MADISON - Although the 2017-18 NBA season begins tonight, Wisconsin fans will not see Badgers men’s basketball officially start until Nov. 5.

To fill the void until NBA and college basketball seasons merge, BadgerBlitz.com questioned current UW basketball players squad on an NBA-esque topic during media day last week.

You are an NBA general manager. Who on this team [2017-18 Wisconsin Men’s Basketball] would you pick to build a franchise around?

Forward Khalil Iverson: Man, for me? It would definitely have to be Matt Ferris. He’s an all-around player and a good scorer. Most importantly, he’s a great guy and teammate. He’s one of my best friends, so I’d pick him to start a team around.

Forward Charles Thomas IV: I don’t really know if I can point to one player, specifically. I think I would pick one collective player out of all of us; a combination. Everyone [on the team] has their own skills and talents. That would be a nasty player.

Forward Alex Illikainen: You need a player with a lot of confidence and at the same time, can be consistent game-to-game. You could argue D'Mitrik Trice, but it’s hard not to say Ethan Happ. But, I’m going to pick Trice. He is a good leader, good with the ball and will make the right plays.

Shooting guard Brevin Pritzl: Well, if we are talking today’s NBA, I’m not sure if any of us are at that talent level just quite yet. But, since it’s a hypothetical, I’d probably pick Khalil or Ethan. Both of those guys are utility guys. They can do it all and allow you, as a coach, to put them in different positions.

Ethan can handle the ball or Khalil can play big. Those are guys who are versatile, like LeBron James, for example. You need to have someone that can play wherever so that’s why I would pick them: versatility. Plus, Khalil would average a lot of fantasy points for rebounds and assists, too.

Guard D’Mitrik Trice: Man, that’s a tough question. If I had to choose, I’d probably pick Happ or Khalil. Those guys would be good, especially in today’s game. You need guys who can score and who can play.

Guard Matt Ferris: For sure Happ, He’s someone who can grab rebounds and would do well in the NBA one day.

Guard T.J. Schlundt: Thanks for taking my answer, Matt. Now what? Can I say the same thing? I’m just going to say Happ, too, but just know that he (motions toward Ferris) took my answer first.

- In other UW Basketball news, former Badgers Bronson Koening and Nigel Hayes were waived by the Bulls (Koenig) and Knicks (Hayes), respectively, with announcements from both teams official last week. Both players experienced little action during NBA preseason games.

Wisconsin kicks off the new season against UW-Stout on Nov. 5, 2017, at the Kohl Center.

---

Jonathan Mills is a staff writer and covers Wisconsin football/basketball for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @realJ_Mills