“When people see athletics, they don’t think being involved with the community is part of that. They think it’s just covering sports.”
For Bianca Miceli, Assistant Director of NIL and Community Outreach at UW-Madison, it’s much more than that, and she’s determined to correct any and all misconceptions you may have.
All athletes dream of going pro, a lucky and talented few compete at the Division-1 level in college. An even luckier and more talented few end up fulfilling their dreams of being professional athletes.
What happens to the athletes that play at a high level in college if they don’t go to the big leagues?
Athletic scholarships are a great way for skilled individuals to get an education without going into debt. Not all athletes get or need scholarships, but it is a well-known fact that there are some specifically for athletes.
I spoke to different Badgers to see their future plans and experiences balancing schoolwork and sports.
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.
Xinyu Cai, a senior from Wuhan, China, is a fierce competitor and loved by her teammates and coach.
Head coach Kelcy McKenna said “she is the most kind human you will ever meet.”
Coach Kelcy remembers one of her players was struggling to find an apartment to live in and Xinyu opened up her home to this girl for weeks, which “really speaks to who she is as a person.”