BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — From his perch on a couch in the player's lounge at the Kohl Center, Brevin Pritzl could see everyone going in and out of the Wisconsin locker room, a bustling place last Friday prior to the first practice of the season.
As teammates arrived at various intervals, Pritzl, the UW's lone senior, was asked for offseason updates on each player. Obliging, he also volunteered, "We are a fun group that really understands each other … everybody gets along."
As he was speaking, Aleem Ford walked through that door.
"Looks good, playing strong," Pritzl said of Ford, a 6-foot-8 wing who has added muscle to his frame and depth to his game. "Still a perimeter threat, but he has done a much better job of banging around (the paint) and being stronger around the block."
Trevor Anderson walked through that door.
"He's very close to being back full-time, he's making a lot of strides," Pritzl said of Anderson, a 6-2 point guard who missed all but eight games last season because of a knee injury. "He offers us another kind of guard … another guy who can shoot, another guy who can handle, another body."
Tyler Wahl walked through that door.
"Stronger than he looks, wiry strong," Pritzl said of Wahl, a 6-7 swing player and true freshman (the only tendered frosh on the roster) from Lakeville, Minnesota. "What's he going to bring? He's versatile. Can play 2 through 4. He's that guy, he's that every-aspect-of-the-game player."
Nate Reuvers walked through that door.
"He has done a much better job of being more of a post presence than being a shooting presence," Pritzl said of Reuvers, a 6-11 power forward who shot 38 percent (32-84) from the 3-point line. "He has really taken a step forward in his back-to-the-basket game, like Ethan had."
Oh, yes, Ethan.
Ethan Happ is not walking through that door.
"We're not going to be Ethan Happ and the Badgers — that's how everyone looked at us — Ethan Happ and so-and-so," Pritzl said of the departed Happ, who rewrote the school record book. "We're going to have more of a team look. We're going to be the Wisconsin Badgers as a whole."
In carving out a new identity, they will have to replace 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game which is what Happ averaged as a senior, while becoming just one of six players in NCAA history to collect at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 400 assists during his illustrious 139-game career.
"Defensively, we're going to still have the same mindset — we're going to play hard and be tough," said Pritzl who then turned his focus to the retooled offense. "The more diversity we have in terms of scoring punch, the better it will be because you can't lock in on certain guys."
Because opposing defenses were able to condense the floor since Happ didn't have a jumper, it made the Badgers a little easier to guard. "We're still going to have two or three post players who can make an impact down low," Pritzl said, "but all five players on the court will be able to shoot."
That should lead to more fluidity. Besides replacing Happ's production, the Badgers must also compensate for the loss of their undersized, high-flyer, Khalil Iverson who concluded his career with a flourish by scoring in double-figures in seven of his last nine games, including two double-doubles.
"Rather than having somebody always at the post, working with his back to the basket, it spreads and opens the floor more," said D'Mitrik Trice, the leading returning scorer (11.6 points). "In losing people like Ethan and Khalil, I have to bring a little more energy and assertiveness to the team."
On Wednesday, Trice and Pritzl will join head coach Greg Gard at the Big Ten's annual basketball media day in Rosemont, Illinois. Even though the Badgers have finished fourth or better in 17 of the last 18 seasons, it's likely that they will be projected as a second-division team, especially with Happ's loss.
"People will be counting us out — kind of like they did last year," said Trice who's not bothered by any such slight. "I've always been an underdog. I've always been doubted. I love being put in that position. There are no expectations on the outside, but we know what we expect on the inside."
• • • •
Enlisting the support of a personal trainer, his father (a prep coach) and his older brother (a former Michigan State star), Trice's offseason focus was on "finishing around the rim" and his passing and ball-handling. He also worked on his footwork ("I've gained in speed and quickness.").
When pundits critique the Badgers, they question whether they have a true point guard.
Trice stated his case.
"Point guard has always been in my blood, it runs in my family," he said. "Other than scoring, a point guard comes with a lot of different responsibilities like leadership, talking to your guys, making sure everybody is on the right page, being the quarterback on the court."
Based on what he has seen out of Trice in summer workouts and open gyms, Pritzl said, "He has done a better job of involving everybody. Last year, he was counted on to do a lot of the heavy scoring, much as Brad (Davison) and Ethan. We just had a three-pronged attack.
"I think it will be a little different this year. We'll be more of a spreadout scoring bunch. We have a lot of guys who can put the ball in the hole. He (Trice) has been doing a really good job knowing when he has to take over versus when he can get others involved and move the ball."
On Trice balancing scoring with distributing, Pritzl said, "He has really taken that step."
Utilized exclusively off the bench last season (after starting 21 games his sophomore year), Pritzl averaged nearly 20 minutes of playing time and five points. He scored in double-figures four times. The accountability that comes with being the only senior has not been lost on Pritzl.
"It means a lot just to know I've been through the battles, I've been through the wars that come with being here that long, it gives me good insight," said Pritzl, who got engaged during the offseason and believes that he's ready to contribute more as a player by "understanding who I am."
By that, he meant, "I've been battling a lot through the three years I've been playing. What's my identity on the court? How do I fit? How do I find my shots? My numbers peaked last year other than going 0-for-6 in the postseason. I would have finished in the high 40s in 3-point percentage."
In Big Ten games, Pritzl shot .535 (23-43) from the 3-point arc. Overall, he shot .410 (32-78).
Speaking of which — perimeter scoring — college basketball has extended the 3-point line from 20 feet, 9 inches — the standard since 2008 — to 22-feet, 1 ¾ inches, the international distance. (The NBA line is at 23 feet, 9 inches at its longest and 22 feet at its shortest in the corners.)
