Wisconsin Basketball: Ethan Happ will return to Badgers

Ethan Happ has withdrawn his name form the 2018 BA Draft and will return to Wisconsin for his senior season.

One of the best players in Wisconsin Basketball history will return to the Badgers for his senior season. Ethan Happ had until the end of the day on May 30th to decide whether he would pull his name from the draft. With time dwindling, he decided to go back to school for one more year.

This wasn’t a huge surprise for many Wisconsin hoops fans. It’s more so a relief. The value he has now can’t really be hurt by returning for another season. He only has value to gain from playing his senior year in college.

With the new rule in place, college basketball players can go through the NBA Combine and team workouts before they decide whether they wan’t to return to school or not. As long as they do not hire an agent, which Happ did not, they are free to return to school and maintain their amateur status.

It was expected Happ would test the NBA waters to at least get a reading on how NBA teams felt about him. What he gained from this experience is the knowledge of what he needs to do to improve his game. It’s likely Happ was told he needed to develop a more consistent form of scoring outside the paint. He’s an incredible finisher around the rim, but if he isn’t able to improve his jumper, he must at least improve as a free throw shooter.

Happ is an above-average defender and passer for his position, which are skills the NBA will covet. What’s needed to excel at the next level is the ability to stay on the floor in crunch time. If Happ wants to contribute to an NBA team, he needs to be able to score in multiple ways and be reliable from the free throw line. With these things in mind he’ll hopefully improve on them for next season and the Badgers will reap the rewards.

Looking ahead to 2018-19

Happ is the biggest piece of the puzzle for the Badgers if they’re going to be successful next year. Happ can be counted on for so many things as he has been for most of his career.  The front court is still a bit thin, even with Happ returning. It was vital that the Badgers had him back if they were going to make a run for the NCAA Tournament.

Next: Where does Wisconsin basketball rank in the Big Ten since 2010?

The Badgers won’t be favorites in the conference with Happ returning, but they’ll likely be considered a tournament team. The roster is still very young and will lean on Happ for a significant contribution. Expect Happ to lead the team in scoring, rebounding and maybe even assists and steals.