Varsity is the free Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics, covering Badgers football, basketball, hockey and more each week.
Issue link: https://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/276505
12 // VARSITY March 13, 2014 BY MIKE LUCAS // UWBADGERS.COM LUCAS AT LARGE A fter Monday's practice, Alec James and Chikwe Obasih ― two-thirds of what Wis- consin defensive line coach Chad Kauha'aha'a has labeled the "Brook- field Posse" ― mulled over who got the best of who during their high school careers, James at Brookfield East or Obasih at Brookfield Cen- tral. There was a caveat to the over- all record, which turned out to be 2-2. "He was Mr. Big Man," Obasih teased, pointing to James, "and played his freshman year." Obasih didn't and Central beat East that season. "My sophomore year, they got us at the end. My junior year, we got them at the end." James jumped in and said, "Our senior year, we blew them out. So when me and him were both on the field, we went 2-1." Both have been on the field at times this spring and Kauha'aha'a is now the score- keeper. "They're two young puppies," he said, "that we need to grow into dogs right away." So far, so good. Kauha'aha'a went so far as to spell it out. "We're in practice four (of 15 this spring) and every day they've gotten better," he said. "They're not arrogant kids but they carry some swag, they carry some confidence. At the same time, they know how to be humble." Referencing his "pups" again and smiling, Kauha'aha'a said, "They're real quiet in my (meeting) room. It's 'Yes, Coach' and 'No, Coach.' They're not ready to step out. Hopefully after a couple of scrimmages, they will make some plays and come out of that shell a little bit." James and Obasih are both expected to be factors, to whatever degree, on the retooled D-line. The emphasis has been on getting more athletic and quicker up front. "We're running the same defense," said Kauha'aha'a, "but we're doing a little more movement with these guys." James has made a position switch from an outside linebacker to defensive end. "Every practice is getting better; obviously I still have a lot to work on," said James. "It's a learning process but it's going really well. The D-line has been real helpful with the transition." Kauha'aha'a envisions James carrying around 255 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame in the fall. "It's a little different for him than playing normal defensive end," he said. "He has to play inside the (offensive) tackles and we're relying on Alec's athleticism and explosiveness to help him succeed in there." James was a sprinter on his high school track team at Brookfield East. He was also the Defen- sive Player of the Year in the state of Wisconsin as a senior; the winner of the Krumrie Award named in honor of Tim Krumrie, a two-time All- American nose guard for the Badgers in the early '80s. Krumrie played and started as a true freshman. James was more than happy to redshirt. "It was tough not to be out there on Saturdays," he said. "But it was definitely worth it. If I had to go back, I would do the same thing again. I learned so much going against our first-team O-line every day." Obasih also took a redshirt. "We both didn't want to waste a year," he said. "They had plenty of guys returning for the D-line and we were happy to have a season just to get stronger. But last year was kind of weird because he was playing a different position Brookfield boys looking to make an impact Continued on Page 14 JAMES