End of Summer Status

Just one week into September and football season, it already feels like the previous basketball season ended years ago.

Luckily a lull in groundbreaking Wisconsin basketball news came at a perfect time. It was a busy summer for me personally and changes are in the works regarding this blog as well. But when I rehash what people might have missed during the lazy summer, it turns out that a lot went down and most of it was good.

While the Big Ten collectively celebrated the return of many of its top players from the brink of the NBA Draft pool, other key pieces like Kevin Coble evaporated unexpectedly. Or in Chris Allen's case, not-so-unexpectedly. Meanwhile, UW said goodbye to two seniors and one non-contributor without any teeth-gnashing. That is especially great when you consider what was going on last year at this time.

Rather than the program kicking a couple kids off the team, recovering from a dramatic decommitment and sending Bo Ryan to coach Team USA, Wisconsin flew under the radar (except for this). A flurry of recruiting activity in June wrapped up nicely with Jarrod Uthoff's semi-surprising commitment in mid-July. What followed was a month of relative silence.

Though student-athletes typically get a couple of short breaks from class and teammates, an incredible amount of hard work is going on behind the scenes to prepare for the next season. Just ask the new freshmen. Or ask sophomore Ryan Evans if the hard work pays off. He was selected by Global Sports Academy for a team that toured Europe in August. Evans played well, even if it barely registered at all in the media.

However, one fellow who is no longer inconspicuous in any sense is Jon Leuer. A lot of praise was heaped on the 6'10" forward this summer as he impressed during his Team USA internship. That'll get you hyped as one of the top three players in your conference, although some draftniks over at Draft Express might be eating some crow based on how low they placed Leuer on their list of Big Ten draft prospects.

Leuer leads a six-man senior class heading into the fall semester as the program adjusts to one new assistant coach in light of Howard Moore's departure. But people forget that number could have doubled if Greg Gard had gotten the UW-Green Bay job in the spring (Ed. note: could have tripled really). Again, disaster averted.

So it's a good time to be optimistic about an even more enjoyable basketball season lurking behind the changing colors of the trees. We can even take a deep, relaxing breath knowing that the divisional realignment scare has passed ... I think.

Devon Hodges Reconsiders Commitment

The surprising news that Bolingbrook (Ill.) High School junior Devon Hodges is no longer committed to Wisconsin has a familiar ring to it.

According to Hodges' father, Dwan Friend, the decision came about rather quickly in recent days, citing conversations where Hodges expressed he might not be completely happy with the pledge he made last January as a 15-year-old sophomore. Friend, a professed Wisconsin fan, was concerned that Hodges may have originally made his choice, in part, to please his father.

"I said to him, 'I don't want you to make me happy, I want you to make you happy'," Friend said.

Hodges' father informed assistant coach Howard Moore over the phone on Tuesday. Friend dispelled any notions that his son was pushed towards this decision by the Wisconsin coaching staff, noting that Moore was visible at several of Bolingbrook's games this past season.

However, Friend echoed the sentiments expressed by former Badger recruit Vander Blue as he relayed his shock at some of the comments regarding Hodges made by Badger fans on Internet message boards. It should be absolutely clear now, if it wasn't before, that recruits and their families read what fans have to say about their sons and daughters. Some find it hard to ignore. In this case, the negativity affected Hodges.

"We paid attention to that," Friend admitted.

With so little information coming out on Hodges this past year, Friend said he told Hodges that many Wisconsin fans may be basing their opinions on what they see -- or don't see -- in the Chicago-area media. It is no secret that Hodges' stock has not improved in the eyes of certain local and national talent evaluators. Friend noted that one such scout did not even recognize Hodges when the player introduced himself last year. His family believes the trend started when Hodges left the well-known and respected Illinois Wolves AAU program.

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Ah yes, the AAU clubs. Hodges is now with his third travel team in as many summers, not to mention he transferred schools (from Romeoville to Bolingbrook) back in November. He moved from the Wolves to the D-Rose All-Stars last year before switching to Full Package Elite this year. In addition, Hodges is scheduled to play with an international travel team called Team USA Elite.

