Wisconsin Basketball: Thank you, Zak Showalter

It’s been a week since the Wisconsin Badgers lost their Sweet 16 heartbreaker to the Florida Gators.

One week has passed, and I know a lot of Wisconsin Badgers fans are still finding it difficult to get over the painful buzzer-beating loss to the Florida Gators. Trust me, I am too.

While the college basketball season is done and over, I can already feel a new era shifting in the Wisconsin men’s basketball program. The four seniors: Bronson Koenig, Nigel Hayes, Zak Showalter, and Vitto Brown did so much and were a part of some amazing times during their careers at Wisconsin.

Related Story: Thank You, Seniors

That is why one letter to all four is not enough and the amount of words needed to say everything that would need to be said about each player would be far too much. So here is my thank you letter to Zak Showalter:

Showalter came in like every valuable player Wisconsin ever gets it seems (even in football): A walk on. An under-sized division one basketball player out of Germantown, Wisconsin, Showalter had crazy athleticism and was a part of one of the most successful high school programs in Wisconsin high school basketball history. Translation: he knew how to win.

For a guy who never averaged over ten points per game during his tenure at Wisconsin, Showalter might have been the most valuable. In this case, we are actually using the term “valuable” in its literal form, meaning the Badgers would have not accomplished all the things they did without him.

One of the most clear memories of Showalter was when he was a sophomore. In the middle of a Final Four run, the Badgers saw themselves down in the Sweet 16 to North Carolina. Off the bench came Showalter, sparking a mini run with a steal and a layup. I remember watching the fast break and Showalter looked so slow and tight, like he was sitting the entire game on the bench, which he was. Despite the defender catching him, he of course made the layup.

But that was the way he played. He was not going to beat you off the dribble with explosive speed, he was going to beat you off the dribble with determination and fundamentally sound basketball.

So, thank you Showy for being the glue guy to the Wisconsin Badgers the last four years. Thanks for all the hustle plays, big three point shots, and hard-fought games on defense guarding the opposing team’s best player. Thank you for giving it your all and fighting until the very end.

From walk-on to scholarship, it’s been an honor.