Varsity is the free Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics, covering Badgers football, basketball, hockey and more each week.
Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/112152
DAVID STLUKA like that. I think in other programs you definitely have personalities that dominate. But here everyone is on the same page and everyone is together. Some days are going to be really hard and you���ll really feel like a walk-on. Other days, you���ll feel like you���re the star on the team.������ In the same breath, Fahey outlined the demands on the scout team ��� aka the ���Bench Mob������ ��� to prepare the starters for what they���re going to get out of each opponent. In this context, they have to bring urgency to every practice. It���s the lifeline of a walk-on. ���You have to be ready to go hard every day,������ Fahey said. ���Nothing is guaranteed. You have to be ready each day to fight. It���s not for everyone. You have to have the right personality. You have to come in not expecting too much. But you have to prepare the first team for everything you can. If you work hard, it pays off in the end.������ Sophomore forward Frank Kaminsky has been given credit for coming up with the ���Bench Mob,������ which has even spawned T-shirts 32 �� VARSITY FEB R UA RY 28, 2013 for its members. After getting his eye poked against Indiana, Kaminsky missed a couple of games. ���So he was on the bench more, and right in the middle of us,������ Fahey explained. One thing led to another and Fahey said, ���We started making up roles and duties for every person.������ Wise and Fahey are the co-presidents. ���I wouldn���t call it a complete democracy,������ said Wise, noting Kaminsky has taken on the title of ���Ambassador to International Relations������ or something like that. ���That���s because Frank goes back and forth between the scout team and first team,������ Wise said. Fahey has a title of his own: Hold Back Guy. He holds everyone back on the bench after a big play on the floor. ���Coach Ryan always says Tanner Bronson was the best Hold Back Guy ever,������ Fahey said. The bar has always been raised high, especially for Wisconsin walk-ons. Fahey and Wise have done their part to continue the tradition. ���They���ve added to the legacy of the guys who have been in that position before them,������ said UW associate head coach Greg Gard, who emphasized how challenging it can be to live up to expectations of the role. ���You have to be a really good team guy. You have to understand your role. You���re going to get knocked around, you���re going to have to go against the top eight or nine and you���re not going to get a lot of credit in terms of the public or the media. You���re not going to get a lot of playing time, if any, so you have to have the right mentality. You have to be doing this for the betterment of the team.������ Why would anyone want to make so many sacrifices? ���It starts with Bo and how he treats everybody,������ Gard said. ���He doesn���t treat a walk-on any differently than an All-Big Ten player.