"I was with the Illinois Wolves since I was in 8th grade and when I decided to leave last year it was not an easy decision for me," Hodges explained over the weekend, "but after looking at the type of player I was and comparing it to the type of player I wanted to be there were some things I needed to change."

Though Wisconsin recruited him as a power forward, Hodges said he patterns his game after Evan Turner.

"I would like to show people I can make just as much happen on the outside as I do on the inside," Hodges said. "No one has ever gotten the chance to see me outside because I am constantly in the post and someday I hope to change that."

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When I talked with Hodges recently, he gave no indication that he was having second thoughts about his original decision. The 6'7", 220-pound lefty seemed like the same well-spoken and motivated player he was a year ago. I was impressed with his willingness to discuss all the switching between AAU clubs.

"Each program was great," said Hodges, who has considered studying meteorology in college. "I was able to walk away from both programs with knowledge and able to say that I had learned some very important things. I did thank Coach [Mike] Mullins as well as Coach [Reggie] Rose for the opportunities that I was given."

Hodges thinks he has finally found the right fit. He was able to join his Full Package Elite team in the Swish N' Dish Spring Warm-Up in Milwaukee earlier this month after recovering from a concussion and said he was pleased with his performance. But it was the chance to go the extra mile in his personal workouts that sold Hodges on his new AAU home.

"What I liked about choosing to play with Full Package compared to other teams was the opportunity to get individual training and development, which is very important to me," Hodges continued. "I was sold on the fact that I would be training with Coach Steve Pratt and still being able to play with a great program."

At this time, adding strength and developing his perimeter skills are Hodges' main objectives.

"I am in the gym six days a week,” Hodges said. “Between that and school in addition to getting my legs and upper body stronger, my days are very busy. I normally get up at 4 a.m. and I am out the door by 5 a.m. so it can be really hectic."

Hodges averaged 12 points and eight rebounds per game for his high school team this season, despite facing frequent double-teams in the post.

"Nine times out of 10 I'm the one doing the job no one else wants to do. And that's being down low, which is what I do well," Hodges said.

"Devon is an outstanding young man," said Bolingbrook head coach Rob Brust. "He is a solid rebounder and scorer who can face up and hit the 15 to 18-foot jumper. He is a double-double waiting to happen every time he steps on the floor."

At least 13 Division 1 schools had shown interest in Hodges the first time around, according to Friend, and he has not ruled out Wisconsin.

Markolf Says Adios To Basketball

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel broke the story earlier today that Ian Markolf has left the Wisconsin men's basketball team, reducing the number of scholarship players on next year's roster to 12.

Markolf, an academic all-Big Ten honoree, will stay at UW as a student according to the program's official statement. At the very least, that seems like a compliment to the university and the relationships Markolf has already formed in his two years in Madison. I must admit that I'm little saddened that we will never get to see Markolf play somewhere where he was a better fit. Best of luck to him.

With Eau Claire's Evan Anderson set to join rising senior J.P. Gavinski on the team this year, the Badgers still have more than their share of aircraft carriers for the scout team and will be fine.

Calling Markolf's recruitment a surprise and his subsequent career an disappointment might be an understatement. The 7-foot Texan was a Howard Moore recruit that was apparently brought to the staff's attention by former Badger great Michael Finley when he played for the San Antonio Spurs. I cannot confirm, nor deny, rumors that no one on the staff ever saw Markolf play in person prior to his arrival on campus.

The timing of the announcement puts Wisconsin in an interesting position. It is tempting for Bo Ryan to use Markolf's vacated scholarship to fill an immediate need. Next season the team will have a great need for an experienced guard. That specific need (experience) would not be met by simply grabbing another incoming freshman however. Besides, with the exception of Vander Blue and then Cameron Wright, the Badgers basically got the guards they wanted from the 2010 class in Gasser and Dukan.

