JARED BERGGREN »» MEN'S BASKETBALL Badgering...
A redshirt junior from Princeton, Minn., center Jared Berggren appeared in 29 games in 2010-11. Berggren possesses some of UW's best interior post moves, but also has the ability to step outside and knock down shots, hitting 7 of 22 from 3-point range as a sophomore.
What is your earliest basketball memory?
"I remember early on going to Timberwolves games. We had a big group that went every year beginning when I was in about third grade. I got a Kevin Garnett jersey when I was a kid, but it's kind of a funny story. The KG jersey was my third choice. I really wanted a Tom Gugliotta jersey, but if I couldn't get that I wanted a Stephon Marbury jersey. And if I couldn't get either of those I'd get a Garnett one. We went to the store and all they had was Garnett jerseys. He turned out to be my favorite player and the jersey was one of my favorite things."
What was the non-basketball highlight of your off-season?
"In the spring I went up to a friend's cabin near Brainerd, Minn., for four or five days. We just hung out and fished and relaxed. We caught mostly pan fish, but a few bass too. We didn't feel like cleaning them, so it was just catch-and-release."
Do you guys take notes when you're scouting an opponent?
"Yeah, we all maintain a notebook throughout the season. When we're watching film of our next opponent we'll write notes on things we learn and we want to emphasize like, certain player tendencies or defensive principles we want to use against teams. So we'll take notes during film and look back at it again before the game. Then after the game we'll pull them out again while breaking down the previous game and write down any mistakes we made. That really helps during conference play when we play teams multiple times. We can go back and look at the keys we used and maybe the ones we didn't use from the last time we played them."
Do you feel pressure stepping into the roles vacated by Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil?
"I wouldn't say that I feel pressure, I feel more excitement than anything. More is expected of me now. I put a little pressure on myself because I know I'm ready for the opportunity. I feel confident that I can step into an increased role."
20 » VARSITY NOVEMBER 3, 2011
