Take a bow: Badgers basketball squad honored in season-ending celebration
MADISON, Wis. -- As has become an annual occurrence in recent years, Tuesday night's Wisconsin basketball event at the Kohl Center was billed as a season-ending celebration, one last April hurrah for the team before players parted ways and ventured down different paths.
Only this year, there was more to celebrate than ever before. More wins. More characters. More fun.
Where to begin for the most accomplished basketball team the school had ever seen? Basketball sports information director Patrick Herb opened the festivities by noting the team's 36 victories smashed the previous high mark of 31. There were also the 10 consecutive Big Ten wins, which represented the longest streak in conference play at Wisconsin since 1941, a 16-2 Big Ten record that equaled the most conference wins in program history and center Frank Kaminsky capturing every national player of the year award.
Ultimately, the Badgers won the Big Ten regular season and conference tournament championships, earned their first No. 1 NCAA tournament seed in program history, knocked off previously undefeated Kentucky at the Final Four and reached their first national championship game in 74 years -- one step closer than even last season's exceptional Final Four team.
It was, in every possible way, a season to remember, special for what the team achieved on the court and the ways in which it captured the nation's attention off the court.
Between video highlights shown on the Jumbotron, Big Ten Network college basketball analyst Stephen Bardo conducted one-on-one interviews with Nigel Hayes, Sam Dekker, Josh Gasser and Duje Dukan for one last look back at the magical 2014-15 season.
"It was just a great overall experience," Hayes said. "We were able to go to another Final Four. Players that play NCAA basketball never make it. To be able to be at two and play in the national championship game, what I've been able to do on and off the court this season has been spectacular."
Hayes was among the most outgoing personalities in the NCAA tournament and became a household name for his zany antics and use of big words to stump news conference stenographers. Tuesday, he jokingly pointed out Gasser groomed him into the player he has become and said he would have to "transform into Josh" next season as a junior if the team wanted to continue its string of success.
As for carrying on Gasser's "Captain America" superhero nickname?
"We could change it to someone else," Hayes said. "Maybe Green Lantern."
When informed green was Michigan State's school color, Hayes quickly corrected himself.
"Red Lantern," he said.
It was only one snippet among many that drew laughter from the assembled boosters, administrators and team family members. Wisconsin's video staff produced a "Not Top 10" segment that featured redshirt freshman guard Riley Dearring Go-Karting into a wall, Hayes talking about "suck-offs and Smash battles" at a pre-Final Four news conference, Hayes getting caught on a hot mic complimenting a stenographer's beauty at the NCAA tournament, Dekker pounding a basketball in celebration after a Battle 4 Atlantis tournament victory that smacked Hayes in the face and Kaminsky holding a dance-off against a member of the university's a cappella group.
"Do you know how much fun it was coaching these guys?" Badgers coach Bo Ryan said. "I think they got as much out of themselves that any group of young men could possibly experience, not just on the court, but off the court."
Tuesday's presentation also featured awards in various team categories, including team achievement of the year (school-record 36 wins), game of the year (Wisconsin's 71-64 Final Four victory against Kentucky), play of the year (Gasser's diving save against Michigan State in the Big Ten title game) and photo of the year (the team celebrating its victory against Kentucky).
The night marked one final opportunity to honor the team's seniors, as well as Dekker, who will bypass his senior season and enter the NBA draft. Seniors Gasser and Dukan were on hand, while Kaminsky and Traevon Jackson were not.
"It's definitely different," Dekker said of his life since declaring for the draft more than a week ago. "Now it's just hoop and just trying to get better. Making a dream a reality, and that's what's so fun about it. But I wouldn't be able to be in this position today if it wasn't for these guys and for these coaches and these fans just making the game a joy. And just growing me up and making me the player I am. Now I get to build on that and continue to get better and hopefully make a long career out of it."
Dekker was asked to describe this year's team in three words.
"Immature," he said. "A family. And notoriety. Because we always have a competition on what can get the most notoriety, and Riley tries to get it all the time."
Gasser, meanwhile, said his most significant individual accomplishment was setting the program record for wins in a career. He also started more games than anyone and played the most minutes.
"But I came to this program to win games," Gasser said. "That's really all that we care about as a team. That's all I cared about. So to be able to be a part of four special teams that could win so many games, it's pretty special. We've got three trophies sitting right behind me, so I can't complain with that."
Finally, Ryan -- this year's Big Ten coach of the year -- was asked to put the most marvelous season of his 14-year Wisconsin tenure into perspective.
"When will it sink in?" Ryan said. "To tell you the truth, it already has. Because the amount of mail, the amount of messages, the amount of people that I try to hide from when we traveled out West a few days. The people that fell in love with these guys and their personalities and the team, it's already to me, it has been driven through my mind how much America loved this team."
Follow Jesse Temple on Twitter