A junior college player would be more likely, though the right fit is even harder to find from that student-athlete pool. And only in rare circumstances would a transfer be eligible next season when the need for guard depth is greatest. So saving the scholarship for 2011 might make the most sense. Someone like W'quinton Smith would then be in line for a one-year scholarship in 2010-11, a la Tanner Bronson.

The Vander Blue Saga Continues

As the Vander Blue soap opera-like tempest has come to a head in the last 48 hours, Rob Schultz of the Capital Times gives Badger fans the first substantial insight into the situation in a story posted Wednesday.

It is clear that Blue met with several academic advisors as well as the Wisconsin coaching staff to discuss his academic struggles. Eligibility issues would certainly be a legitimate reason for Blue to re-evaluate his options, especially if he was finally awakened to the reality of his situation by the meeting.

But if Blue really wanted to be a Badger, he would put in the necessary work and remain committed. It's that simple.

Even though I am glad to have more information than we did yesterday, I feel bad for Blue that his academic record is getting tossed out into the open for the public to consume. Would this type of article even have been written at all if it were not for the maelstrom of tips and rumors that hit the Internet message boards and finally reached the proverbial tipping point yesterday. Someone (media, the university, etc.) who was very eager to get out some information on the subject may look back and regret that specifics were released at the cost of the student, especially that junior college crack. After all, Schultz's story -- like every other one written on the subject thus far -- was not able to name a source.

Wisconsin is not allowed to officially comment on any player who has not signed a national Letter of Intent yet, making it more difficult to get straight facts on the ordeal.

If academics are the sole reason that Blue is reconsidering his verbal committment to Bucky, it is understandable why he has been largely silent. It would be fairly embarrassing. However, as anyone who has made a very serious life decision before knows, it is never just one factor that leads to your final answer.

Blue's verbal came much quicker than I expected last April before he had taken very many college visits. Blue reportedly had additional offers from Marquette, Indiana, and either Kentucky or Minnesota at the time. Blue wanted to stay close to home and admired Trevon Hughes. Marquette was in the middle of a head coaching transition at the time, which naturally was a red flag.

After the announcement last year, BadgerNation.com quoted the Memorial guard as follows regarding the early commitment:

“I trust Wisconsin and my family trusts Wisconsin so I am not planning on changing my mind. Somebody has got to offer me something crazy to change my mind. Everything is over with and I don’t have to worry about what college I am going to in two years. I can just play ball with my friends and keep my grades up.”

Since then, Blue exploded on the national AAU scene last summer and one of his best friends, Jeronne Maymon, signed with Marquette, which posted a 24-9 record in Buzz Williams' debut season. Conversely, Wisconsin suffered a "down" year. Academics aside, what once seemed like a fairly easy choice was blurred. And apparently Blue has not kept his grades up either ... a trifecta.

Some of these things together might have been enough to get Blue privately reconsidering. Thus the initial rumors, which Blue midly refuted ("I'm cool") to the media. The added challenge of meeting minimum academic standards and then perhaps slightly higher UW standards on top of that could be just another doubt.

All those doubts add up. Blue has had fellow Memorial ballers, past and present, telling him to come to Marquette and even more storied programs with more uptempo playing styles making themselves known to him (Louisville, for example). Honestly, not too many 16-year-old players would want to put in the extra effort if other options exist, options that for a variety of reasons are just as attractive. According to reports, Blue informed the staff of his doubts during the tail end of Monday's meeting.

I am not a conspiracy theorist that believes Wisconsin is leaking this information as an excuse for why Vander wants to look elsewhere. Nor do I believe that just because we haven't heard from Blue's family that he is not reopening his recruitment. As usual, the truth is somewhere in between.

Whether or not Blue has told anyone yet, the writing is on the wall. It's an only matter of time before he decommits officially. If he wants to work hard in the classroom, prove a lot of people wrong and recommit to Wisconsin, that is still possible. Unfortunately for Bo Ryan's program, the chances appear slim. I just hope both parties land safely.

Backcourt Depth

The loss of Michael Flowers, however temporary it may be, brings to light the issue Wisconsin has in recent years with players (primarily guards) leaving the program. It is a problem that every school faces from time to time, but one which had not bit the team in the butt yet. Until now.

