Wisconsin Basketball: Badgers' all-time starting five

Badger of Honor releases their all-time starting five for Wisconsin men's basketball rnWisconsin Badgers fans have endured a lot of great teams filled with great coaching and talented players, especially in the last 15 years. Recently, Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari picked his all-time starting five- which is a tough task considering the amount of five star recruits his program rakes in year in and year out.rnrn[recentposts align="left" thiscategory="no"/]rnrnIn the light of his announcement, which can be seen here , we at Badger of Honor decided to list our all-time starting five, plus a bonus pick for sixth man. Rather than doing the traditional point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center format- we will be providing a two-guard, three-forward list while trying to accommodate to the aforementioned style as best we can.rnrnLet's get started.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Point Guard" slider="true"/]rnrn rn Point Guard (Guard 1): Devin Harris rn Honorable Mention: Mike Kelley, Bronson Koenig, Jordan Taylor, Trevon Hughes, Kam Taylor rn rn t 2001-04 rn t Career: 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals rn t Accoladesrn rn t Big Ten Player of the Year rn t Second Team All-American rn t Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player rn t Naismith/Rupp/Robertson Award Finalist rn rn rn rnhttps://youtu.be/0gZ8PtqED1ornrnA recent inductee to the Wisconsin athletics hall of fame, Harris was the first of many gems found by then-head coach Bo Ryan. Taking over the program in 2000, Ryan was blessed with Harris' talent in 2001, starting off a great tenure of substantial success and accolades.rnrnKnown for his game-winning free throw against Illinois in the season finale to clinch the 2003 Big Ten championship outright, Harris put the Badgers basketball program on the map and set the foundation for the recent success we have enjoyed the last 15+ years.rnrnHarris left after his junior year to enter the NBA draft and was selected fifth overall by the Washington Wizards. He currently continues his illustrious career with the Dallas Mavericks after jumping around the league. In his career, Harris is a double digit scorer with just over 11 points per game and enjoyed an All-Star caliber year in 2009 with the New Jersey Nets.rnrnDespite playing just three seasons, Harris ranks 11th in Wisconsin program history for scoring.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Shooting Guard" slider="true"/]rnrn rn Shooting Guard (Guard 2): Michael Finley rn Honorable Mention: Kirk Penney, Ben Brust, Josh Gasser, Glen Selbo, Wes Matthews Sr. rn rn t 1991-1995 rn t Career: 18.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists rn t Accoladesrn rn t 3x Honorable Mention All-American rn t 2x First Team All-Big Ten rn t Only Wisconsin player with 500+ points three different seasons rn t NBA title 2007 rn rn rn rnMichael Finley currently sits second in all-time scoring at the University of Wisconsin and one of just two players with 2,000+ points, He averaged over 20 points per game in three separate seasons with the Badgers, with his sophomore year being his best- posting 22 points per contest.rnrn[caption id="attachment_46429" align="alignright" width="300"] <img class="size-medium wp-image-46429" src="https://badgerofhonor.com/wp-content/uploads/usat-images/2016/04/8874052-nba-preseason-phoenix-suns-at-dallas-mavericks-420x260.jpeg" alt="Oct 21, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks executive and former player Michael Finley and Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler during the second half at American Airlines Center. Phoenix won 99-87. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports" width="300" height="186" /> Oct 21, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks executive and former player Michael Finley and Phoenix Suns center Tyson Chandler during the second half at American Airlines Center. Phoenix won 99-87. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]rnrnWhile Finley was a player pre-2000s and before the Bo Ryan took over the program and instilled an expected success year in and year out, he kept the team entertaining and fun to watch. During his Badgers career, the team made the NCAA Tournament just once in 1994, securing their first win in the Big Dance since 1947. Finley went on to hold the scoring record for the Badgers for 11 years before Alando Tucker passed him up in 2007.rnrnFinley went on to live a long NBA career, drafted 21st overall in the 1995 draft. He enjoyed success with four teams- officially retiring in 2010 as a member of the Boston Celtics.rnrnDespite his best years being in Dallas, Finley was a part of the 2007 San Antonio Spurs championship team, earning his first and only ring in the league.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Small Forward" slider="true"/]rnrn rn Small Forward (Forward 1): Sam Dekker rn Honorable Mention: Nigel Hayes, Mike Brusewitz, Duje Dukan, Joe Krabbenhoft, Marcus Landry rn rn t 2012-2015 rn t Career: 12.