Wisconsin basketball had made the NCAA Tournament for 19 straight years, a feat that had only been accomplished by seven other schools. The streak came to an end this season because of injuries, inexperience, and over scheduling. Although it wasn’t a great season for Wisconsin, the same can’t be said for center Ethan Happ. Happ lead the team in scoring, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
Happ announced on Tuesday that he will enter the 2018 Draft, but he will not hire an agent immediately. What that means is he can go to the combine, receive feedback, and then decide whether or not to return to Wisconsin for his senior year. Happ told reporters after Wisconsin’s loss in the Big Ten Tournament that he plans on returning to Wisconsin if he’s not a first round pick. And since ESPN and BleacherReport currently do not have him in their two round mock drafts, it is more than likely that he is wearing a Badger uniform next season.
Happ struggles at the free throw line and is just a 56% career shooter. He can’t hit a jump shot to save his life. And yet Happ is a unique talent who can do a little bit of everything (except shoot) .His post moves are comparable to Kevin McHale’s. He can finish with either hand around the rim. He’s a solid playmaker out of the post. Happ puts in maximum effort on the defensive end. He combines his effort with sneaky athleticism to make him a well rounded defender. Happ was one of two players in KenPom’s top 10 for Player of the Year in the past two seasons.
Without Happ and all the skills he brings to the table, it’s safe to say Wisconsin would’ve been one of the worst teams in the Big Ten last year. If he doesn’t return, the Badgers will likely have another rebuilding year. Without Happ, Wisconsin would only bring back four frontcourt players. This list includes Nate Reuvers, Aleem Ford, Charlie Thomas, and Alex Illikainen. Nothing against those four players, but their skills don’t even compare to Happ. Of the three Nate Reuvers is the most promising player. He averaged 5.3 points and 2 rebounds in his freshman campaign. He can block shots and occasionally knock down a three, but he needs to put on weight to ever become a really good player. Aleem Ford is a threat from beyond the arc, but besides that he doesn’t provide much.
If Happ returns, it’s a whole different story in Madison. Wisconsin is likely to be a Top 25 team, and certainly back in the NCAA Tournament. The Badgers have a ton of depth at guard. Brad Davison had an excellent freshman season and Brevin Pritzl began to shoot the ball much better down the stretch. D’Mitrik Trice and Kobe King are both returning from injuries, and Trevor Anderson had to sit out last year because he transferred in from Green Bay. Assuming Happ returns, Wisconsin has a ton of depth and could be a sleeper team to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament next season.
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