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18 // VARSITY May 15, 2014 Continued from Page 16 LUCAS AT LARGE standards. "We're basketball play- ers, but we're also students, too. We take our academics seriously and we want to perform on both ends, in the classroom and on the court." Dukan's offseason will get off to a slow start after recently undergoing hernia surgery. As an integral mem- ber of the eight-man rotation, he's looking to build on some of the mo- mentum that he generated with his quality play off the bench. Against Kentucky, he had eight points and five rebounds. "Once I get back on my feet, I'm just going to try to improve collec- tively (in all areas)," said the 6-foot- 9, 220-pound Dukan who appeared in all 38 games. "I thought this year was a good stepping stone in order to have an even better fifth year. I'm ready to go for a big year." So is Warren Herring. "In your senior year, you want to do whatever you can to help your team win because you want to go out with a bang," said Herring, who will be counted on to play every po- sition on the defensive line. "Wher- ever Coach wants to put me, I'll play. If he puts me at running back, I'll run one in if I have to." That's more of a pipe dream for the 6-3, 294-pound Herring. As deep and talented as the Badgers are at tailback with Melvin Gordon and Corey Clement, they are inex- perienced on the D-line. Herring is the veteran in the returning group. He has one career start. But he has played in 35 games. "I want to work on my hands and my footwork," he said of his summer wish list. "I also want to get a better knowledge of the game. I want to learn what the guys around me are doing so I can get more of a feel of (the defense). You've got to be smart to play this game." Herring qualifies on all fronts, on and off the field. You can trace that back to his parents, Warren and Mia, who stressed education. "I had to get B's or better in high school, let's just say that," he said. "C's were frowned upon. I didn't get many of those, once or twice, and I got a stern talking to." Herring graduated from high school at mid-term of his senior year so he could get a jump-start on college as an early enrollee in January of 2010. It was in large part an academically-driven decision. "It was one of my top priorities," he said, "and it's still number one on my list for being here." Herring, like Dukan, was origi- nally unsure what direction to take with his major. "I wanted to do biology, but I was skeptical about that," he said. "I liked science in high school but it's a whole different beast when you get into college. So I started taking marketing classes and getting into the consumer affairs aspect. I had an internship which kind of drew me towards this field." Last summer, Herring interned with ProSquared, whose mission statement is to develop a "responsi- ble network of individual, programs and resources to support the educa- tion and off the field development of professional athletes." ProSquared was founded in Madison by Robert Wynn. "I got to hear from a lot of wealthy people and how they made their money work for them over time," said Herring, who was ex- posed to mutual funds and retire- ment plans. "What really hit me is that a lot of athletes do go broke. Money can run out quick." One of Herring's class projects in consumer science this semester was to create an implementation plan to grow the café inside the School of Human Ecology. "We figured out things to help the café be more successful," he said, laughing at the suggestion of a Celebrity Apprentice model. Looking ahead, Herring admitted, "I know grad classes are a lot harder but I'm up for the challenge. I'm up for bettering myself, whatever it is. If there's a lot of writing, I'm going to get better in writing. If there's a lot of reading, then I'm going to get better in reading." Peniel Jean, Michael Trotter and Josh Harrison are among his team- mates who are track for grad school in the fall. "A lot of guys in our class are trying to take the next step," Herring said. "Nowadays in the job world, you have to have a leg up on the competition." One of the survival keys for student-athletes, he said, is self-mo- tivation. "Nobody is going to baby you," Herring noted. "Your parents aren't here to help you finish your homework. You've got tutors and Academic services does a really good job with that. But you're on your own." Herring and Dukan have shown what can happen if you apply yourself the right way. "Sports are not always going to be there," said Herring, echoing Dukan's thoughts. "You need something to fall back on. I think that's how everyone feels here at Wisconsin."