Lucas: Happ a passing fad?
November 12, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Mike Lucas
Win over UCA hints at sophomore year growth for Badger big man
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — The Ethan Happ basketball narrative has been well-documented: During his formative years, and well before his growth spurt to 6-10, Happ was comfortable handling the ball as a guard, a point guard.
Some of those old instincts and floor skills in finding and feeding teammates were on display in Wisconsin's season-opening 79-47 win over Central Arkansas here Friday at the Kohl Center.
Besides going 4-for-4 from the field and pulling down a game-high nine rebounds, Happ had a career-high four assists to go along with one blocked shot and two of the UW's six steals.
During his redshirt freshman season, Happ had as many as three assists on four separate occasions, including Wisconsin's 47-43 victory over Pitt in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Three of Happ's assists came on Nigel Hayes' baskets against Central Arkansas.
"Nigel was knocking them down," Happ said. "On the one, he had a good backdoor cut and dunked it. If he keeps moving, when I catch it in the post, I'm going to keep finding him."
Hayes, who had a game-high five assists (two shy of his personal best), returned the favor.
"He had a no-look pass to me where I just caught it and shot a left-handed hook," Happ said. "A few plays before that I was open on the block and he didn't throw it to me.
"He just said, 'I gotcha next time.'"
Last season, the 6-8 Hayes led the Badgers in assists with 104.
"He's a pro," said Central Arkansas coach Russ Pennell, who knows something about that level of talent having served as an interim coach at Arizona and as a head coach in the WNBA.
"I told our guys, 'You'll probably see him next year playing on Thursday night games on TNT. He's a great player.' The thing that I like about Nigel is that he's so versatile.
"He can hit the 3. He can rebound the ball. He's a good passer. He plays at a great pace. And he's an experienced guy who has played big-time minutes in big-time games."
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard acknowledged the luxury of having bigs who can pass.
"Those two guys are very unselfish," Gard said of Hayes and Happ. "And they're a little different. Nigel is making his (assists) with dribble penetration towards the basket and then making a decision.
"Ethan was catching the ball either in the high post against that (Central Arkansas) zone or the low post. They both draw a lot of attention and that's good. We like them being playmakers.
"I thought they both did a very good job of finding (open shooters). It was probably more noticeable with Ethan just because of the way he was able to find people on the backside of the zone."
During the off-season, Happ worked on expanding his game.
"Last year, I had way too many turnovers for anybody's liking," said Happ, who had 76 turnovers to 44 assists. "I'm definitely my own worst critic but I want to cut down on that and bring my assists up."
After using 10 players in the first half, none playing more than 14 minutes, Gard emptied his bench in the second half against Central Arkansas.
"One of the strengths of this team is its depth," said Gard, who is intent on juggling and maximizing his personnel. "At times, I'm still trying to figure out who and when and how much.
"I thought the guys did a good job of adjusting when they came in the second or third time. Fatigue will hopefully become a factor for an opponent and we'll be able to wear people down.
"For months, we've talked about the complexity for this team could be in its diversity in terms of how many different people and different weapons we can throw out there.
"When it's your night, great. When it's not, let's help a teammate have a great night. I like how this group understands everybody's strength and is in it for each other. The chemistry is pretty good."
Nobody played more than 24 minutes (Hayes and Bronson Koenig). Happ played 23.
Last season, Hayes averaged 36.2, Koenig 34.9 and Zak Showalter 31.4.
"Obviously, everybody likes to play more minutes," said Happ, who averaged 28.1. "But coach Gard's philosophy is to put more guys in and keep everyone fresh."
Earlier this week, Happ missed a practice when he went back home (Milan, Ill.) to attend the funeral of his grandmother. She was on his mind Friday night.
"She was my only grandparent left," Happ said. "I'd be lying if I didn't say I was thinking about her throughout the practices and the game. She went peacefully and that's all we can ask."
Here are some observations from the season opener:
- On UW's first scoring possession, Hayes slashed from the right wing to the baseline. Drawing three defenders, he kicked the ball to a wide-open Showalter who buried a 3 from the left-wing corner.
- Showalter twice got results by shooting with his left hand. With the shot clock running down, he drew a foul in the first half. Later, he also banked a shot and got fouled for an old fashioned 3-point play.
- Showalter was 5-of-5 from the stripe. He was an 80 percent shooter (45-of-56) last season. Meanwhile, Charles Thomas, IV set career highs by making 7-of-8 free throws against Central Arkansas.
- As a true freshman, Thomas converted on only 14-of-30 free throws attempts (.467). The most that he took in any one game was six. (He was 4-of-6 against Prairie View A&M).
- Matched against Central Arkansas' Jeff Lowery, a 6-2 guard, Khalil Iverson timed his leap and rejected his shot to punctuate a defensive possession/clinic in which every pass was contested.
- Iverson is known for his explosive dunks. But on back-to-back baskets, he showed finesse around the rim and in the paint by scoring on a lob from Jordan Hill and on a twisting left-handed shot.
- Hill also got a nice assist on one of D'Mitrik Trice's triples from the right of the circle. Trice knocked down consecutive 3-pointers during a 11-0 run that broke open the game in the first half.
- Gard pointed out how the UW's offensive flow was "pretty good'' when Trice was on the floor. ("He found guys' shots and he was the recipient of the ball moving pretty well.")
- Koenig was the principle defender on Central Arkansas' leading scorer Jordan Howard, who averaged 20 points last season and scored as many as 37 and 36 (twice). Howard was 2-of-11.
- Koenig got into a shooting rhythm in the second half and finished with four triples. Bringing the ball up, he worked against some three-quarter pressure (1-2-2) and a matchup zone.
- Nobody on the Central Arkansas roster was wearing No. 33. Scottie Pippen's jersey was retired in 2010. Pippen was originally a walk-on, a 6-1, 145-pound team manager, before he blossomed.
- Wisconsin's next opponent, Creighton, won its opener, 89-82, over the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The Bluejays never trailed and led by as many as 28 points in the second half.
- Marcus Foster, a transfer from Kansas State, was the leading scorer with 19 points. Marcus Watson had 17 points and nine assists. He was also 3-of-3 from beyond the 3-point arc.
- Creighton has made at least one 3-pointer in 749 consecutive games.
- The Badgers are no strangers to Omaha and CenturyLink Center. In 2015, they beat Coastal Carolina and Oregon during the first weekend of play in the NCAA tournament.
- Their path to the Sweet 16 in 2008 also went through Omaha where they defeated Cal St. Fullerton and Kansas State at what was then the Qwest Center.
