MADISON, Wis. — Even on days when his rear end barely left the padded chairs on the sideline, Rob Wilson never lost hope.
Even as a college senior, with the basketball games quickly evaporating in front of his eyes, Wilson never wavered in the belief that he'd get his chance to shine in a Wisconsin uniform. He didn't know when or how it would happen. But after four years of mostly disappointment, he felt certain his window for success hadn't closed just yet.
Maybe that sounds cheesy, the stuff that only occurs in Disney movies, but if the past month has shown us anything, it's that sometimes a fairytale story can become very real.
"I always knew I could do it," Wilson said. "It's just now I have the opportunity."
Wilson, a 6-foot-4 senior guard from Cleveland, Ohio, went from little-used reserve to the star of the show at the Big Ten tournament. His breakout game occurred during the tournament quarterfinal on Friday, when he came off the bench to score a career-high 30 points, helping Wisconsin knock off Indiana 79-71.
In the hours after his performance, Wilson received more national media attention than he had experienced during his entire Wisconsin career. And though the limelight has faded since Friday, Wilson hasn't altered his demeanor one bit.
"It's a lot of attention, but nothing's really changed," he said. "I faced everything the same like I have."
What has clearly changed is Wilson's role on Wisconsin's team as the No. 4 seed Badgers (24-9) prepare to play No. 13 Montana (25-6) in the NCAA tournament at 1:10 p.m. CT Thursday in Albuquerque, N.M. He's no longer hoping to secure a few minutes. He's now the first player off the bench, and his success will go a long way toward determining the Badgers' postseason fate.
"You could see the confidence building," Badgers assistant coach Greg Gard said. "With the confidence, more trust came from Coach (Bo) Ryan. He took advantage of his opportunities. Having more minutes is one thing, but Rob took advantage of it and made good things happen and it really has helped us. It just kind of kept snowballing."
Wilson has said that, at some point in the last few months, Ryan mentioned to him that the clock was ticking down on his college career. It was a message that Wilson took to heart, and his play on the court improved considerably.
In games against Indiana and Ohio State a little over a month ago, Wilson played just two minutes. In fact, he played a total of 29 minutes over a six-game span from Jan. 18 to Feb. 9.
But then Wilson scored a season-high 11 points in a loss against Iowa on Feb. 23, and Ryan increased his minutes. He followed up that performance with nine points in the team's second game against Ohio State, playing 21 minutes.
The culmination of Wilson's hard work came when he buried 11 of 16 field goals, including seven 3-pointers, against the Hoosiers in 32 minutes. His reward from Ryan was another 32 minutes of action one day later against Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament semifinal.
"One of the reasons Rob got extra minutes, not just because he had a good shooting night, but, defensively, his feet were moving better, anticipating," Ryan said. "But that's what I've always said. If you can hit some shots sometimes in games, it helps your defense. The two are related."
Over his last six games, Wilson is averaging 11.3 points and 23.3 minutes per game. Considering his season average is 4.0 points and 12.0 minutes, that's saying something.
Wilson's production increase comes at a time when the Badgers desperately need it, with reserve guard Ben Brust and starting forward Mike Bruesewitz struggling to score of late.
"He's been looking really good, looking really aggressive," Badgers guard Josh Gasser said of Wilson. "He's one of our leaders, and we look up to him a lot. He brings a huge spark, and when he brings that energy, it really transfers down to all of us. The more he gives us, the better we can be."
During Wilson's first three seasons in the program, he played a total of 11 minutes with no points over four NCAA tournament games. He didn't even play in three other tournament contests.
Those totals should be surpassed on Thursday, when Wilson's services will be counted on significantly as both he and the Badgers face a win or go home scenario.
"What's better than having another game to play?" Wilson said. "It's not over yet, and I don't want it to end."
Given the run Wilson is having in the twilight of his Wisconsin career, who could blame him?
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