BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Fans streaming into the Kohl Center for Sunday's Red/White basketball scrimmage were probably unaware of the connection between sophomore guard Brad Davison and DJ Shawna who was spinning the turntables and filling the building with music from her perch just beyond the baseline.
During the 2017-2018 season, Davison took the most charges on the team.
During the 2002-2003 season, DJ Shawna took the most charges on the UW women's team.
Back then, Shawna Nicols was a sophomore guard out of Milwaukee where she had won multiple state titles at Pius High School. Nicols was recruited by head coach Jane Albright who was among four people recognized last week with a personalize tile on the Legends Walk at the Kohl Center.
In her first career start, Nicols had 9 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals against Illinois. But she played only two seasons for Albright before being sidelined with injury and taking a medical redshirt. Among her former Badger teammates was Annie Nelson who married All-American tackle Joe Thomas.
As DJ Shawna, she has started her own clothing line and gained fame throughout the Midwest for her music while performing for the Bucks, Brewers, Marquette and Wisconsin. Last spring, she was part of the NCAA Women's Final Four festivities in Columbus, Ohio.
Not only did DJ Shawna play music before and after Sunday's scrimmage — consisting of three periods, 10 minutes each, with running time in the final period — but she also played music DURING each and every possession; a novel twist for those in attendance.
Here are some of the high notes from the play on the floor:
Buddy System
During warm-ups, Davison and Ethan Happ were matched against each other in a familiar one-on-one practice drill whereby Davison dribbled the ball against Happ from baseline to baseline and Happ did likewise versus Davison going the opposite way. That matchup actually materialized several times during the scrimmaging with Happ bringing the ball up and using a spin move on Davison to score with his left hand and Davison returning the favor by beating Happ and scoring off the glass on an isolation, ball-screen switch. Obviously, Happ's ballhandling skills make him unique among 6-foot-10 college players. In one sequence, he grabbed a rebound and triggered the fast break. Dribbling to the key, he pulled up and fed Kobe King who splashed in three points from the right-wing corner.
Before and After Nate
After getting pushed around physically last season by some of the bigger, stronger low-post players in the Big Ten, 6-11 Nate Reuvers has since added 25 pounds to his frame. On the first possession of the second period, he backed down Happ in the paint and muscled in a shot on a counter move while drawing a foul on Happ. That drew an animated reaction from Reuvers who can be a nice complementary piece to Happ if he can score on some post-ups. Earlier, Reuvers got positive feedback from his teammates, most notably Davison, after taking a charge on Happ. Although he missed his only 3-point attempt, Reuvers feels like he can make more of an impact this season on the perimeter by stretching a defense, which has been a staple with "bigs" in the offense for years.
Pritzl For 3
Brevin Pritzl opened up the scoring for the White team by knocking down an uncontested 3-pointer from the right wing. Moments later, Davison connected from almost the same spot on the floor. On the subsequent possession, Pritzl scored on a drive to the rim during a 9-0 run. Pritzl was 2-of-3 from beyond the 3-point arc, Davison was 2-of-4, D'Mitrik Trice was 2-of-6. Everybody else struggled from distance. Among Davison's shot selection was his now patented step-back jumper. Tai Strickland, a true freshman point guard with some quickness, nailed a wide-open triple after a scramble. He also combined with Taylor Currie, another true freshman, for a steal and breakout.
Odds and Ends
Trevor Anderson (injured), Charles Thomas IV (injured) and Owen Hamilton (transfer) watched from the bench in sweats … Khalil Iverson impacted the scrimmage at both ends with his defensive presence and rebounding. Nailed a step-back jumper from the top of the key, too … Aleem Ford and Kobe King have both reshaped their bodies …. Greg Gard watched from the scorer's table.
Gardo Sez
"Leadership is organic. It has to evolve and develop. I don't think you can appoint a leader. We've had leaders who have led in different ways. Some have done it verbally, some have done it by example. Ethan is an example guy. But he has gotten more verbal and more comfortable in wearing those shoes of a leader. His biggest statements to the team are how hard he works and his approach. He wants to make sure this last lap around the track is as positive and successful as possible."
