Ten Wisconsin Badgers we are most thankful for
Ethan Happ
Happ is the other student-athlete on this list with Taylor we have the pleasure of still being able to watch at Wisconsin. Happ is just underway in his senior year with the Badgers and having his best season yet. Wisconsin just cracked the top 25 rankings this week and has a great chance to make some noise in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas this week.
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Happ’s first year of play in Madison was the year after Dekker and the Badgers’ national championship appearance. Happ was redshirted at the time, but yet to log a minute. The following year, with names like Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig still with the team, Happ was part of the upset of Xavier in the NCAA Tournament.
The year after that Wisconsin upset defending national champion Villanova in the round of 32 before losing to Florida in a fashion we won’t bring up here again. Last season was the first without a significant amount of leadership and Happ did all he could to help keep the program competitive. His efforts paid off as this year is looking like a special one yet again in Madison.
Happ can do it all for the Badgers. He might be the most versatile player the program has ever seen. Despite his shooting woes, which are certainly unusual for Wisconsin big men, he can dribble, pass, and defend at All-American levels. He was recognized for those skills this year by being named a pre-season All-American.
Happ’s work, much like Jonathan Taylor’s, is not done in Madison. But unlike Taylor, this is Happ’s final go around. He and his team are playing incredible basketball and the season is just beginning.