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists rn t Accoladesrn rn t 2x Second-Team All-Big Ten rn t Big Ten All-Freshman Team rn t Mr. Basketball (WI) rn rn rn rnNumbers aside, Sam Dekker brought something to Wisconsin that we have never seen before. He was not the flashiest player or the best shooter, but he knew how to win and he knew how to hit the big shot.rnrnDekker was one of Coach Ryan's favorite players to "yell" at, often taking him out after just one error, no matter how big or detrimental it was. During Ryan's tenure, he was notoriously known for never playing freshmen, often forcing them to redshirt and blossom into better skilled and fundamentally sound players when it was time to shine.rnrnDekker was not like this, seeing significant time his his rookie campaign under Ryan. Despite staying just three years before leaving Wisconsin and getting drafted by the Houston Rockets in the first round, Dekker was a steady and consistent scorer- earning himself in to the top 15 on the all-time scorers list at Wisconsin.rnrnAlways contributing to the Badgers' success, Dekker came alive in the final run of his Badgers career in the NCAA Tournament his junior year. In the Elite Eight against Arizona, Dekker posted 27 points- a career high and surpassing his previous of 23 in the Sweet 16- and five three pointers, including the dagger as time was winding down. He was named the West regional most outstanding player after averaging 22 points in the first four tournament contests.rnrnhttps://youtu.be/VoYHtcxM3jQrnrnDekker then met everyone's expectations and left for the NBA following the NCAA championship loss to Duke.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Power Forward" slider="true"/]rnrn rn Power Forward (Forward 2): Alando Tucker rn Honorable Mention: Jon Leuer, Keaton Nankivil, Mike Wilkinson, Mark Vershaw, Ryan Evans rn rn t 2002-2007 rn t Career: 16.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists rn t Accoladesrn rn t First Team All-American rn t Big Ten Player of the Year rn t All-time leading scorer at Wisconsin rn rn rn rnPerhaps one of the most electric and exciting players to ever wear a Wisconsin uniform, Tucker brought that extra bounce each game and turned what was considered a "boring Bo Ryan" team into a top ten threat in the country.rnrnA high-flyer, perimeter threat, lockdown defender, and clutch performer- Tucker brought the whole package, able to play from the shooting guard position all the way to the power forward spot. A matchup nightmare, Tucker was able to take bigger defenders off the dribble and had excellent capabilities to finish at the rim and finish though contact. He was also able to thrive under Ryan's swing offense, taking advantage of smaller defenders in the post and using his strong frame to finish through double teams.rnrnhttps://youtu.be/Ja8P72b5nPsrnrnFrom the UW Badgers website, Tucker is recognized as the program's top all-time scorer and full of prestigious accolades during his time at Wisconsin.rnrn From UWBadgers.com: rn Tucker earned Big Ten Player of the Year as a senior and was a finalist for every national player of the year award that season ... he broke Devin Harris' single-season school record with 716 points in 2006-07 ... finished career ranking ninth in Big Ten history in both career points and free throws and fourth in conference history in free throw attempts rnhttps://youtu.be/aUgHiaC2Fo8rnrnTucker was taken first round, 29th overall by the Phoenix Suns in thee 2007 draft and has bounced around the league, as well as overseas. He currently plays professionally in Israel for Hapoel Tel Aviv Basketball Club.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Center" slider="true"/]rnrn rn Center (Forward 3): Frank Kaminsky rn Honorable Mention: Jared Berggren, Brian Butch, Greg Stiemsma, Paul Grant, Ethan Happ rn rn t 2011-2015 rn t Career: 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.1 blocks rn t Accoladesrn rn t National college player of the year rn t First Team All-American rn t Big Ten player of the year rn t 2x First Team All-Big Ten rn t Big Ten Tournament MVP rn t John R. Wooden Award rn t Kareem Abdul-Jabar Award rn t Single game scoring record at Wisconsin rn rn rn rnAs listed, Frank Kaminsky's accomplishments piled up at Wisconsin, thankfully due to his decision to return to the program for one final season in his senior year. A kid that barely saw any action or minutes his freshman and sophomore year, Kaminsky became another one of Ryan's projects to turn into something special...and then some.rnrnOverall, his career stats at Wisconsin do not tell the whole story. In fact, his numbers are of no indication of how crucial he was to the team's back to back Final Fours. Despite getting a combined average of nine minutes his freshman and sophomore year, Kaminsky catapulted himself into the top ten Badgers all-time scoring list and landed himself a lottery pick with the Charlotte Hornets.rnrnFrank the Tank will always be an iconic Badgers player, not only for his contribution on the court, but his mannerisms and down-to-earth attitude off the court. Everyone who paid attention to college basketball knew how good Kaminsky was, and so did he- but his humble approach to the game allowed him to continue to grow and improve and get where he is now.rnrnhttps://youtu.be/jGffsGJd9rkrnrnKaminsky recently scored his NBA career high with a 27 point outing for the Hornets.rnrn[nextslide teaser="VOTE: Sixth Man" slider="true"/]rnrn rn Comment your vote for the Badgers all-time lineup sixth man rn rn t Ben Brust rn t Josh Gasser rn t Bronson Koenig rn t Jared Berggren rn t Brian Butch rn t Michael Flowers rn t Other rn

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Wisconsin Basketball: All-time starting five

Badger of Honor releases their all-time starting five for Wisconsin men’s basketball

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