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Final Four notebook Underdog Badgers draw unwanted 'Hoosiers' comparison
Posted: Friday March 31, 2000 11:11 PM
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Enough with the "Hoosiers" stuff already. With the national media getting their first exposure to Wisconsin this weekend, the Badgers are getting a little bit tired of everyone telling them they're straight out of that famous Gene Hackman movie about a small-town team that went up against the big boys and won. It seems like an easy story line: a small, unathletic team makes an improbable run to the top against teams with more height, skill and athleticism. It looks great on paper, but the problem is that it just isn't accurate, say the Badgers. Coach Dick Bennett admits he has seen the movie "17 or 18 times," but he doesn't see any connection between a small-town, 1950s Indiana high school and his heavily-funded, lucrative Big Ten program. "I think that the basketball world at the college level has grown smaller," Bennett said. "I think there's less difference between the haves and the have-nots than ever before, because of all the exposure. Kids get to play, go to camps, get in the gyms in the summer and get good coaching." The comparison might seem the most ludicrous to the players, all of whom happen to be really good basketball players with Division I college scholarships. "It's not really accurate because, well, look around the room," said Maurice Linton, gesturing to his teammates in the Badgers' locker room on Friday. "We're not a bunch of short white guys who can't play. The whole country didn't expect to see us here, but it's not like we're coming out of nowhere. We're in the Big Ten." Recruiting boonThere's no doubt that Bennett's recruiting will be greatly helped by Saturday's appearance in the RCA Dome. Just how much remains to be seen.Before the Badgers began their winning ways this spring, Bennett was under fire for his less-than-star-studded recruiting classes at Wisconsin. When he told everyone that he was recruiting players to play a system, he was met with disbelief or displeasure. Yet Bennett continues to point out that the Wisconsin program is only in the fifth year of being rebuilt from the ground up. "In rebuilding programs, you have to start somewhere," Bennett said. "We started with the notion that we wanted to get guys who were good players, had tremendous attitudes [and] would be there for four years. "We thought if we could do that, we could mold them into the kind of team that would become competitive. ... We thought if we achieved that, that would open some doors for us." The Badgers already have signed Michael Wilkinson, Wisconsin's AP player of the year, and are in the running for several more recruits. Bennett also may try to upgrade the caliber of players he recruits. Throughout his coaching career, a player's attitude has been more important than his talent because of Bennett's desire to mold individuals to his system. "We would like to get guys who are gifted physically, who are skilled, and of course have a great attitude," Bennett said. "The one area that we will not sacrifice is attitude. ... Sometimes we've had to sacrifice in the skill and talent area to get the attitude. "Now if [the Final Four appearance] enables us to get even more physical ability and more skill with the great attitude, then we will have done what we wanted to do." Izzo's magic formulaTom Izzo's special relationship with the Spartans' ballplayers is the result of his ability to mesh a blue-collar background with a fine-tuned sense of humor. He knows when to crack down, and when to crack a joke. That way, his kids know when it's time to work and when it's time to have fun."My players have a partnership in this team," said Izzo, who has guided the Spartans to three straight Big Ten championships and their second straight Final Four berth. "It's not a dictatorship." Far from it. Last week, for example, in the Midwest regional championship game against Iowa State, star forward Morris Peterson stepped forward in the huddle at the most crucial moment. He suggested an alley-oop play. Izzo didn't blink. "That sounds great," he said. When play resumed, the Spartans set it up. Mateen Cleaves flipped the ball high above the rim and Peterson jammed home the decisive basket in Michigan State's quarterfinal win. That set the Spartans (30-7) on a collision course with Wisconsin (22-13) for the fourth time this season, the first ever in the national semifinals, on Saturday night. "I think a lot of coaches, they don't really let their players get involved in some of their plays," Peterson said Friday before the Spartans final practice. "I think that's what kind of separates coach Izzo. He can really relate to his players. "He's always willing to listen to them and get some of their
input."
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