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The Pains and Joys of Indy 2015

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Pains

I woke up this morning at 7:30 AM, lying on my mattress in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I rolled out of bed and got ready for class, despite only getting home three hours earlier. 10 hours ago, I had watched the clock wind down on the Wisconsin Badgers’ basketball season. I was in my seat at Lucas Oil Stadium, section 606, row 12, seat 19, when the Duke players stormed the court and tackled each other in celebration. I sat there in disbelief. Another golden opportunity had been taken away from us. I looked at the scoreboard again, and it still read 68-63 in favor of Duke. Confetti was shot onto the court as the Wisconsin players made their way down the tunnel back to their locker room. I looked at my friend, Randy, who had made the trip to Indianapolis with me. We got up and left. I love everything about Duke basketball, but I could not bear to see them get that National Championship trophy instead of Wisconsin, and I didn’t want to watch the 2015 version of “One Shining Moment”. I just wanted to go home.

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I never thought I’d be so sad to see the Dukies rush the floor.

As I trudged to my 8 AM class, I was thinking about what the most difficult part of this whole situation was. I was scrolling through my Twitter feed, trying to figure out how all of my friends were reacting. The amount of times that I have seen the picture of Justise Winslow’s foot on the baseline, and his finger just barely touching the ball is at least in the 20s. At that moment, I realized what made this whole situation so difficult, and the answer was rationalization.

As fans, we are always looking for a way to justify why our favorite team lost. For Badger fans, the answer was simple; the refs screwed us. The refs didn’t make those two out of bounds calls on Winslow, and those two plays are the direct cause of our five-point defeat to Duke. Every Badger fan had the answer. In addition to those two plays, it was all the fouls that got called on Wisconsin. Another tweet that was very popular was that Wisconsin was playing, “8 on 5, against both Duke and the refs,” or something along those lines. Yes, Badger Nation had found their answer. The reason Wisconsin lost the 2015 National Championship was because of the refs. Not because Duke outplayed them, or because Duke made more hustle plays, or because Duke was able to slow down the Wisconsin offense, but because the refs screwed us.

Fans will do whatever they can to find a way to find a sense of closure, and for Wisconsin fans, that closure comes from blaming the refs. I’m here to tell you something, though. The refs are not the reason that Wisconsin lost the game. Wisconsin lost the game because Duke played harder than them. Wisconsin lost because Duke made winning plays. Wisconsin lost because Duke was better. I began to accept that fact on my long drive home last night. In a five-hour car ride, there is a lot of time spent in your own thoughts. I was trying to rationalize the loss in my mind. The only rationalization I could come to was that Duke was better than Wisconsin. I want to blame the refs, but I’m not going to. It’s easy to blame the refs; it’s hard to accept defeat. I’m not trying to take a moral high ground here and say I’m better than you, all I’m saying is that I’ve come to peace with the fact that Wisconsin lost because Duke was a better team.

It was hard to watch Grayson Allen carry Duke back into the game. Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow were both on the bench with foul trouble in a nine-point game, and this kid named Grayson Allen was willing Duke back into the game. When Wisconsin and Duke played in December, Allen didn’t even play in the game. In the National Championship, on the biggest stage in college basketball, he was unstoppable. He was flying around the court with reckless abandonment, he attacked the rim with no fear, he shot free-throws with poise, and he did everything else possible to help Duke win a National Championship. If he were a Wisconsin player, he would have endeared himself to Badger fans forever, because he is exactly the type of player that we love. Instead, he will forever go down as one of the most hated players in Badger circles strictly because of his heroic efforts in the National Championship.

The most painful moment of the night for me was watching Kaminsky and Gasser hug each other on the baseline as the Duke players tackled each other at center court. Both players will go down as some of the most beloved players in the history of the program for various reasons; Kaminsky for his individual skill and heroics, Gasser for his hard-nosed, balls-to-the-wall style of play. Knowing that this was there final moment wearing a red Wisconsin jersey was a tough pill to swallow. I wanted to watch those two hoist the National Championship trophy with Bo Ryan, not watch them hug each other in sadness after a five point loss. Pain. It was everywhere last night. These are my pains, my lasting memories from my first ever National Championship game.

