MADISON, Wis. – Jack Janicki knew he was about to get an ear full from head coach Greg Gard.
Wisconsin was slowly digging out of a deficit in the first half of the championship of the Greenbrier Tip-Off when the redshirt freshman guard registered a critical steal by sticking his hand in the passing lane. Running a three-on-one break, Janicki had guard John Blackwell open underneath the basket.
He got greedy. Janicki pulled up for a three-point shot that didn’t fall and the possession went empty. Worst yet, Pittsburgh scored in transition on the other end.
“That was a tough moment,” Janicki said. “It was one play, and Coach Gard got on me rightfully so, but he instills confidence in us.”
It was a humbling coaching point that Janicki labels as a “good” one for a first-year reserve who wants to improve by taking every lesson he can. It’s working.
While his scoring average is modest (1.9 ppg) heading into this weekend’s game against Butler (7-3) in Indianapolis, Janicki’s impact is growing at a quicker rate than many walk-ons who have preceded him, evident by how extensively Wisconsin (8-3) played him on Tuesday.
With starters piling out fouls, and Gard not seeing the offense move fluidly, Janicki was a spark. He hit Steven Crowl for a layup at left block on a roller and blocked forward Morez Johnson Jr. at the rim with his off hand. In 17 minutes, Janicki had three points, two rebounds, three assists to no turnovers.
In an ultimate compliment, Gard said he’s got to find more minutes for the 6-5 guard moving forward.
“If I’m solid, I can contribute,” Janicki said. “Being solid for me is being in the right place defensively, staying in front of my guy, guarding my guard and looking to be aggressive at the right moments.”
Janicki was a prolific scorer for White Bear Lake (MN) High, breaking the school’s scoring record and becoming the first player in program history to score 2,000 career points. He led his high school to its first state tournament appearance since 2000 after averaging 22 points, six rebounds and four assists per game.
As much as he enjoyed impacting the game with offense, Janicki had a knack on defense with tracking the ball, getting his hands into passing lanes and generating steals. It was a good foundation for him to play early.
He spent last season watching from the bench, studying Wisconsin’s defensive principles in action and recognizing that the physicality of the game required him to grow in the weight room.
“Some of the rules we have here with defense and the way we play defense are things that I have to learn and still have to learn,” said Janicki, who also credits fellow walk-on Carter Gilmore for helping instill the program’s defensive principles.
“As I’ve gotten better with some of the principles and rules we have here and combining with some of the instincts I have naturally, I’ve been able to develop into a solid defensive player. There’s still a lot more work that has to be done on that side of the court.”
Janicki has consistently been the first underclassman off the bench and, like the Illinois game, has provided critical bursts of energy. He had nine points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal in Wisconsin’s win over No.9 Arizona and five rebounds over Chicago State.
“He just plays the game the right away,” Blackwell said of him, “and as you can see he gets rewarded for it.”
Janicki is also a quick learner. After making a bad choice on the transition three against Pittsburgh, Janicki had a chance to shoot another perimeter shot in the second half. He caught himself before his shot attempt, as he saw Nolan Winter rolling unguarded to the basket. His assist brought Wisconsin to within 50-49 and was one of the momentum-building plays in the second half of the comeback victory.
“It’s just about continuing to make the right play, and being a little bit smarter,” Janicki said. “It’s about being opportunistic on offense.”
Janicki had opportunities to be on full scholarship for college. He had double-digit offers to consider, including a Power-Four scholarship from Wake Forest. He took a leap of faith instead after hearing he could contribute if he bought into the work.
“The trust was in this program and in Coach Gard and Coach Krabbenhoft,” Janicki said. “That was the first leap of faith that I took. The most important one was the trust in myself, trust that I can do the work that needed to be done and become the player that I needed to be eventually to play here.”
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