Every Wisconsin basketball player previewed in one quote
On the eve of Wisconsin basketball, close the page on the preseason, and meet the new Wisconsin Badgers
With fewer returners to the Wisconsin basketball roster than ever before in the Greg Gard-Bo Ryan era, keeping up with who fits into what role on a college basketball team is more difficult than ever before. With a collection of quotes from offseason workouts, media days, and exhibitions, this is a Wisconsin Badgers preview made easy.
In truth, this preview is something of a dumping out of an offseason notebook. A collection of quotes, assembled over the course of four months, for every player on Gard’s roster.
In spirit, it is a digestible guide of what to watch from each member of the Badgers this upcoming season. Spanning from #0 Braeden Carrington to #32 Aleksas Bieliauskas, it is a complete guide for what the coaches and players of Wisconsin basketball are saying about themselves and their teammates.
#0: Braeden Carrington
A self-described “3-and-D guy” who wants to “make all the hustle plays, do the dirty work for the team,” the senior guard made his way to Wisconsin after learning to be comfortable in that role.
“Obviously, in high school, I was a scorer, kind of do-it-all guy. Minnesota, then, I kind of got confined to a role,” Carrington said of his two collegiate seasons with his hometown Minnesota Golden Gophers. “Which, obviously, I’m fine with being a role, but I lost confidence in that role.”
After averaging 17.8 points per game his senior year of high school, Carrington was named Minnesota Mr. Basketball. He followed that with a freshman season for the Gophers, shooting 33.3% from three. The Brooklyn Park, Minnesota native, however, suffered a sophomore slump offensively. His percentage from deep fell to 22.1% while he dealt with a wrist injury.
“I feel like I found myself again,” Carrington said of his most recent stop with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, where he shot an impressive 40% in American Athletic Conference play.
#2 Nick Boyd
The high-motor point guard struggled to find his shooting groove in Wisconsin’s preseason exhibitions, hitting just one of nine shots from beyond the arc. The senior’s speed in transition will be a valuable asset on nights when shots are not falling. Against the Oklahoma Sooners, Boyd scored 19 points while drawing seven fouls.
“He’s going to be a handful,” Gard said of the San Diego State Aztecs transfer after the matchup with OU. “He already is in terms of his pace downhill.”
If the rave reviews of his former coach with the Florida Atlantic Owls, Dusty May, are any indication, Boyd should also bring a tremendous locker room presence for Wisconsin.
“He’s a competitor. He’s someone that brings out the best in people. And he loves the game and has a will to win that really fit our staff,” the Owls turned Michigan Wolverines head coach said at Big Ten Media Days. “And he’s one of the big reasons that I’m sitting at this stage now.”