Joys

Here is my advice to any college basketball fan, so listen up. If you have not been to the Final Four or National Championship game, you need to find a way to get there. After every single play, there will be thousands of people screaming and trying to get chants going. Consider being at a regular season game: Every few minutes, the crowd really gets behind the home team, and gets really loud trying to spark a run, or to encourage a run to keep going. In a stadium full of 70,000+ people, this happens after every single play. It is an absolutely amazing atmosphere, especially if your team is playing in the game. Even if your team does not make it to the Final Four, I would still recommend going. Go there wearing your team’s gear, but don’t be afraid to show support to another team; it will only enhance your experience. I saw fans of Wichita St., Notre Dame, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, North Carolina, Butler, and many others in attendance. They didn’t care that their team wasn’t playing; they just wanted to be a part of the game. If it’s ever close to me again, I will for sure be going back, even if Wisconsin doesn’t make it.

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Trust me, you actually could tell what was going on.

As much fun as the game itself was, the pregame experience was just as fun. Upon arriving in Indy, we started walking around the stadium, just trying to observe all the local attractions and the fans. As usual, more than one fan claimed that I was tall enough to be playing in the game, and a few fans called me Frank (something that seems to always happen when I wear Badger gear). While walking through the surrounding area, we happened to come across a Wisconsin Pep Rally. It boasted a local band playing all sorts of popular music from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, it had beer vendors and food vendors and it was only for Badger fans. Originally we planned on staying for maybe an hour, but that hour turned into two and a half hours very quickly.

While at this pep rally, Saul Phillips, a former assistant under Bo Ryan and currently the head coach at Ohio, showed up on stage to pump up the crowd. His go to method of exciting the Badger fans? Starting a “Cattywampus” chant in honor of Nigel Hayes. All the Badger fans in attendance got a kick out of this, and the ballroom we were in echoed with the most bizarre cheer I have ever heard. Additionally, the Wisconsin Pep Band showed up and played all the songs that the Badger faithful love so dearly, such as “On, Wisconsin”, “Varsity” , “Tequila”, and “The Chicken Dance” to name a few. After hanging out here for two and a half hours, we decided it was time to head to the game, so we left our 2000+ fellow Badger fans in the ballroom to head to the stadium.

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Me and a few of my fellow Badger friends.

The game itself is amazing, no matter what happens. If you are a fan of good, competitive basketball, you have to get here. Many of these players are playing in what could be their last game, so they are going to leave everything out on the floor. Numerous times, I thought someone was about to dive head first into press row for a ball that had already landed out of bounds. That is passion, and that is what makes this game so much different than all the others. It is for eternal glory and immortality in college basketball lore. The players know that, and the fans know it, and it raises the atmosphere of a massive football stadium to another level.

As far as the postgame experience was concerned, I can’t speak too much of it. Part of me wishes I would have stuck around for the trophy presentation and “One Shining Moment”, but it just hurt too much to even think about watching it. As we walked back to my car, we shared casual conversations with other fans, and spent a little more time people watching. As we approached my car, we saw a familiar face. Devin Harris, a Wisconsin legend and current player for the Dallas Mavericks was standing right in front of us. We casually took up conversation with him, shared a few jokes, took a picture with him and went on our way. The most embarrassing part about this whole ordeal was that Michael Finley, another Badger legend, was standing right next to Devin, but neither of us realized it. Not one of our finest moment as fans, and I’m pretty embarrassed about the whole thing. With the game done, and no more festivities to take part in, we began the long journey back to Milwaukee. There was joy amidst our pain, and it didn’t matter that the joy was minimal.

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Shout out to Devin Harris for the pic, and my apologies to Michael Finley.

 Reflections

Seriously, if you have not been to the National Championship, you absolutely have to go. It is worth it on every possible level. I’m not going to say what I spent, but just know that it was a totally reasonable price, and I don’t regret my decision one bit. My day would have been so much better if Wisconsin had won, but I’m still very happy with how my day went. I really hope that someday soon, Wisconsin makes it back to the Final Four and I can take my dad. He’s one of the biggest Badger fans I know, and I’m really disappointed that he couldn’t come with me. We’re going to get you there some day though, dad. I promise you that.

In the next few years, I will be back. If I can find a way to get there, and if I can get tickets, I will be there. This is a can’t miss event. Maybe it’s just because I love college basketball, or maybe it’s because I love the environment of a big event, but now that I’ve been there, I’ve got the urge to go back. Until I see the Packers in the Super Bowl, in person, this will forever be my favorite day of live sports. I got to see my favorite team compete for a National Championship against my second favorite team. Wisconsin didn’t win the game, but it’s an experience that can never be taken away from me. Here’s to hoping that someday I’ll be in attendance when Wisconsin wins it all. I just hope my seats are a little closer to the court when that day comes.

