There are certain things in the world that are pretty well-established: the sky is blue, the grass is green, and Wisconsin freshman have to ride the bench before they earn their way into Bo Ryan’s lineup.
For UW freshman guard Josh Gasser, this conventional wisdom simply doesn’t apply.
After catching some eyes at the season-opening “Field House Madness” scrimmage, the Port Washington native worked his way into the rotation before exploding onto the scene with a 21-point, 9-rebound debut in the season-opener against Prairie View A&M.
“I wasn’t expecting that at all,” Gasser said at the time. “I was just out there doing whatever I could to help us win.”
As much as it flew against the foundations of the Bo Ryan system, the 2nd best debut in program history left Ryan with little choice but to give Gasser the start against North Dakota.
In today’s college basketball landscape, starting a freshman is commonplace, but at Wisconsin, its breaking news. With the start against the Sioux, Gasser became just the 3rd player in the Bo Ryan area to start a game as a freshman, the other two carrying the last names of Harris and Tucker.
“I didn’t think I’d have this much impact even two or three years down the road,” Gasser said. “I just came in wanting to find my role and my role is bigger than I thought it would be, but I’m fine with it.”
But being thrust into the lineup and into the spotlight took a bit of adjustment for the freshman, not only in terms of his on-the-court play, but perhaps even more so in his transition into the life of a college basketball player.
“It’s a lot more mental. It takes more focus and you’ve got to study the game a lot more {than you do in high school},” he said. “It’s a grinding season {and} it takes a toll on your body, but once you get past that, it’s alright.”
As could be expected, it took some time after that debut for Gasser to settle into his new role. Though he would go on to have a 12 point game against Manhattan followed by an 8 point, 6 rebound day against Boston College, the production definitely dropped as the non-conference slate wore on and the semi-slump continued into the beginning of Big Ten play before a scoreless game against Illinois finally got him plucked from the starting lineup.
Inserting back into the starting lineup just a few weeks later against Indiana, it didn’t take long for the former high school quarterback to get right back into the headlines.
For all of the success had over a 113-year history, it would seem to be an anomaly that no Badger player had ever posted a triple-double. Junior guard Jordan Taylor had come within 1 assist of the feat against South Dakota back in December, but as the Badgers tipped off against Northwestern on January 23rd, the triple-double remained elusive for the UW program.
The unlikeliest of candidates to change that was Gasser. Though he had shown an ability to rebound from the backcourt, his previous career high in assists was just 4 and after all he was a freshman.
But that Sunday afternoon, playing in front of about 100 Port Washington fans that had bussed down for the game, Gasser’s mid-season struggles were quickly put in the backburner.
Gasser quickly put up 10 first-half points, nearly matching his Big Ten total of 13, and added to his 7 assists and 4 rebounds, finishing the game with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Just a footnote in the Wisconsin media guide a year ago, Gasser had suddenly made Wisconsin basketball history.
Triple-double aside, Gasser has made some huge plays in big moments for a team that has suddenly risen to 10th in the nation.
From forcing a turnover late against Marquette to creating a foul late against Purdue to corralling a loose ball at Iowa and finally hitting the tying 3 against the Buckeyes, Gasser’s contributions seem to have always come in the most important moments, a rare accomplishment for an inexperienced freshman.
“As a freshman, to make the kind of plays he does, it gives us a huge lift,” senior forward Jon Leuer said after the Marquette win. “He’s helped us out a lot and he’s going to continue to help us out.”
“He makes those kind of plays all the time that you might not see in the box score,” Taylor said after the Ohio State win. “He is just a kid that is hard-nosed and will stick his face on the ball like Coach Ryan says. He makes those plays consistently, and those are winning plays. He is a great all-around player and that is what makes him so good.”
Taylor himself has played a role in the growth process for Gasser, serving as a much-needed mentor and invaluable role model at the guard position.
“He’s been a great leader not only for me but for our whole team,” Gasser said. “Coming in as a freshman guard, he’s kind of the guy I’ve looked up to…Its just fun to play with him, he does things most people cant do, not only from a basketball standpoint, but off the court he handles himself so well.”
Having this great an impact would be special for any freshman, but having grown up just 80 miles from the Kohl Center, doing it at Wisconsin is extra special for Gasser.
“That’s the best thing about this,” Gasser said. “I get to play in front of my home state, in front of my friends and family back home. There’s a lot of Badger fans back in Port Washington because of this.”
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