Josh Schur- Freshman Class Ready for New Challenge

Josh Schur- Each year brings new promise for Wisconsin men’s basketball, and Badger freshmen certainly figure to play a role in fulfilling that promise. While there may not be any big name recruits, the incoming class certainly has a lot to offer. The five freshmen each bring something different to the table, and the talent of the freshman class is certainly evident. The five freshmen include guards George Marshall, Jordan Smith, and Traevon Jackson, forward Jared Uthoff, and big man Frank Kaminsky. “They have different types of players across the board…” Sophomore guard Ben Brust said. “So it’s good that it’s pretty diverse and they all bring something different to the table.” The Badgers seemingly get a little bit of everything out of the freshman, as not only the height, but also the strengths of the players cover nearly every aspect of Wisconsin basketball. “I would have to go with my offense, especially my post offense,” Kaminksy said when asked about his main strengths. While the former Benet Academy star was brought to Madison more for his offense, the speedy Marshall seems to be able to pick it up more on the defensive end. “I take great pride in my defense,” Marshall said. “That’s definitely another one of my strengths.” From the solid post game of Kaminsky to the quick hands of Marshall, the Badgers definitely get contributions all across the board. It is hard to pick out many similarities between the freshmen, but the difference in their individual play doesn’t seem to affect the chemistry with the team. “Theyre all good guys, they welcomed me with open arms and its been a pretty easy process…” Marshall said. “I feel like I learn something everyday” Fitting into a new system can be difficult for any new player, and the transition from high school to college is always a big leap. For these freshman though, the experienced veterans on the team have made the change much easier. From senior guard Jordan Taylor, to junior forward Jared Berggren, the forwards and guards alike both have the leadership above them to succeed in the system right away. “The leadership has been very good, Jared Berggren and Jordan Taylor are definitely the leaders out there and have been teaching me everything,” Kaminsky said. “I have been learning from them everyday. Mike Bruesewitz helps me out a lot too and the coaching staff is great.” While history may show that freshmen playing time isn’t easy to come by at Wisconsin, the players realize that the work they put in everyday will eventually lead to chances to play down the road. The start of the season is finally here, and the excitement for not only the upcoming season, but also the years down the road, is definitely at a high.