That Mythical Extra Scholarship

So if you like Wisconsin men's basketball a lot (as I do), and thus have read too much recruiting baloney this off-season (as I've done), you may have heard something about how Wisconsin is still recruiting players for the 2010 or the 2009 class, despite scholarship charts showing that every paid place on the team is already accounted for. Then, the other day, there was this Rivals article where this power forward recruit related that UW coaches had said a player might be leaving the team. Now, selfishly, this kind of news also makes you hope that it's not a player that you like and feel has potential. For instance, I would be terrifically upset if Pop Hughes or Jon Leuer decided to transfer.

The recent record of transfers from UW indicated (hopefully) that won't be the case, however. The guys who have left under Coach Ryan have either (A) got into serious trouble and blew their second chance (Boo Wade, sadly) or (B) redshirted, and then realized, even after redshirting, that they weren't going to play much (DeAaron Williams, Mickey Perry). For example, Perry was stuck behind Kam, Flowers, and Ray Nixon his first season, and then got jumped in the depth chart his second year when Bohannon and Hughes arrived. Transferring is pretty understandable in that situation. (Thankfully, it looks like his story had a happy ending, since Perry successfully transferred to Dayton, where he contributed to a very solid A-10 team.) Given that record and since no one on the squad (knock on wood) appears to be in trouble, if there are any defections, you'd expect them to come from a player who hasn't seen much time on the floor.

Personally, I'd prefer not to lose anyone from what appears to be a great bunch of young men. You only had to glance at the sideline celebrations during the home Penn State game (when UW clinched a share of the Big Ten title) to know that the Badgers were a wonderfully supportive and cohesive team last season. The four departed seniors will already leave a big hole, and another loss could further weaken the squad's unique esprit de corps. But if someone leaves, I wish that young man the best, whoever he is and wherever he goes. Once a Badger, always a Badger.