PODCAST: Ep.102: Brevin Pritzl Recaps a Whirlwind Wisconsin Season
MADISON, Wis. – Brevin Pritzl was never one to wax poetic on himself.
The De Pere native often tried to deflect attention off his game, his career or anything else that put the spotlight on him. In the closing seconds of Wisconsin’s senior day win, Pritzl was content with his curtain call being a quick exit to the sidelines instead of soaking in the applause.
He may have downplayed his role for Wisconsin, but his teammates certainly did not.
“He's been huge for us,” guard Brad Davison said not long after Pritzl hit a clutch 3-pointer to help the Badgers outlast Minnesota earlier this month. “When he's playing confident, he's one of, well, he is the best shooter in the country. We always tell him that. Not only is he searching for those looks, we're searching for him to have those looks. We know that every time he shoots, we think it's going in, whether that's in the beginning of the game or at the end of the game.”
Committing to Wisconsin in 2014, Pritzl was the lone remaining senior of the 2015 signing class after Khalil Iverson and Charlie Thomas graduated last year and Alex Illikainen and Andy Van Vliet previously transferred. Coming in as an athletic, versatile shooter, Pritzl overcame a slow start to his career due to foot injuries to deliver as UW made its historic run to a Big Ten championship.
During Wisconsin’s eight-game win streak to end the season, Pritzl averaged 10.3 points and shot 37.1 percent from 3-point range. Developing into one of Wisconsin’s best options earlier in the season, Pritzl relished the bigger role when more minutes became available in late January, delivering in the big moments (like his 3-pointer against Minnesota) and being the calming voice on the floor.
“He's done what a senior should,” head coach Greg Gard said. "I haven't had to say one word to him about, you're coming down the stretch of your career. I think over the last four to six weeks, he's really (stepped up), not only from how he's played but also his vocal leadership. He's much more vocal than he has ever been throughout his career. I think he's just a senior that realizes he's headed toward the finish line and he's playing some of his best basketball on a team that's playing some of its best basketball at the right time of year. I'm proud of him for how he's taken advantage of this opportunity.”
Our guest on this week’s BadgerBlitz podcast, Pritzl joins us to talk about how much fun he had on UW’s stretch run, talk about some of his biggest performance of the season and how the off-the-court drama galvanized this year’s squad.
Plus, we’ll give out our UW hoops postseason awards and much more.