Currently the team has one (!) active scholarship upperclassman capable of playing guard: Joe Krabbenhoft. Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon are good, but only sophomores slight of stature. Tim Jarmusz is fresh out of high school. Mo Cain and Tanner Bronson are former walk-ons. Even with Flowers, the Badgers aren't exactly deep here.

Yet I hesitate to throw up the white flag this early because time and time again, Bo Ryan has led Wisconsin to heights it has never seen before even after losing a scholarship athlete. In the recent past, this situation occurred three years in a row. I have wondered how the departures have truly impacted the current make-up of the program, so I took a closer look at each situation to refresh my memory.

In doing so, two lines of questioning surfaced. The first goes like this: (1) Was there a problem with the program that pushed unhappy players away? Does it still exist? Did this atmosphere and the decisions of the troubled players derail one season already and endanger the potential of this year's team? Then, the contrarian in me thought maybe (2) these recruits couldn't hack it -- either on the court, in the classroom or at home in their personal life. How did they wind up on campus to begin with? Did the staff just have a run of bad luck or simply whiff on guys in the recruiting game several years in a row?

Case #1 :: 2004-05
As a freshman, Boo Wade played in every game for arguably Bo's most talented team, which won the Big Ten title outright in 2002-03. Wade averaged 20 min/g the following year but missed two games due to legal and personal troubles that would cause him to take a leave of absence before leaving the university for good in January '05. His value as a defender and even a 3-point threat was undeniable.

Was Wade worth the six points that separated Wisconsin from North Carolina in their Elite Eight match-up that year? Possibly. He could have slowed down Ray Felton. With Sharif Chambliss, Clayton Hanson and Kammron Taylor at guard, though, the problem that game was stopping Sean May down low. That season that wound up wildly successful in most people's eyes anyway. Wade would have been a senior two season ago on a team that also lost Landry and Stiemsma midseason to academic and psychological issues. So while Wade would have been very valuable, again, his absence was not the biggest factor that derailed the Badgers' season.

You can play the what-if game for a long time on this one, but Wade was a good player and his loss a big blow to the program. Wisconsin survived.

Case #2 :: 2005-06
The DeAaron Williams story is not as tragic, but just as sad. He was not a proven commodity on the court for the Badgers, having redshirted in his only full year on campus. Personally, I thought he looked improved to start the ensuing year; decent enough in 8 min/g against mostly subpar opposition.

One newspaper famously labeled him the "10th man in a nine-man rotation." Leapfrogged for minutes by freshman Krabbenhoft and stuck behind veterans at guard, Williams lost his patience. When the hammer came down on Landry and Stiemsma, the Williams defection hurt a bit more. Though the team made the tournament without those three players, it was easily Bo's worst season as head coach.

In retrospect, Williams appeared to be a kid who came to play ball, had to wait around to get started and in the meantime, had no interest in being a student. After leaving UW, he played well for a JUCO back home, but bounced around because of his academic standing.

Wisconsin didn't seem to miss Williams last year en route to a number one ranking and a school-record 30 victories. You never know what could have happened had Williams chosen to stick it out. He was a slashing scorer and a former state high school dunk champ -- I don't see anyone close to that on UW's current roster. Provided he remained eligible, he could have filled a role for the Badgers this year. Unless ...

Case #3 :: 2006-07
Williams would have had to endure another season behind Tucker last year and beat out a new recruit, Phillip "Mickey" Perry.

If Williams was more level-headed, perhaps he would not have viewed the signing of Perry as being "recruited over." Perry took a redshirt in his first season, but was a better shooter than Williams and may indeed have gotten more PT. It would be interesting to know what kind of relationship Williams and Perry had in their short time together, and if the attitude of the former had an influence on the latter.

Like Williams, Perry had his own issues with academics. It's common knowledge that Perry was ineligible the second semester of his redshirt season in '05-'06. And like Williams, he absolutely could have helped this year's team at guard in the absence of Flowers. But it's not fun sitting behind freshmen when you know you can play. Keep an eye on Perry starting in January.

