Few things in life are truly
finite. Few times are we presented with a situation where we know there
will be no chance to try again in some capacity. For Bo Ryan, that truly
finite moment happened on Monday night as the clock ticked down to 0:00
and Duke players stormed the court to celebrate.
In
the aftermath of Wisconsin’s loss to Duke, Bo Ryan didn’t say the
things we’ve become conditioned to hear from a losing coach. He
criticized the officiating. He took a not-so-thinly-veiled shot at
one-and-done players like Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow. He wasn’t
beaming with positivity about the amazing season his team had just
completed. He was bitter, angry, and unhappy. And he’s taken a lot of
criticism for it during the past 24 hours.
I’m
not saying Ryan should be lauded for speaking his mind. I’m not saying
he should be vilified for failing to ‘lose the right way’. I’m not
saying he showed his true colors when that microphone was put in front
of his face just minutes after one of the most difficult defeats of his
life.
All I know is that his
reaction was the product of someone who knows Monday night was his best
chance to achieve something that he’s sought his whole life. Only to
have it slip through his hands.
Frank
Kaminsky went from a player who scored 1.8 points per game during his
freshman season to National Player of the Year as a senior. Unlike most
juniors who have the NBA calling, Kaminsky turned down going pro to
return to Wisconsin for one more run. Sam Dekker peaked at the right
time, rode an incredible shooting streak through the later rounds of the
tournament, and showcased how much potential he has at the next level.
Both
are sure-fire first-round picks in this June’s NBA Draft, and they
might even end up being lottery picks by the time all is said and done.
Both are surely leaving Madison, and with their departure go the Badgers
chances of trying to replicate the successes of the past two years.
Bo Ryan is not John Calipari.
He
isn’t going to reload his roster with future first-round picks to
replace Kaminsky and Dekker to make another run next season.
Bo Ryan is 67 years old.
He’ll
turn 68 before the Badgers are entrenched in Big Ten play next season.
He’s surely got more good years left in the tank and he’ll surely guide
the Badgers to the NCAA Tournament many times before he retires, but
getting back to the title game will be a vicious race against time.
He knows this team, one that had the most efficient offense in college basketball history, was the perfect storm. It was unequivocally his last, best chance to capture a championship.
So
what did he do in the face of coming so close only to fall short? He
ripped the officials. He ripped one-and-done players and a system that
he feels has been manipulated by other coaches to their own benefit and
his disadvantage. He said things some of us found unbecoming of a man in
his position.
After all,
this was a fantastic year for Wisconsin and it just doesn’t feel right
to end things on a note like this. Frank Kaminsky won Naismith Player of
the Year. The Badgers beat the seemingly unbeatable Kentucky Wildcats
and denied them from making history. They won 36 of 40 games. They won
the Big Ten Championship. At least two of Ryan’s players will be first
round picks this season and make millions of dollars playing basketball
for years to come. But the team still came up short of the ultimate
prize.
Bo Ryan just watched
his dreams go up in smoke on a basketball court in Indianapolis on
Monday night. Something he worked for his whole life. Something he
sacrificed for. Something he burns for. Something that has driven him to
do things most people would consider insane. Something that was so
close he could taste it.
I’m
in no position to criticize whether or not his post game comments were
out of line because I have no idea what it feels like to work your whole
life for something only to come up agonizingly short and know you’re
out of chances.
His
comments on Monday night were how Bo Ryan dealt with the death of a
dream. I have no context with which to judge him. I hope I never do.
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