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STEVE GOTTER "All I know is that Josh is giving us everything he has," Ryan said, "and he's doing a real good job of picking up some things for us that we knew that we were missing without him last year." for the team, it was a big bucket," said Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan. "That makes you feel good." Team-first good? "That's the way he has always been," Ryan said. "And that's the way it should be." Ryan has a policy of not talking specifically about injured players or their rehab. "All I know is that Josh is giving us everything he has," he said, "and he's doing a real good job of picking up some things for us that we knew that we were missing without him last year. We're just thankful that's he's back giving us what he has. Rehab is work and he put in a lot of work to get back." Asked if he has noticed any "Oh no" moments whereby Gasser might get up slowly after a collision, Ryan said, "Sometimes people do it just to make sure everything is working correctly. It's kind of like when you slip on the ice. You get up slowly and make sure, 'OK, are all the parts working?"' It's only natural for Gasser to take inventory from time to time. "With each practice and game," he said, "I get more confident when I bang knees or land awkwardly that I'm all right. Every time that happens it's a little scary at first. But afterward I'm really happy that it has happened because, quite frankly, it gives me confidence that I can play normally." On whether he feels like he's back to 100 percent, Gasser said, "I don't know if I could put a number on it necessarily. I don't know if I'm as explosive. It's hard to say. I think in the heat of battle, when I've got the adrenaline going, I'm where I need to be. "But if I'm just fooling around in the gym and trying to jump as high as I can, I don't know if I'm necessarily jumping as high. At the same time, I feel quick, I feel strong, I feel like I can drive by people, I feel like I can contain people. That's pretty much the only thing I judge it on. "A game like that one (against Saint Louis) was such a physical game and I was covering bigger guys down low. To be able to maintain that torque down there and be physical and sustain it for the whole game was definitely good for me. Each game I'm getting better." Has Gasser's role changed since returning? "A little bit in terms of last year before I got injured," he said, "because I had the ball in my hands a lot more. I still think that I have a big leadership role on this team; I'm a vocal guy on the court and that's something I'm going to continue to do." 31