As a parent, all you want is for your child to succeed.
You lend them your own life’s insight and guide them towards a path of a happy, fulfilled life. You also must watch your child fail. It is inevitable for them to get knocked down, and you teach them how to get back up. But what happens when mistakes are made on a national level? When your child is being criticized and ridiculed by complete strangers twice their age?
No one teaches you how to handle constant criticism, abide by hundreds of rules, and still live a normal life. Darcy Goede, the mother of BIG Ten college basketball star Jamison Battle, has had to navigate the ins and outs of the NCAA for four years running. The moral of the story: what happens off the court is just as powerful as what happens on it.
From being a star at a small high school in Racine, Wisconsin to a star at one of the most prolific division one schools in the country, Tyrese Hunter has had an adversity-filled journey to becoming the NBA prospect he is today.
On March 31, 2023, Tyrese Hunter declared for the NBA draft following a successful season at Texas. Hunter has elected to keep his college eligibility as a new instated by the NCAA, just a few days prior to Hunter’s declaration, which allows him to do so. Although Hunter has achieved about as much success as a 19-year-old can in the basketball world, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.
The Division 1 NCAA women’s basketball championship game was a hotly debated topic circling social media days after the event had concluded.
Record breaking audiences tuned in, many eager to watch Iowa’s star, Caitlin Clark. LSU was victorious, beating Iowa 102-85, securing their first ever national championship win.
The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team had a season that came up short of the standard the program has set in recent years, causing many fans to become impatient and call for a change in leadership of the program despite the success the team has had recently.
The Badgers have won two Big Ten championships in the last four years, made 22 of the last 24 NCAA tournaments and have had only two seasons in the last 17 years where they have won less than 20 games. Despite this, many Badger fans are not content.
I would be lying if I said I was not using this article as an opportunity to air some grievances.
Owen Ziegler may not be a household name in the world of college basketball, but after an outstanding junior campaign shooting over 46% from beyond the arc, the Division 3 St. Mary’s University guard is undoubtedly in the conversation as one of the best 3-point shooters in the country.
However, his story extends beyond the court and into the stands, where his biggest source of support cheers him on each game.
While the Wisconsin Badgers Men’s Basketball team had a season that fell short of the standard the program has set in recent years, there is optimism going forward as Wisconsin returns their core players next season, including leading scorer and assist man, Chucky Hepburn.
Hepburn is coming off an all-Big Ten honorable mention season as a sophomore, following being named to the all-Big Ten freshman team in his first year.
Hepburn, along with other players returning, realize the special opportunity in front of them with the majority of the roster coming back for next year.
As a female trying to enter the sports media industry, I am obviously surrounded by a sea of men. It is no surprise that women in sports are generally a minority.
Females that work in sports broadcasting, reporting, management, etc. are few and far between – in fact, only 14.4% of sports reporters are female as of 2021 (ESPN, 2021). The root of this issue begins from day one with the misconception of females in sports.
Owen Jennings arrived at the tiny Argentine gym with a problem.
Jennings was a manager for his high school basketball team, which had taken a trip from the Bay Area of California to Argentina to run scrimmages and clinics with local clubs and kids. Upon walking into the tiny facility, he was greeted by 300 Spanish-speaking children. He’d run summer camps with kids before, so he knew what drills to run and how to organize the clinic. The only problem, he was the only member of the team or staff that spoke Spanish.
“I didn’t know I had Spanish in me like that,” Jennings said.
The clinic ran without a hitch, and was one of Jennings’ first major memorable experiences as a basketball manager.
Rashard Griffith hurried towards the Middleton High School fieldhouse in early November, the sound of dribbling basketballs growing louder with each step.
Team tryouts began at 4:00 and Griffith’s phone read 4:30.
Joining a new team was practically second nature to Griffith, who played for ten different professional clubs across the world. The star center’s playing days, however, were far behind him.
Wahl’s decision affects team and community atmosphere.
After four amazing years on the Wisconsin Men’s Basketball Team, Forward Tyler Wahl chose to use his remaining year of eligibility to stay on the team and represent the Badgers for a fifth year.
