MADISON, Wis. – The clock is ticking for Steven Crowl in more ways than one.
The University of Wisconsin graduate forward has 21 guaranteed games left in his last college. Whether he logs hefty minutes in the starting lineup by being active and aggressive or watching from the bench is a message that the Badgers coaching staff has sent loud and clear.
“I’ve been here five years, and I know it in my own head,” Crowl said. “It’s just about getting myself going. I just got to play harder. It’s on me.”
His struggles on Wisconsin’s current three-game losing streak have been glaring. He followed a two-point, four-rebound game in a loss to Michigan with a second two-point outing at No.5 Marquette, the first time since his freshman season he’d scored two or fewer in consecutive games.
While he started aggressively in the low block in Tuesday’s 86-80 loss against Illinois, Crowl ultimately faded in the second half where he attempted only two shots. He didn’t get a rebound in 19 minutes on the court, the most time he’s logged without securing a rebound since February 2, 2022, also at Illinois.
“He hasn’t been aggressive enough really all year quite frankly,” head coach Greg Gard said.
Crowl entered the season with lofty expectations. He has improved steadily since arriving at the program, averaging 0.7 ppg as a freshman, 8.8 ppg as a sophomore, and 11.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.1 apg in a starting role last season.
He stated repeatedly in the preseason that he wanted to be more aggressive in his final year. He’s also said that aggression doesn’t necessarily come in the form of scoring but in terms of rebounding and facilitating.
It’s why the start of his 2024-25 season has been perplexing. Crowl has reached double figures once in 11 games and had four or fewer rebounds six times.
The film review confirmed Gard’s initial thought of why the 7-foot Crowl finished without a rebound. While positioning and technique can always be tweaked, it was simply a matter of Crowl not aggressively attacking the ball and using his length.
Three-point misses yield longer rebounds, and Illinois ranks fourth nationally in perimeter attempts (33.8). The Illini only had five offensive rebounds off their 25 three-point misses in an overtime loss at Northwestern. Illinois equaled that mark in the first 12:22 against Wisconsin and finished with nine offensive rebounds off its 23 missed three-pointers.
“The biggest thing with him is competing and aggressiveness all the time,” Gard said. “You ask any good rebounder. We can do blockout drills and work on technique, but you still have to go get the ball. That’s the mindset he needs to re-establish. He’s had it at times but not consistently enough.”
Gard said Thursday that he has “already crossed the line” by limiting Crowl’s minutes when he lacks aggressiveness. Unlike the start of the season, Gard has more options on the bench who can be productive. Graduate senior Carter Gilmore scored seven points in seven first-half minutes Tuesday, guard Jack Janicki had two rebounds, an assist, and a block in the first 140 seconds he was on the court, and forward Xavier Amos scored five points in 10 minutes before tweaking his ankle.
UW is toying with playing Crowl in shorter stretches to try and maximize his intensity when the Badgers play Butler (7-3) in the Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Coached by Thad Matta, Gard said Butler plays like Matta’s Ohio State teams in terms of its toughness, grittiness, and not being afraid to play rough and physical.
“It’s more so about us,” Crowl said of the Butler matchup. “We need to play harder, rebound, take care of the ball. Those things will lead to wins more so than what we worry about with them.”
The same process also applies to Crowl, as his clock keeps ticking.
“We’ve talked about it but at the end of the day he’s the one that’s got to go do it,” Gard said. “We have some things we’re going to continue to work on and help him with. It’s still a matter of results and production. He understands that."
“He’s got to perform. I have confidence that he will fight his way out of it. His teammates want him to and he wants to for his teammates. I think he’s in a good spot. Now it’s a matter of go do what you can do.”
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