On the Stove Top: 4/9/10

Greg Gard is one of five official finalists for the UW-Green Bay head coaching position. The process is expected to drag into next week when a round of more formal interviews will take place on campus. Former Wisconsin interim head coach Brad Soderberg declined consideration.

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In a follow-up to Wednesday's post, day one at Portsmouth went pretty smoothly for Trevon Hughes. He led his team to a blowout victory with a well-rounded effort. Other Big Ten players in the tournament include DeShawn Sims and Lawrence Westbrook. Hughes goes up against Baylor's Tweety Carter as his team resumes play tonight.

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Draft Express was on the scene as the Nike Hoop Summit practices began and incoming UW recruit Duje Dukan got a shout out for his shooting prowess. While Dukan measured over 6'8" tall in shoes, I found it interesting that his wingspan was only 6'7". So despite his nice height as a shooting forward, Dukan is not necessarily "long" in the hoops sense.
[Saturday's results] [box score]

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The premature speculation toward next season ran rampant after Duke's win over Butler Monday night. More often than not, Wisconsin is again being overlooked. Here's just a sampling of early Top 25 lists for 2010-11 and where (if) the Badgers ranks ...

• NBC's Beyond the Arc: Not Considered
• CBS' Gary Parrish: #23
• FOX's Jeff Goodman: Among "More to Watch"
• ESPN's Andy Katz: Not even "On the cusp"
• SI's Luke Winn: #15
• Rush the Court: Just missed
• Rivals: Among "Others considered"
• Online Sport Fanatic: #18
• CollegeHoops.net: #21

Keep in mind these lists hang in varying degrees of accuracy due to the stream of NBA early entrant announcements. The Sporting News keeps a nice up-to-date list of those players.

Hughes Eyes Post-Wisconsin Career

The long, often harsh, road toward a professional basketball career begins today for Wisconsin guard Trevon Hughes as the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament tips off once again.

Coincidentally, Hughes will be teaming up with Cornell's Ryan Wittman on the K&D Rounds Landscaping team. The PIT website will update with scores and stats as they become available throughout the week.

Hughes is one of 64 seniors hoping to make a good impression on even one NBA team. And if not, then at least some European scouts. The rosters have shuffled a bit since they were announced due to some injuries. Draft Express breaks down who the top prospects are and the surprising omissions. Stay healthy Pop!

Previous participants at Portsmouth include former Badgers Marcus Landry and Brian Butch, who both recently found themselves called up to the big leagues. Landry was recalled by the Celtics, meaning Boston now has two Badgers on its roster (the other: Michael Finley). Butch was signed by Denver for the remainder of this season after a stellar stint in the D-League.

Hughes acquitted himself just fine in last Friday's NABC College All-Star Game at the Final Four. It's no surprise that he jacked up a trey about 10 seconds into the game, but he also dished out four assists and stayed true to form with solid rebounding (six boards). Jason Bohannon started out hot in the weekend's 3-point shooting contest but was eliminated in the second round.

Landry at Portsmouth; Bennett on the Radio

At the same venue where his older brother Carl really earned his first NBA paycheck, Marcus Landry is getting one shot to prove his worth too.

No one expects the NBA to start banging down Landry's door. He still lacks a profile on DraftExpress.com. Though the goggled one shot only 5-of-14 from the field in his first action at the Portsmouth Invitational on Thursday night, he did manage 13 points & 7 rebounds (3 offensive) in 26 minutes. He took six 3-pointers, making a pair in the first half. By scouring the play-by-play, I see Landry missed a couple layups but did have a steal + finish in the second half while his team, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, was blowing the doors off the competition.

Landry's teammates include 6'6" B.J. Raymond (Xavier), 6'10" Alade Aminu (Georgia Tech) and another pair of 6'8" forwards. Statistically, Raymond was very efficient with 19 points, 4 treys and 3 steals. Physically, the former Musketeer has been knocked for his athleticism, but is of a similar build as Landry. So Landry will have his work cut out for him trying to outshine Raymond in this setting.

The team will play two more games this weekend. Marquette's Wes Matthews is also in Virginia, while Dominic James declined.

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One tidbit I forgot to post yesterday was an interview Lance Davis did with former Wisconsin head coach Dick Bennett on ESPN Radio's "The Badger Hour" a few days ago. According to Bennett himself, he has not followed the men's basketball team ... at all. He was caught up in watching teams out West, which is understandable, and even lending a hand with the Wisconsin women's team that his daughter Kathi helps coach now.

In the 22-minute interview, Bennett sheds some light on several subjects such as his relationship with both Roy Williams and Bo Ryan, Terry Porter's mental toughness, and Tony Bennett's new gig at Virginia. Bennett obviously supports Tony's move and believes the ACC is consistently the best basketball conference in the country. He also said he "will not rest" until Brad Soderberg gets another head coaching job. In retrospect, he is truly haunted by how his final season in Madison unfolded. For anyone familiar with Bennett, this is old hat, but it is almost scary how heavy that weighs on him to this day.