Jim Marose is a die-hard fan of both the Wisconsin Badgers and Duke Blue Devils. He would have loved to have seen his Badgers win a National Title, but he will patiently wait for that day to come. For tweets about the NBA Playoffs, or the upcoming draft (because Jim really loves the draft) be sure to follow him on Twitter @jmarose47.

The Greatest Night of a Badger’s Life

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A couple months ago, I started this blog with a reflection about the pain that I felt following the Green Bay Packers’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks. That’s how this blog got its name. Sports are all about heartbreak. There is only one champion every year. There is a lot of heartbreak throughout the country tonight, but there is none in my house. Wisconsin won, they are going to the National Championship, and I am currently taking donations to fund my trip to Indianapolis on Monday. No, seriously, if you want to help me out, I will gladly take your money so I can pay for a ticket, gas, and food.

In my preview for the Wisconsin-Kentucky game, I talked about how big of a mess I was during both the UNC and Arizona game, and how I knew that I would be a wreck during this game. Well, I was right. My girlfriend and one of my best friends currently have approximately 150+ seconds of me freaking out on their Snapchat stories, and I couldn’t care less about how stupid I look. I was a disaster the entire game, but none of that matters anymore. The Wisconsin Badgers are in the National Championship, and there is nothing that you could say to me that would ruin my night. On Wisconsin.

The way the game started, I was not feeling optimistic. In the first minute, we have to deal with an Andrew Harrison three, a really bad Kaminsky turnover, and a big dunk from Cauley-Stein. This was not the hot start that any Badger fan was looking for. We clawed back, we fought for every point, and all of a sudden we were up on the Goliath of the NCAA. This wasn’t a true David and Goliath tale though; we couldn’t just fling one stone and expect to win. Kentucky came crawling back, and was up by two in the final seconds of the first half. Bronson Koenig stepped up though, and hit a huge jumper right before the buzzer to tie the game up at half. A tie game at half. Hard not to be happy with that.

The second half was a mystery to me, though. Both teams came out of the gate exceptionally hot, Kentucky just a little bit colder though. We would score four out of five possessions, and they only scored three out of five. They had a look in their eyes; a look of fear. My optimism was shooting through the roof, only to be brought right back down. Somehow, someway, Kentucky just kept clawing their way back into the game. With under four minutes to go, Wisconsin was down four, and my nerves were getting the best of me. At the under four TV timeout, I looked to the sky, closed my eyes, and prayed. I prayed like I had never prayed before. “God, please. Please, please, please do not let us lose this game. We’ve worked to hard for this. I don’t know why I keep saying “we”, because I have nothing to do with this, but please don’t let Wisconsin lose.” And just like that, my prayers were answered.

All of a sudden the offense clicked. The defense tightened up. Josh Gasser took a open hand slap from Trey Lyles, and seemed to throw a menacing stare toward the Kentucky bench. Captain America did not approve of this gesture from Kentucky. It was as if his facial expression said, “You guys are screwed. You messed with the wrong guy.” Everything after the Gasser slap was a blur, I won’t even lie. I was too caught up in the moment, just trying to hold on tight to the emotional roller coaster ride that I was on. Two plays stick out in my mind, though. The Dekker step back three, and the offensive foul on the other end immediately after that play.

That was it. The tide had turned. There was no way that Kentucky could overcome that. They had climbed so many hills during the year, they had taken on every punch and powered through it. Until this point. Those two plays were the haymakers that every team had been trying to throw the entire season. Every other team that had thrown them, had whiffed. Wisconsin connected though, and they connected with authority. When Trey Lyles got called for the offensive foul, he had a look on his face that said it all. In a way, it reminded me of the look that Alex Rodriguez had on his face after he smacked the ball out of Bronson Arroyo’s glove in the 2004 ALCS. “Who, me?” Kentucky got caught red-handed. That was all she wrote. A few free throws here, a defensive stop there, and that was it. History.

***

I feel bad for Kentucky, and I mean that. In a way, I wanted to see them go 40-0 and make history, as long as it wasn’t at Wisconsin’s expense. I have seen a lot of historic sport moments in my life. A few that stick out in my mind are the Earnhardt crash at Daytona, the Red Sox coming back after being down from 3-0 against the Yankees in the ALCS and then winning their first World Series since 1918, and Green Bay winning the Super Bowl in 2011. Those sporting events meant something to me. I didn’t know what the Earnhardt crash meant at the time, but I knew it was big. I loved (and still love) the Red Sox, and I hated (and still hate) the Yankees, so I was aware of what that meant. Being born in Wisconsin, I knew that Green Bay winning the Super Bowl was something that had to be celebrated. Kentucky going 40-0 would have been history. This result, though… Words can’t even begin to describe it.

