Wisconsin coaching staff 'excited' about team after 4-0 run in France

For a team integrating new pieces to the roster and welcoming players to new roles, spending 10 days together abroad in France was an excellent opportunity for the Wisconsin basketball program.

"We really learned a lot about each other," assistant coach Dean Oliver told BadgerBlitz.com. "It was a lot of bonding, not just between the players but the coaches and players."

In the locker room, the group is losing a lottery pick in Johnny Davis and the program's all-time leader in games played, Brad Davison. Coming into the room will be transfers Kamari McGee and Max Klesmit, along with true freshmen Connor Essegian, Luke Haertle and Ross Candelino.

"I think with this team it was both," Oliver said of the importance of the trip, on and off the court. "I’d say more so off the court. Just to get to know each other, get to know the new guys. I think the new guys kind of got a feel of how things are going to be as far as in-game. How demanding are we going to be, what’s going to be expected on both ends. So it was great to run through those things in the game, but also just to come together.

"But also just to have people together as far as language or the food that we’re eating were fun to experience together. That helps build the bond and the trust going forward going into the season."

Of the returning group, only three - Chucky Hepburn, Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl - played over 200 minutes a season ago on a team that won a share of the Big Ten title. Naturally with that kind of in-game experience under their belt, the trio led the group to 4-0 mark on the exhibition tour with their maturity and approach.

"You definitely could see it with Tyler. It’s definitely his turn to be a key leader and he stepped up in a big way," Oliver said. "I’d say Chucky was right there with him and it was good to see Steven Crowl in that role already. I wouldn’t say as much vocally, but definitely was as far as his play and doing things the right way and leading by example.

"Those three obviously with their experience and knowing what we want and what this team is about and what it takes. You know, Tyler has won two Big Ten titles. He knows what it takes and he did a good job of showing those guys the ropes as far as work ethic, as far as everything you do.

"It’s been pretty easy so far but they’ve really kind of taken it in stride. I think part of that is they’re prepared, they’re ready. They wanted that. At the end of the season they were kind of looking forward to this year. They’ve had that mindset all summer and it showed."

As far as who joined in the effort, Oliver couldn't leave out what junior Jordan Davis provided and the contributions of Klesmit in that regard. A Wisconsin native, Klesmit comes in with 50 games of experience under his belt during his time at Wofford.

"I thought a guy like Max Klesmit, who’s new, with his play he kind of showed some leadership at different moments, so that’s nice to see," the assistant coach added.

"I’ve got to throw Jordan Davis in there with his play. He really played with pride. He really played possessed through the games. Honestly I thought he played better than he practiced and he also kind of led by example with what it takes and what we want."

During the games, head coach Greg Gard and the staff wanted to "experiment with different looks." With that in mind, the staff trotted out four different starting lineups with subs coming in hockey style. The different groups got run in four- to five-minute spurts.

"We wanted to see different things. Obviously with the different lineups we tried some different things," Oliver said. "Played some different defenses. Ran some different offenses that we haven’t in the past and we saw some things. We wanted to look at some smaller lineups and maybe some bigger lineups. How are guys going to react? Who can guard certain positions? We got a chance to look at a lot of those things."

One such lineup featured a Hepburn alongside McGee, a pair that has traditionally played point guard during their career.

"It’ll be tough to play them a lot together," Oliver said. "We’ll see. I think that all plays itself out as far as game by game. How other teams play us, etc. They definitely are two guys that can play together. I think Chucky can play that 2-guard, scoring guard, and at times we may need him to do that. But at the same time they complement each other well even when they are not playing together.

"I’ll tell you what, if Chucky comes out of the game and Kamari comes in, if I’m the opposing point guard, I really don’t get a breather because Kamari is coming at you the same way Chucky is coming at you. It’s great to have Kamari as a weapon like that on both ends.

"They’re a tag-team. If Kamari comes out, Chucky comes in, he’s coming at the next guy just like Kamari was, and vice versa. It’s great to have him and his attitude has been tremendous, and that’s what you want to see, especially with someone who transferred in. A lot of times transfers want it right way and they want it a certain way, but he’s just come in as a team guy and blended in well because of it."

The format of distributing minutes allowed for younger players to get a solid amount of playing time. Oliver pointed to sophomore Markus Ilver, Essegian, McGee and Chris Hodges as players who stood out.

Ilver, who finished in double figures in two of the four games and led the team in scoring in game three, showed improvement from beyond the arc.

"I’d say Markus Ilver the way he shot the ball - he really shot the ball well from three," Oliver said.

For McGee, Oliver noted the energy he played with defensively throughout. Mentioning that he "brought a different energy" on that end.

Coming into the program, Essegian's best skill is his shooting, and that was on full display. Aside from a scoreless outing in the opener, the freshman finished in double-figures in each of the final three contests.

"Connor Essegian really shot the ball well," Oliver noted. "A freshman coming in, you never know if he’s quite ready, but definitely on the offensive end he looked like somebody special right away. He showed a lot of traits moving without the ball and being able to shoot the way he shot it."

Games are still a little over two months away, but Essegian made an impression on the coaching staff as someone who can potentially come in and contribute right away.

"It’s so early but he definitely showed that he could this summer," Oliver said. "There’s two ends. You got to play defense, too, but there’s also numbers involved. There’s a lot of guys at his position. There’s going to be a lot of competition at the 2 or the 3 or however you want to label them. But there’s definitely a lot of guys who could get minutes at that spot, and he looks like somebody that can."

When surveying the box score of the team's Game 1 win in Paris, Hodges jumpes out with seven rebounds, six of which came on the offensive end, with one resulting in a put back.

"Chris Hodges was unbelievable on the boards, especially on the offensive board and just his tenacity," Oliver said of his play. "He’s a prime example of a guy who redshirted and really took it to heart as far as what you get done in that redshirt year. He’s made a lot of strides and I think he showed it right away. I thought he did a tremendous job on the trip."

Ilver and Essegian played a part in a resurgence for the Badgers from the three-point line. In the first two games, UW knocked in 12 and 13 shots from three, respectively. A contrast from the 6.5 threes per game the team averaged a season ago.

"The defense is going to get a lot better, but we have guys that are capable and I think guys have gotten better," Oliver said. "You look at Tyler Wahl and he’s gotten better from the outside. Steve has constantly gotten better. Chucky, he shot the ball really well from three and noticed he had to get better at it, and he has. Then you throw in new guys that can all shoot the ball. We definitely have potential. I think that’s going to be a big key for us this season.

"I think it could be a strength of ours and we just have to hone in on it and take care of the fundamentals and things that get us the right shot, and obviously those percentages will go up."

The games also showed early returns for Crowl, a returning starter who has bulked up.

"You can definitely see it," Oliver said. "I don’t think I’ve ever seen him make so many and-ones. It seemed he had two and-ones every game, and quite a few of them were with the left hand, so that’s great to see. He added some strength and then part of that is a little bit of maturity and knowing when he’s going to be fouled, expecting the contact and those type of things."

With tip-off on Nov. 11, the will use the momentum from France as they prepare for the 2022-23 season.

"We really walked away from those four games pretty excited about the team," Oliver said. "There really weren't any disappointments. That’s the great thing. We were able to play a lot of different lineups, but we left pretty excited about the team and the strides guys have made since last year. We have a lot of guys that have improved quite a bit since last year."

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