"At the beginning of the summer, it was a little bit of a factor and my numbers were kind of dropping, but now it doesn't feel far at all," Pritzl said. "What it's going to do is free up post play a little more because if you're digging off a post player, there's a little more distance you've got to cover."
The NCAA's intent is to create better spacing and open up the court.
"As much as the floor should be spread, I don't want to lose how good the post and paint is to us," said UW head coach Greg Gard. "I emphasized that with the team. We've got a lot of guys who can shoot 3's and we can really spread people out. But I don't want that to be a consistent diet.
"I know how good scoring in the paint has been to our teams over the years and how important it is getting to the free throw line. You have to find that happy medium, you have to do both. With the new arc, the corner becomes the highest percentage and shortest 3, like the NBA.
"Some of the analytics come more into play on where you shoot the 3's from."
It stands to reason that a slasher like Kobe King could benefit from a more open floor.
"Kobe is going to excel just because maybe the pace is going to be a little more to his liking this season," Gard said. "He has stepped into a role now where he's going to have a bigger piece in this whole thing. He's had a good summer and fall, too."
Ford and Reuvers fall in that category from a physical development standpoint.
"Aleem has been catching people's attention since last spring," Gard said. "The light has really gone on for him. He has added strength and some mass. Plus, he plays with a swagger now. He plays like he wants to be the best player on the floor. And physically, he's at a point where he can back that up.
"Nate found what is right for him. Most of the bigs we've had go through that process. As a freshman, they're too light and not strong enough. As a sophomore, they may compensate too much and get too heavy. In his third year, Nate has slimmed down a little and is more athletic and mobile."
Whether it's from a fifth-year senior (Pritzl) or a first-year freshman (Wahl), Gard is banking on getting the most out of his personnel by using his whole roster in filling out the rotation.
"They're both in the mix," he said of Pritzl and Wahl. "Brevin has been here, he has seen a lot, he's got a lot of experience and he's one of those guys where we can play small with him in the lineup at 3 or 4 or we can play big. With his ability to shoot, we can slide him around.
"If you've watched us practice, you wouldn't be able to identify Tyler as a freshman by how he picks up on things. His attentiveness is really good. He looks like he has been here a year or two with how fast he adapts to everything and how well he fits in. He'll be in the mix fighting for minutes."
The point guard mix, according to Gard, will include Trice, Davison and Anderson. "Trevor has taken a big jump the last 10 days or so," Gard said. "He practiced the first two days. Not a ton of life stuff. He's still on a pitch count and we're cautious with what type of drills we put him in."
The 23-year-old Trice and Davison, a 63-game starter, help make up the core of the team.
"The leadership is in that junior class," Gard said. "I've really seen them take ownership of everything. They're so efficient in practice, they stay on task and are extremely focused. They're intense and purposeful in what they do and that comes from the experience they've gotten the last two years.
"They understand the hows and the whys and they're helping teach the younger guys. I don't have to coach effort. I don't have to coach anything with attitude. The culture is terrific, and we can focus on the finer points of teaching and coaching. This group is really dialed in."
The only gray area is the first semester eligibility of Micah Potter, the 6-11 Ohio State transfer.
"We're still in the wavier process with the NCAA," Gard said, "and filing an appeal."
Potter will continue to practice regardless of the decision.
"He adds a little more power," Pritzl said, "and a little more oomph to the team."
But what is Plan B if Potter isn't eligible until the start of the second semester?
"Everything is still pretty much at ground zero," Gard said. "But this is a group that can be pretty diverse anyway and we'll probably play small a fair amount regardless of Micah's status just because of how we are made up. Today's game is positionless and small ball comes into play more than it ever has.
"Just watching us this summer, we're pretty mobile and pretty versatile on both ends of the floor. We can cover a lot of ground defensively and we have a lot of options offensively. I know I get asked all the time, 'How are you going to replace Ethan and his production?'
"But it's the defensive end and the experience that Happ and Iverson had specifically that I'm more concerned about. We'll find offense because we have guys who are highly skilled and versatile. We'll be able to spread the floor with small, medium and large lineups.
"But it's on the defensive end that roles have to be defined."
Gard has a basic mandate for each and every practice.
"When you walk through that doorway," he said, "be better when you exit."
Although the Badgers have won at least 20 games in 15 of the last 17 seasons, matching Michigan State during that span, they will not draw much attention at the Big Ten Media Day.
They will, and they won't.
There will be plenty of basketball questions about replacing Happ. And, certainly, there will be plenty of real life and death questions about how they will be able to emotionally overcome such a tragic summer for assistant coach Howard Moore and his family.
"With all that's transpired, it's unchartered territory," Gard said. "You never know how it's going to impact a team. It could take you one way or another. But it's always been a tight-knit group and with what has happened, it has even made it more so.
"We talk about maximizing days, we talk about every day matters. But when you put it in a real-life context with what they've watched and experienced this summer, it sheds a whole new light on it. They've approached this and handled this in a very mature way.
"They're grateful for their opportunities. But at the same time, they know we have work to do and a job to do and they're focused on trying to be the best team they can. If they come together, it's going to be a really fun team to watch because we're going to see a lot of growth and evolution."
Pritzl and Trice are both prepared for Wednesday's anticipated line of questioning.
"It will probably be something about coach Moore and the tragedy this summer," said Trice, anticipating what will be asked of them. "We know that he's thinking of us. We get updates every day. We know that we're playing for him and playing for a bigger purpose."
Added Pritzl, "We always keep him in our heart and prayers. But he wanted us to focus on our season and continue to get better. That's extra motivation … something that empowers you."
