Wisconsin basketball coach Greg Gard talks the Big Ten’s new schedule
With the Big Ten set to add four teams next season, the league shared details on how its regular season and conference tournament for men’s basketball will look.
MADISON – The Wisconsin men’s basketball team opened its practice to the media Thursday and what was immediately noticeable about freshman Daniel Freitag is that he isn’t afraid to hit the deck.
No official stats were kept, but the 6-foot-3 guard had to be at the top of near the top of the team’s leaderboard when it came to floor burns as he chased after loose balls and rebounds or finished at the rim.
You shouldn’t get too excited about any freshman after a few days of practice but consider that aspect of Freitag’s play a good sign.
“You know I love football players,” Badgers coach Greg Gard said. “They’re not afraid of contact and Danny was a good football player, too. They have a little different mindset to them, not that non football players can’t be successful, but typically, the guys who have played high school football have a little better sense of how impactful contact can be.”
With the Badgers especially hit by transfers of guards after last season, Freitag, who was also a Division I football prospect, is among the players who have a chance to make a significant impact this season.
Thursday during practice inside the Nicholas Johnson Pavillion he worked at both guard spots. The explosiveness of his drives to the basket stood out, but what Gard likes is how Freitag is learning to harness that athleticism.
“You’ve got to know when you’re in the school zone and when you’re on the interstate,” Gard said. “That is something he’s gotten better at since June.”
Here are three other takeaways from Gard’s first remarks of the season.
Xavier Amos could offer more than initially expected
Gard noted that the physicality of transfers Xavier Amos, John Tonje and Camren Hunter has been a pleasant surprise.
The coach later noted that Amos, a 6-8 junior forward, was more skilled than he was initially given credit for. Amos caught the staff’s eye because of the combination of his size and 39.5% shooting from three-point range.
“I thought he’d be more of a one-trick pony, just a catch-and-shoot guy and he’s got more to his game than that,” Gard said. “He’s gotten way stronger, too. … He’s just never trained the way we train here. It’s made a big difference for him.”
John Blackwell looking like a new man
Blackwell, a 6-4 sophomore, averaged eight points per game last season while shooting 45% from the floor and 45% from three-point range. The confidence he gained from that campaign continues to pay dividends.
“He just feels he’s the best player on the floor and I think that is the jump you expect him to take,” Gard said. “Physically he’s gotten better, too. That’s obvious just looking at him. But watching his confidence and the aura about him. he wants to be the best player and that’s his goal, to be as good as possible, be one of the best players in our league.”
Freshman from Italy playing catch-up
A key question going into the school year was how Riccardo Greppi would handle the transition to America. The Badgers’ recruitment of the 6-10 forward from Italy lasted weeks rather that the months that usually go into getting a player to commit.
He committed in August and didn’t arrive on campus until shortly before the start of class. Gard likes the questions Greppi is asking and how receptive he has been to coaching.
Still, Greppi has had a lot to absorb.
“For him it’s been like drinking out of a fire hose,” Gard said. “Three days after we got here we’re up at Bascom running, so it’s just been a lot for him and there’s moments where, as you saw today, he’s not sure which way he is going.”
