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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEFebruary 23, 2015Bo RyanTHE MODERATOR: Head Coach Bo Ryan is here and will take questions. Q. Coach, what do you see from Maryland on tape, offensively and defensively, the challenges they present for you? COACH RYAN: Well, I think if you've watched them play you will see they've got quickness, they've got decision‑making at the point guard spot, even though he's only a freshman, he doesn't play like a freshman, in Trimble. They've got size, they've got "bigs" that can shoot. They don't have the record they have because they're missing anything. They're very talented and very capable of beating any and everybody in the league. Q. How tough of a guard is Trimble? I don't know if you're going to put Bronson on him, but talk about Bronson's defense and how he has played defense this year. COACH RYAN: Different guys will be on him at different times, depending on what actions they're running but he's quick, he's strong, he's a great free‑throw shooter. There really isn't a weakness to his game, and he makes big plays. When you have that at the point guard spot, you know you're in pretty good shape. Q. Traevon has announced his intentions to play very soon. How many more hoops does he have to jump through? Have you come up with a game plan for easing him back in and practice schedules, all that jazz? COACH RYAN: Well, I want to compete in The Ironman, too. Some reason, I don't think I am, but I would like to. It's all medically related. Trainers, doctors, they're not going to clear a player and in any way jeopardize the fact that when he is 40, 50, 60 years old, he still wants to be able to walk properly and condition and live a full life. So everything that's done, in spite of what some people might think, is not done just so a guy can play in a basketball game. They're trying to make sure that he's going to be able to walk properly, run properly, do things later in life so that's why the medical staff determines, not Trae, not us as coaches, the medical staff determines if he's ready to go. Because we can't say, "Just rub a little mud on it," anymore, not allowed to do that, as my coach used to say, "Only hurts for a little while," you know, that's the‑‑ Q. How long have you wanted to do an Ironman? COACH RYAN: Well, since Trae said he's playing Sunday, why not? I thought, hey, I want to do The Ironman. Just popped in my head. Q. Were you surprised at his remarks on Sunday? That he said he was going to play next week? That he was adamant about it? COACH RYAN: I heard there is a heck of a game in the Surf going on on Sunday‑‑ or the Shell, something like that, maybe that's what he was‑‑ I don't know what he was referring to. We haven't discussed it. Because me talking about it with Trae does not matter. It's all based on the medical people. Q. Historically Maryland has been a pretty good team. What were your first thoughts, first reaction to seeing them come into the Big Ten and what did they add? COACH RYAN: Actually the first time I heard about them coming in the Big Ten, I thought back to '66, '67, '68, somewhere in there we were going to scrimmage‑‑ when I was at Wilkes University, we were going to scrimmage Mansfield, a State Teachers' College in Pennsylvania. And we get there early, so we walk into the gym, and here is this 7‑foot guy doing left‑hand jump hooks, right‑hand jump hooks. And I looked at Coach and said, "You didn't tell us they had a big guy like this." He says, "No, he doesn't play for them. That's Tom McMillan. He's a senior in high school this year." So I followed Maryland, knowing that, oh, I saw that guy work out in the gym, and he had a pretty good career and, of course, he ‑‑ is he still in politics? Anybody know? Tom McMillan? But I followed Maryland being on the east coast there, growing up in the ACC. It's an east coast school, and everybody knows why the Big Ten wanted to ads two east coast schools. Viewership, marketing, the fact that we're going to do the Big Ten Tournament out there on the east coast couple times, already set up. So just added two more teams, which means it's still watered down a true Big Ten Champion, because you don't always play everybody twice. I always thought that was pretty neat to play everybody away and play everybody at home, but obviously that can't be done, can't be worked out. Q. Bo, knowing what you know about Traevon's recovery, his recuperation, his workouts, that type of thing, is it realistic to think he could play against Michigan State? COACH RYAN: I have no idea, because we get these daily‑‑ from the training staff, but I didn't see anything in there where it said he would be playing on Sunday. So we haven't received anything yet. Q. You would like a true round‑robin in the Big Ten. If and when you win the Big Ten Championship this season, there is no asterisk next to it, correct? COACH RYAN: Well, you're putting the cart before the horse there, so‑‑ I mean, it was at least closer, a few years ago, to almost playing everybody twice. When I was an assistant here, we did, so that was kinda neat. When I got here it was Penn State, then Nebraska, then Maryland and Rutgers, so at least we were close, for most of the time I was here. But no matter what, when the 18 games are over there is going to be somebody‑‑ or ties or whatever, it's always neat to say if you can get something like that, but I'm not diminishing it. I'm just sayin' it's‑‑ for the fans to be able to do that. In football it would be nice to see, you know, each year, at least play everybody in the Big Ten and every other year you're seeing every other team in the league but they can't do that either. Q. Bo, this isn't putting the cart before the horse but have you been to the basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield? COACH RYAN: Yeah, but years ago. They had made some changes. It's awesome. It's‑‑ but I study the game. I read a lot about the beginnings of basketball, about different leagues, different teams. I just got a book about the SPAs the South Philadelphia Hebrew Basketball Association, really, they were really good, and they were, like, the best team in the country for a while. The history of a backboard; it was chicken wire. Of course we know about Pete's basket, because it was going to be box ball, but the janitor could not find any boxes, so Nate Smith said there are two fruit baskets, so a janitor put one up‑‑ and that's all at the Hall of Fame, stuff about the beginnings of the game, why they called 'em "Cagers" games were pretty physical. Tried to keep guys on the court with netting around the court. It's a pretty special place, and since I'm on the Bob Cousy Committee to select the best point guard every year, we were always at a brunch that I take my dad to every year, and Bob Cousy was there, and Kareem and Walton and those guys, former members of the Hall of Fame, but that's where after that brunch we would go into this other room and that's where they would announce the new class for the Hall of Fame. I guess that's how they're doing it again this year. Q. So it sounds like you've been there multiple times‑‑ COACH RYAN: No, just once up there, but at the Final Four, there is always a brunch, and then after that go into a room where they announce the new inductees each year. They do it at the Final Four. Q. You are one win away from at least clinching a share of the Big Ten title. Do you see an extra bounce in the players steps here today? COACH RYAN: I haven't seen them today. What we've been doing after games is not going as long, because‑‑ look at our schedule, how the games have run into each other, no days off. We had to take two off last week. Anyhow, it's totally, totally different than the days of, Wednesday, Saturday. So we're trying to manage recovery time, working with "E," with Eric, and trying to make sure we're getting the most out of these guys and trying to save their legs and lungs and be able to finish out this portion of the Big Ten schedule. So we're trying some things a little differently this year, with number of contact possessions, plus, since ‑‑ without Trae, that was 30 minutes of an on‑the‑court player that was getting that many minutes, and then your bench was shortened so our bench is not getting‑‑ we're not getting as much time from the bench so we're just trying too manage it the best way we can. Just hard to believe there is only two weeks left. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Coach. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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