squat faster, who can squat the most, who can get the lowest in the squat. All that competition translates to the court."
As far as a team growing stronger and closer together in this setting, Brown said, "I couldn't be more proud of the way everyone has been playing. I think we've all been locked in because we all have similar goals this year. That helps us compete to the best of our abilities every practice."
The tussles can harden the players, toughen them up.
"We have red, white and black (jersey) teams," said Iverson, a sophomore. "And every guy on every single one of those teams is going at each other every single day. Everyone is contributing and it's pretty fierce. In the end, it will make everyone better and prepare us for what's down the road.
"I feel like everyone on the team can find some way to contribute, no matter if it's a couple of minutes per game or major minutes. I really don't think it matters that much because I know what everyone on our team is capable of doing. I just feel like we're going to be pretty good this year."
He's not the only one thinking that way, of course. "We know what we can do this year and everyone is really excited and pushing each other to be the best that we can be," said Alex Illikainen, also a sophomore. "Competition-wise, it's a big step up (from last year).
"I seem to leave practice every day almost being mad at everybody on the team, just because we're competing so hard. At the end of the day, though, we're still brothers. It will make us better knowing we're going to have these battles and fights in games against other teams."
Maybe the most unique competition involves roommates: Showalter, Moesch and Matt Ferris.
"We juggle," said Moesch, moving his hands and arms up and down to simulate the motion. "And we try to come up with a different way to juggle every time. Whoever gets it down first, wins. Be it exams, we're trying to score one percent higher than the other one. We're always competing." From the sublime to the ridiculous, it can be contagious, especially during practices.
"When you have a group like we do, when everyone has the potential to play some sort of minutes, it makes practice that much more efficient," Moesch said. "Everyone knows every drill is going to be scrutinized by the coaches. Even an easy ball-handling drill, you know you're fighting for minutes."
Wisconsin assistant coach Howard Moore has been energized by the competitors.
"It's fun to see who has improved and who's ready to give a little more or do something different than they did a year ago," he said. "When you see a loose ball on the floor, you're going to see who's going to dive for it and stick their nose in there. There have been a few tussles, I agree."
Mouth guards might be mandatory for everyone. Especially since minutes are not guaranteed.
