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drive to get better,'' Dekker said. "I don't want to be
embarrassed like I was last year.''
You were embarrassed?
"I was embarrassed last year,'' he repeated. "We'd
watch film and it was embarrassing some of the
stuff I did. I don't want to feel that again. I don't
want to put my team in that position.''
Does he see himself in a different role?
"Personally, I think my role is a little different,''
said Dekker who averaged 22 minutes, 9 points and
3 rebounds last year. "They expected a lot out of me
coming off the bench as a freshman.
"But my expectations are higher this year because they want me to be a central part of what we
do. We had three senior starters on the frontline
that played big minutes and I wasn't one of them.
"This year I'm hopefully going to be one of them
and I've got to take on the role as a floor general ― a
cog ― picking up where those guys left off.
"I'm a little heavier (around 220 to 225 and up
from 215) and a little leaner. I'm a little more explosive, I'd say. I just feel like I'm ready to be more of a
leader. I think the team sees that, too.''
But he was quick to note, "It's not just me, we
have a lot of leaders on this team.''
The notion that this has become "Sam Dekker's
team'' was foreign to Sam Dekker.
"It's not my team; it's not how it should be worded,'' he said sternly. "It shouldn't ever be anyone's
team. It's Coach Ryan's team. This is the University
of Wisconsin's team.''
The Badgers have gone to 12 straight NCAA tournaments and have not finished lower than fourth
place in the Big Ten under Ryan. So what will be the
personality of this Ryan team?
"It's going to be gritty,'' Dekker said. "We're going
to need a bunch of bulldogs that are going to play
hard. Obviously we're not always the most gifted or
athletic or talented team.
"But we're going to win ― we always win ― I
don't see that changing this year.''
//
VARSITY October 24, 2013
DAVID STLUKA
"It's not my team; it's not how it should be
worded,'' Dekker said sternly. "It shouldn't ever
be anyone's team. It's Coach Ryan's team. This
is the University of Wisconsin's team.''
