MADISON, Wis. – If games were twice as long, players and coaches at the University of Wisconsin believe forward Markus Ilver could put up eye-catching numbers on a nightly basis.
Instead, the junior sits at the backend of the Badgers’ deep rotation and waits to see if his number will be called.
“I just gotta stay ready, you know?” Ilver said. “Stay ready every day, give it my all in practice. If I get to see the floor, I need to seize my opportunity.”
Opportunities have been limited, but Ilver backed up his words in Tuesday’s loss at Penn State. Checking in before the under-four media timeout in the first half, Ilver played the final five minutes of the half and filled the stat sheet.
He blocked Penn State guard Nick Kern on a layup attempt, secured the defensive rebound, and got the ball to A.J. Storr for a fast-break dunk. Later he secured a defensive rebound on one end, rebounded Storr’s miss on the other, and finished the possession with a three-point basket.
His final stat line was three points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal in five minutes, producing so consistently that UW could afford to let forward Steven Crowl sit for the remainder of the half.
“That dude can shoot the lights out of the ball,” forward Carter Gilmore said of Ilver. “He shows it every day in practice when he comes in here, he’s one of our best shooters. He’s worked his butt off, and he just continues to show up and work every single day. His time’s coming soon.”
Biding his time has been Ilver’s story since he arrived on campus. A late commitment to UW’s 2021 recruiting class, Ilver knew what he was walking into it. The Badgers haven’t added countless forwards from the portal (UW has actually lost depth with the transfers of Ben Carlson (Utah) and Matthew Mors (South Dakota State)). Still, Ilver has been the team’s fourth or fifth forward behind veteran starters Crowl and Tyler Wahl and junior reserve Carter Gilmore.
Ilver played a total of 147 minutes in 26 games in his first two seasons but started drawing praise from head coach Greg Gard in the fall for his improved consistency in drills and possessions.
That came from Ilver pushing himself to spend more time in the weight room and eat healthier to help bulk up his frame during the offseason. He estimated he tipped the scales as high as 227 pounds entering camp, giving him more girth to battle in the low post.
“The physicality starts in the paint,” said Ilver, who has appeared in 13 games this season. “If we start the game off, punch one or two of the first few in, get a bucket, get a defensive stop in the paint, it sets momentum up for the rest of the game. The Big Ten is physical, so you need to be able to be strong. You need to be a little bigger for that.”
Ilver has areas he needs to grow to get a large share of minutes. He is still undersized compared to his post teammates and struggles to guard the one through the five. But for being the 11th man in the rotation, Ilver can shoot. His 45.5 percent three-point percentage is second among the reserves despite playing the fewest minutes (5.0 mpg).
“Shooting has always been my strongest side, but just this offseason, I was working at it more, getting it more consistent,” Ilver said. “When I get on the floor, it’ll space up the floor and I’ll be ready to knock them down.”
“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.”
Ask players about Ilver and they say they trust him. Unlike last season, when Ilver was thrust into a larger role over a four-game stretch with Wahl dealing with an ankle injury, the Badgers have stayed healthy with their frontcourt.
It’s a blessing and a curse for Ilver that Wisconsin has a deep team, forcing him to bide his time and maximize his minutes.
“It gives confidence that they did trust me,” he said. “If we have foul trouble or an injury happens, if I know they trust me and I trust them, I can get on the floor and contribute.”
“Coach tells me every single time if I don’t get much to play or don’t play at all, don’t put your head down because you’re doing great. Just keep the work ethic up. I just got to do it.”
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