Max Klesmit Embracing “Glue Guy” Role
Starting shooting guard Max Klesmit is the gorilla glue holding the Wisconsin basketball team together.
(Photo: Courtesy of UW Athletics)
Madison, Wis. -- Every Wisconsin men's basketball team needs a guy willing to check his ego at the door and do what's best for the program to win games.
For the past five seasons, that man was Brad Davison - but after exhausting his eligibility - he left a gaping hole on the wing from a scoring perspective - but even more so as the vocal leader and quarterback of the defense.
To help fill that void, Greg Gard went to the transfer portal and came out with Wofford shooting guard Max Klesmit, who decided to return home and join the Wisconsin Badgers.
Last season, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound shooting guard averaged 14.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game as a sophomore en route to third-team All-Southern Conference honors.
Embracing the "glue guy" role
Since joining the program, Klesmit has taken a back seat as a scorer and instead embraced the role of becoming Wisconsin's "glue guy."
Through the first 11 games, he's averaging 6.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 steals on 42% shooting from beyond the arc. He's also third on the team in minutes per game, behind only Tyler Wahl and Chucky Hepburn. However, the box score only tells a fraction of the story.
The Wisconsin native has proven to be a fiery competitor on both ends of the floor. Despite being only 6-foot-3, Klesmit has been a thorn in the side of opposing backcourts.