Wisconsin’s opening week of practice switches focus from France trip
The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team is only four days into fall practice, but Steven Crowl is already feeling the burn.
He joked that his legs were hurting after the team’s practice Thursday.
“It’s good to be back,” Crowl said.
Basketball teams all around the nation were able to tip off fall practice Monday, six weeks before many teams’ season opener. The Badgers are in that boat with their first game of the 2022-23 season coming Nov. 7 against South Dakota.
UW was lucky to get in extra practices this summer due to their trip to France in August. Coach Greg Gard said over the summer that the Badgers wouldn’t be focusing as much on defense ahead of the team’s trip to France as to not wear the players out. They worked on shooting and other offensive skills.
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Now that the season is just around the corner they’re focusing on some different areas.
Sophomore Chucky Hepburn missed the beginning of practices last season due to an upper body injury. This season he’s been helping the team key in on an area he’s skilled at: defense.
“First couple of weeks are always just like stressing defense,” Hepburn said. “Just getting up, guarding and making it hard for the ball handlers, giving them a little pressure and make it easier for the post (players).”
UW’s trip abroad gave plenty of opportunities for the team to bond off the court, but the other point of emphasis in the preseason is gelling on the court.
The Badgers added six new players, three on scholarship, to the team this season in junior Max Klesmit, sophomore Kamari McGee and freshman Connor Essegian.
They lost seven players but returned 10, including last season’s starters Crowl, Hepburn and Tyler Wahl. Those three will represent UW at Big Ten media days on Oct. 12.
“Coach always says just get good guys in the locker room and start there,” Crowl said. “From there just working every day on the court and then having guys like Tyler, me, Chucky step up this year. We know we’re gonna have to have bigger roles.”
He noted an emphasis on teaching the newer guys how things work at UW. McGee and Klesmit have experience at other programs — UW-Green Bay and Wofford, respectively — but now they have to adapt.
Crowl, Hepburn and Wahl will have to step up not only as leaders, but as scorers as well. Last season’s leading scorers Brad Davison and Johnny Davis contributed…
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Read More: Wisconsin’s opening week of practice switches focus from France trip 2022-09-30 01:02:17
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