So while I think Bo simply faced a little bad luck (Wade) and even worse luck (Latrell Fleming), the fact that the coaching staff whiffed on Williams and Perry consecutively and hasn't missed a beat yet points more toward the progress the program has made in terms of national respect and perception than Wisconsin having problems that push players out the door.

Last year's two talented freshmen guards and the team's overall success turned Perry's departure into little more than an afterthought. Wisconsin's basketball program has grown into a national power that is capable of attracting more talented players than it did even two or three years ago when Bo's boys were winning Big Ten titles. That kind of sustained excellence gets most recruits excited, but others simply value playing time more than winning.

These days, when UW is off the mark with a recruit, there is an even better player anxious to take his place. A good season, with or without Flowers, will prove it.

Flowers Takes Leave of Absence from Team

Senior guard Michael Flowers will be taking a break from the UW men's basketball team for unspecified medical reasons. It is unclear from the statement released by the university Thursday whether the cause is something affecting Flowers himself physically or if it might be a family medical issue. It's too early to speculate.

I hope for the best for Mike and whatever issue he is facing. Have faith that he will be on the court again this season for the Badgers as the absence has been officially termed "temporary" for now.

If Flowers should miss any significant portion of the season, the backcourt rotation becomes very thin with possibly both sophomore guards starting and Krabbenhoft rotating in at shooting guard. Bo Ryan has heaped some praise on how ready his freshman class is currently and it's a good thing because now it looks like Tim Jarmusz will be expected to also contribute in the backcourt right away.

Depatures from the Big Ten

Players transferring after a head coaching change is nothing new. But when I heard that Iowa released super-frosh Tyler Smith from his scholarship on Friday, it was a little surprising. Moving closer to home, where his father is dealing with cancer, is understandable. His change or heart puts Iowa in an even tougher position as Todd Lickliter attempts to rebuild the program.

Although Iowa expected to say goodbye to only two seniors following the season, the Hawkeyes now must replace over 60 percent of their per-game scoring from 2006-07.

Smith is just one of several Big Ten departures so far this spring. Sophomore Maurice Joseph is leaving Michigan State. Purdue was hit with transfer requests from three young players, including guard Chris Lutz who led the conference in 3-point shooting percentage. Unlike Iowa, however, both MSU and Purdue have highly-rated incoming recruits to offset the losses and build upon.

With a mediocre freshman class expected next year, Iowa is one team in the Big Ten anticipating a much tougher season in 2007-08. Northwestern will again be the sludge of the conference. Although early-entry candidates have weakened Ohio State, the Buckeyes will be competing for Big Ten titles annually under Thad Matta. Wisconsin's personnel losses were to graduation, but the same high expectations apply to Bo Ryan's bunch.

Indiana, like Michigan State, is an early favorite at the top of the league. Guard phenom Eric Gordon's arrival coupled with D.J. White's surprise return for a senior season will make Kelvin Sampson's second year in Bloomington a special one. Michigan and Minnesota will be better through coaching upgrades alone.

Penn State also returns four starters, including the now-seasoned Geary Claxton-Jamelle Cornley duo that ranked 1-2 on the team in both scoring and rebounding. Of course, they were supposed to be improved last season as well ... I don't think 11-19 qualified as a breakthrough. The other team I cannot figure out is Illinois. The karma feels quite bad in Champaign, where off-the-court issues continue to mount in addition to the team dropping to ninth in the Big Ten in scoring offense. Shaun Pruitt is considering the NBA Draft for some odd reason, but the Illini did just add junior college star Rodney Alexander to their incoming class.

For what it's worth, Wisconsin teams have seemed to thrive in the underdog role, rather than as a favorite. Expect the conference to be much more balanced next season, unlike the Big 2/Little 9 look that we've seen so often in football. Purdue served reasonably well as my sleeper pick last season, but I'll take a little more time to make a pick this season. You never know who else will jump ship between now and the next tip-off.