"I have always looked up to him,
but now that I am at school with
him, I can continue to get advice
from him in person, not just over the
phone, and it is a good experience,"
Justin Weber said of his brother Brandon.
spective.
"It was my first time ever not playing or taking
time off," said Wurtz. "Seeing it from a different
perspective, I definitely picked up on a lot of little
things and saw things more from a coach's eyes. I
think I learned a lot from watching the game."
Wurtz is excited to put what she learned into action on the court this season as the Badgers have
one of their strongest teams in years.
In addition to Wurtz, third-year head coach Bobbie Kelsey returns senior Morgan Paige, a thirdteam All-Big Ten pick last season, and junior Jacki
Gulczynski, an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick
in 2012-13. Paige averaged 15.9 points per game
as a junior while Gulczynski was the most improved scorer in the Big Ten Conference, putting
up 13 points per game as a sophomore.
Those three double-figure scoring threats are
just the start of what the Badgers have this season.
They return 89 percent of their scoring and 90
percent of their rebounds for 2013-14.
Other returning starters include senior Cassie
Rochel, a 6-4 center, and sophomore Nicole Bauman, a 5-10 guard, while sophomore Tessa Cichy, a
6-0 guard; sophomore Dakota Whyte, a 5-8 guard;
and junior AnnMarie Brown, a 6-0 guard/forward,
also started at least one game last season.
UW lost only one starter to graduation, point
guard Tiera Stephen. That position is the biggest question mark on Kelsey's mind this season,
though Whyte has made strides in assuming the
role.
Wisconsin also adds four newcomers, including junior transfer Michala Johnson, a 6-3 forward
who played her first two seasons at the University
of Connecticut.
"I got to watch last year with Jacki and Morgan
stepping up along with Nicole (Bauman), a freshman, playing big minutes," Wurtz said. "It's just ex-
citing what we have back. I'm going to play with
some phenomenal players. The sky's the limit for
us."
39
