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Top 10 Players of the Bo Ryan Era — Honorable Mention

By Rayan Vatti

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Over the last 14 seasons, Bo Ryan has brought Wisconsin Basketball to heights previously unimaginable. He has won over 350 games and 4 Big 10 Championships, reached 2 Final Fours, and has never missed an NCAA Tournament.

As great of a coach as Bo Ryan is, none of this would have been possible without the players. In recognition of that, Badger of Honor will count down the top 10 players of the Bo Ryan era.

Here are the honorable mentions.

Marcus Landry

Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers /

Wisconsin Badgers

While he may not get as much recognition or credit as some other prominent Wisconsin Badger basketball players, Landry was a very efficient player during his four years.

He was a true stat-sheet stuffer, as he averaged a team-high 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal per game, while shooting 50% from the field throughout his senior season.

He also played a big role in the Badgers’ Big 10 regular season and tournament championships during his junior season. When people talk about the great Wisconsin Badgers, Landry’s name usually won’t come up. But he was a very valuable and efficient player, and contributed to many wins.

Ben Brust

Mar 2, 2014; University Park, PA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Ben Brust (1) during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. Wisconsin defeated Penn State 71-66. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O

I was so, so close to putting Ben at number 10. He was a consistent, hard working player that always seemed to make big plays.

Whether it was the half-courter against Michigan, the go-ahead three against Oregon, or his five three-pointers in the Final Four, Brust never, ever let the team down.

He was the leading scorer on the over-achieving 2012 Badger team, and was the second leading scorer on the 2013 Final Four team. Not to mention, he averaged 12 points and 5 rebounds per game as a senior. 5 rebounds at 6 foot 1!

He was clutch, scrappy, and a tremendous shooter.  He deserves to be in the top 10. The problem is there are 10 other players also deserving.

Brian Butch

“The Polar Bear” came into Madison with extremely high expectations as a former McDonald’s All-American.

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Unfortunately, he didn’t quite live up to them. However, he still had a serviceable career, averaging over 8 points and 5 rebounds per game for the final three years of his career. In his senior season, he was the leading scoring (12.4) and rebounder (6.6) on a team that won the Big 10 Tournament and regular season championship.

Kammron Taylor

Taylor, a highly skilled and athletic point guard always had to play second fiddle to one of the best Badgers of all time, Alando Tucker. It’s difficult to get noticed playing next to such a great player, but Taylor managed to do it anyway.

He averaged 14 PPG in his junior year, and 15 PPG in his senior year, while helping to lead Wisconsin to what was its best regular season in program history and a two seed. He also hit one of the most memorable shots in Wisconsin history, a buzzer beater to sink Michigan State on Senior Night.

Others Considered: Jared Berrgren, Jason Bohannon, Ryan Evans

Come back tomorrow to see who number 10 is. Hint:

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