MADISON — Markus Ilver only played four minutes in Wisconsin’s dismantling at the hands of the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats last Saturday in Tucson. Yet the forward scored five points, including a three he splashed from the corner. You wouldn’t know it, but Ilver is shooting 40 percent from long range this season.
“He’s one of our best shooters,” fellow forward Carter Gilmore raved. “His time’s coming soon.”
Granted, Ilver has only attempted 10 three point shots. But he’s hit four of them — that plays. Last season, the forward only shot 23.8 percent from deep. His growth has been massive for the Badgers, who can now feel more comfortable deploying the big man with no qualms shooting his shot.
Last season, Ilver played in most of the team’s early-season contests. When the calendar hit February, however, he ceased to be a contributor — Ilver only played in two of the Badgers’ final 15 games.
The 2023-2024 season is young, but the forward has played in every game but one — Wisconsin’s narrow victory over SMU down in Florida.
Last year, Ilver’s most prevalent stretch came when the Badgers dealt with an injury to starting power forward Tyler Wahl. Now, the native of Tallinn, Estonia’s capital city, has carved out what he hopes will be a consistent role moving forward.
“I just gotta stay ready, you know? Stay ready every day, give it my all in practice,” he said. “If I get to see the floor, I need to seize my opportunity.”
When Ilver does see the floor, he’s evolved from somewhat of an offensive liability to a legitimate stretch four that can stress opposing defenses with his ability to knock down shots from the perimeter.
“Shooting has always been my strongest side, I’d say. But just this offseason, I was working at it more, getting it more consistent,” he told BadgerBlitz.com. “And I know Gilly (Glimore) and T (Wahl) don’t shoot it as much, so when I get on the floor, it’ll space up the floor and I’ll be ready to knock them down.”
Ilver was never afraid to put up shots. Even last season, when not even a quarter of his shots from the field went down, the forward attempted 2.1 field goals per-game in the limited minutes he saw.
The difference this year? Ilver’s shots are falling. His fellow forwards, who see him work day in and day out, aren’t surprised in the slightest.
“That dude can shoot the lights out of the ball. He shows it every day in practice when he comes in here,” Gilmore said. “He’s got that, and he’s gotten a lot stronger in the weight room as well. He’s worked his butt off.”
Yes, Ilver appears to have found his shooting stroke. But to be quite frank, that alone means very little in a Greg Gard coached team. If you want minutes for these Badgers, stout defense is a non-negotiable. That’s an area Ilver is still working on.
“You gotta be able to guard if you wanna see the floor. That’s the main thing here,” he said. “Defense has been the thing that I need to improve on, and I feel like I’m improving on that. Just showing it in practice and coach trusting me a little more on that side.”
Luckily for Ilver, he’s got a fantastic mentor in Wahl. The two may be different archetypes of players — Wahl is far from a shooter — but both 6-foot-9 forwards play in the same system. Ultimately, the fundamentals are the same.
“I just need to keep growing in that area,” Ilver said. “If you look at Tyler, if he’s on the court he can guard one through five. That’s where I need to be eventually, just learning from him.”
Wahl likes what he sees from Ilver, but acknowledges the growth that still needs to occur for the junior to reach his potential.
“He just has to get there confidence-wise. He’s gonna be able to figure it out. Give him some more time, see a few more shots go in, and he’s just gonna go up from there,” Wahl mused.
Ilver may not get his name circled in opposing coaches’ game plans. He may not be the first man off the bench. Or the second. But with the forward’s budding ability to stretch the floor and splash long-range shots, coupled with improving defense, Ilver could prove to be an invaluable fixture of Wisconsin’s rotation at the most critical points of the season.
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