Being a fan of Badger basketball has been really painful. I don’t remember the Final Four in 2000. I’m pretty sure my first Badger basketball memory was in 2004 when I went to the Wisconsin’s first round game in Milwaukee against Richmond. It wasn’t a pretty game, but Wisconsin battled for a tough victory. From that moment forward, I was in love with Wisconsin basketball. I remember watching Alando Tucker take Wisconsin to the #1 ranking in the nation, and I remember being in Chicago when he set the Wisconsin scoring record against Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament. I also remember that team losing to UNLV in the second round of the tournament. I remember when Wisconsin met up with some kid named Steph Curry and Davidson in the Sweet 16. That might have been my most painful game as a Badger fan. Wisconsin got blown out, and the most vivid image from that game is my dad throwing his Wisconsin hat across the basement in frustration. I remember when Wisconsin hit buzzer beater after buzzer beater in the 2012-2013 season, only to run into Marshall Henderson in the first round of the NCAA tournament. I remember Aaron Harrison hitting the dagger with five seconds left last year in the Final Four. I began to think that being a fan of Wisconsin basketball was all about being a fan of heartbreak. Until this.

Words can’t describe what I’m feeling right now. I’m the happiest man in the world, at least in my mind. Monday night, my Wisconsin Badgers are going to be playing the Duke Blue Devils (ironically, my second favorite team) for a National Championship. This entire week, people have asked me who I would cheer for if Wisconsin met up with Duke. The answer? Wisconsin, all the way. I went to Wisconsin for a year or school. Wisconsin holds my first college basketball memories. All I ever wanted to do growing up was play for Bo Ryan. Wisconsin, all the way.

No matter what happens in Indianapolis on Monday, April 6th of 2015, I will be a happy man. Of course I want to see Wisconsin walk away with their first National Championship since 1941. This Wisconsin team has accomplished so many things that I never thought that I would see, though. Frank Kaminsky wins Player of the Year. Never thought I’d see that. This team goes to back-to-back Final Fours. Never thought I’d see that. This team knocks off the 38-0 Kentucky Wildcats, a team that can’t be beaten. Never thought I’d see that. This team makes it to the National Championship. NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE THAT. Wisconsin knocks off Duke to win the National Championship. I hope I can see that. If Wisconsin loses to Duke in the National Championship, I will still be happy with this season. Damn, I sure hope they win though. On, Wisconsin.

 

The Improbable Rise of Frank Kaminsky

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My freshman year at UW-Madison, I would play pick-up basketball games on a daily basis. On very rare occasions, a member of the Badgers’ basketball team would grace us with their presence. Usually, it was Ryan Evans, Jarrod Uthoff, or even former player Michael Flowers. Every once in a while, a goofy 6’11” freshman named Frank Kaminsky would show up. As expected, Kaminsky would dominate these pick up games, as no one could match up with his size; all he had to do was camp in the paint. He would wait for his teammates to pass him the ball and he would just drop step and shoot lay-ups. If he didn’t get the ball, he would come away with every rebound and put that back instead. No one was impressed with this display of pick-up game dominance. In our minds, it was a little weird that a Division 1 player would come play with your everyday college student, and seemed to find pleasure in beating down these fellow students who had no chance at stopping him. Maybe he was just prepping himself for the future.

My friends and I watched closely as Wisconsin competed against the top Big 10 teams throughout the year. We loved watching Jordan Taylor, Jared Berggren, Ryan Evans, and especially Bo Ryan. About five to ten minutes every game, that goofy freshman from Illinois named Frank would get into the game, and he spent most of his time hovering around the three-point arc. He would get clean looks, and everything seemed to clang off the rim. None of us had high hopes for this freshman. He seemed soft and very out of place. He was clearly a Wisconsin type player, but we doubted he would ever put it all together.

Sophomore year showed the same thing, a big guy who seemed like he had no interest at playing on the block, but he also didn’t seem to have any visible perimeter skills. He trusted his three-point stroke, but fans watched as he missed again and again. He seemed confident in what he was doing out there, but all the fans seemed to think he needed to step inside. My hopes, and the hopes of many others, continued to shrink.

Then, during Kaminsky’s junior year, it happened. It was November 19th of 2013, and I was playing my own basketball game in North Park, Illinois. After our game, I pulled out my phone to find some incredibly shocking news. Frank Kaminsky had dropped 43 points against North Dakota. I laughed at this; I figured that this must be a typo. Everyone in our locker room was in shock at this news; Kaminsky dropped how many? After getting a text from my dad also confirming the numbers, I laughed again and sarcastically said that Frank wouldn’t score 43 total points the rest of the season. Although Frank didn’t have another monster game like that the rest of the year, he did stay consistent, and he did score more than 43 total points. I am incredibly happy that I was wrong.

