ON TO THE
NEXT ONE
There was nothing easy about the Badgers��� NCAA exit,
but it���s hard not to be excited about what lies ahead
A
BY MIKE LUCAS ��� UWBADGERS.COM
fter expressing his disappointment
over ending such a fulfilling season
and career on such an abrupt and flat
note ��� a loss to Ole Miss in the opening game of the NCAA tournament
��� Wisconsin senior Jared Berggren turned his attention to the returning players in the locker room.
Some were doing a better job fighting back tears
than others last Friday in Kansas City.
Before pulling off his UW jersey for a final time,
Berggren said, ���I haven���t had a chance to talk to
the guys, but when I do, I���m just going to tell them,
���Don���t take anything for granted. Every workout,
every open gym, whatever it is, don���t take it for
granted because it goes quicker than you think.������
Ninety-eight career victories later, Berggren is
moving on to new challenges, along with classmates Ryan Evans, who appeared in a school-record 138 games; and Mike Bruesewitz, who played
his way into so many hearts with a no-holds-barred
approach to hoops and life.
Outlining the seniors��� back-to-back Sweet 16
legacy and other achievements, including 23 wins
and a four-game sweep of Indiana and Michigan
this season ��� ���A lot of people didn���t think we
would amount to what we did; we fought hard and
persevered through a lot��� ��� Berggren took inventory.
���They have plenty of good pieces coming back,���
he said.
Putting the puzzle together for a 13th season
will be UW coach Bo Ryan, who���s resolute in his
understanding of what must happen between now
and then; the start of training camp.
���You just always have to remember how fleeting
a season can be,��� Ryan said on the heels of seeing
his record drop to 10-2 in NCAA opening round
games.
���It can be very rewarding and it also can end
abruptly. Everybody always hopes for more but
it will be like everything else in life. There will be
good times and there will be some tough times.
���You just have to make sure you stay positive
about what���s next.���
As part of that off-season commitment, he pointed out that the players have to ���get in the weight
room; they have to get stronger.��� Ole Miss brought
that to light in Kansas City.
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