Frank Kaminsky was the main man in propelling Bo Ryan to his first ever Final Four last night. It’s just the third Final Four in Wisconsin Badgers history. Kaminsky was a tour de force on the court, just as he’s been all season. And Frank Kaminsky has also found himself off the court. At least in the press room. Like his Coach, Kaminsky has given reporters soundbite gold.
There were a whole lot of press conferences and interviews during the Big Ten Tournament. But none featured a gem like this from Bo Ryan.
And yesterday, Frank Kaminsky, gave us this….
The Big Lead quoted USA Today’s George Schroeder:
the Badgers were asked yesterday how their opponents would describe them in 1-2 words. Euphemisms like “Resilient” and “Disciplined” and “Tough” got thrown around, until junior big man Frank Kaminsky quipped about what was really on everyone’s mind: ”White guys”.
Yes, lots of announcer calling a game with Aaron Craft in it words there. You might remember when Wisconsin played Cornell a couple years ago in the NCAA Tournament, and social media was buzzing with jokes about that contest being “the whitest game ever.”
Make jokes all you want, but the Badgers have established themselves as an elite program now. And Frank Kaminsky, who is obviously a Caucasian-American, has established himself as one of the most elite players in the nation. Ryan already had a reputation as an elite Big Ten regular season, Big Ten Tournament and lower levels of college basketball coach. But he didn’t have much a postseason resume. Until last night.
What’s even more impressive is that Bo Ryan’s “white guys” have put up a ton of Ws without having much NBA talent at all. Jon Leuer and Greg Stiemsma (who are white by the way) are in the league. The only other former Badger in the NBA is Devin Harris; and he’s the only one who’s had a pro career that’s been significant. Brian Butch and Alando Tucker, probably the greatest player in school history, are in the D-League.
On this team, Sam Dekker (again Caucasian) has major NBA potential, but that’s it. Frank Kaminsky has probably played his way to getting drafted, and Nigel Hayes may get a look. Regardless of the future, the present is pretty sweet. Aaron Rodgers has come along for the ride.
And Ryan back in the Final Four means we’ll be entertained by another meeting between Bo and Tracy Wolfson. More on that in Wolfson’s words here (exclusive)
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. You can read Banks’ feature stories and op-eds in the Chicago Tribune RedEye newspaper and hear his regular guest spots on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
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