The proof is there, Frank, in fact scored 43 points

After being named First Team All-Conference, Kaminsky’s legacy continued to grow during the NCAA Tournament. Kaminsky helped to lead a dramatic comeback against Oregon in the third round, dominated Baylor’s front line in the Sweet 16, and then carried the team over Arizona to help the Badgers reach the Final Four. Kaminsky was named the MVP for the region, and his goofy smiled showed how happy he was in his team’s success. Unfortunately, Wisconsin ran into the Kentucky juggernaut in the Final Four, and got bounced after a shot in the final seconds. The legacy was not done growing, though.

In the fall of 2014, ESPN released a ranking of their top college basketball players. To my surprise, Kaminsky was voted the best player in the country. I was finally becoming a believer in Kaminsky, but to name him the best player in the country seemed very extreme. I figured that most of the hype was based on the fact that he had a great NCAA Tournament. His tournament performance was fresh in everyone’s mind, and that’s what his ranking was based on. My focus was on his entire career, and I wasn’t very sure that he would make another big leap forward with his game. Once again though, I could not have been happier to eat my own words.

Kaminsky exploded his senior year, leading the Badgers in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, field goal percentage and minutes. He helped to carry the team to a regular season Big 10 championship while being named First Team All-Conference for the second straight year. Additionally, Kaminsky was named Big Ten Conference Player of the Year, further adding to his trophy case. Kaminsky also is a front-runner for the National Player of the Year, which has all of Badgerland buzzing.

I don’t know when it clicked for Kaminsky, but sometime between his sophomore and junior season, everything seemed to come together. His freshman and sophomore season, he spent much of his time hanging out by the three point line, not something you want to see from your center, but also something you’re not surprised by in the Bo Ryan offense. His junior year, he came back clearly with more muscle on his body and he seemed to enjoy playing down on the blocks; he looked like a completely different player. His arsenal of post moves was much more complete, and his three point shot became that much more dangerous in pick and pop situations. He didn’t depend on his jump shot as much, and it became just another weapon in his arsenal, rather than his go-to scoring option.

Not only did he put it together on the offensive end, but also defensively he became an anchor in the middle. Whether it was blocking shots or just contesting them, you could see that his length was disrupting multiple shots every game. Additionally, Kaminsky had become a much more aggressive rebounder, which was important in limiting teams to one shot per possession. His game has truly evolved, and he just might be the best player in the country.

After senior night at the Kohl Center on March 1st, Tom Izzo, one of the best coaches in the country, had nothing but the highest praises for Kaminsky. After dropping 31 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 assists against the Spartans, a game that clinched the Big 10 regular season championship, Izzo said he had never been so impressed with a Big 10 player since Glenn Robinson, a name that people in Wisconsin know very well. Additionally, Izzo claimed that if he hadn’t been coaching against him, he would have been applauding his efforts along with all the other fans in the Kohl Center. Welcome to the club, Coach Izzo. Every time Kaminsky steps onto the court, he seems to be leaving more and more people in awe of his abilities. Every game he does something different, but he’s still sticking to the key components of his game.

Freshman year, 1.8 points per game. Sophomore year, 4.2 points per game. Junior year, 13.9 point per game. Senior year, 18.4 points per game. Frank Kaminsky was a nobody in college basketball circles after his freshman season. Now as he finishes up his senior year, every college basketball fan in America knows the name Frank Kaminsky. Times have changed for Kaminsky and the Wisconsin Badgers’ basketball team. This team is built on the same Bo Ryan fundamentals, but the offense has taken a huge leap forward, in large part thanks to Kaminsky’s development. Kaminsky is right at the center of all the attention, as he is the best player on one of the top teams in the country. Hopes are high for the basketball team, and might be even higher for Kaminsky. Despite all the individual accolades he has received and will receive, his focus is most likely on team goals rather than individual awards. If I’m Frank Kaminsky, I only want two more things to cap off my college career: a Big Ten Tournament Championship, and a National Championship. If he keeps carrying the team the way he has all year, I think it will be very hard to bet against Wisconsin.

Jim Marose is a huge fan of Wisconsin Badgers’ basketball, and can’t wait to watch them compete for a National Title in the coming weeks. For all sorts of March Madness tweets, follow him on Twitter @jmarose47. On Wisconsin.