Wisconsin Basketball: Player profile of star Badger big man Ethan Happ
Wisconsin basketball is one of the best programs in the country, and this season they will be led by star big man Ethan Happ. What does he bring to the table?
For the past two seasons, Ethan Happ has been one of the best big men in the Big Ten. He is a versatile scorer in the paint and his outstanding footwork makes him difficult to defend. In addition, he is a savvy defender in that he does an excellent job creating turnovers by poking the ball away from the opponent when they receive it in the paint.
Having played high school basketball at Rockridge in Illinois, Happ was regarded as a three-star recruit based on most recruiting services. After committing to play at Wisconsin, Happ redshirted during the 2014-15 season before making an immediate impact as a freshman.
In 2015-16, he averaged 27.9 minutes per game and contributed 12.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game on a very respectable 53.8% from the field. On the defensive end, he was able to swat 0.9 shots per game and swipe 1.8 steals in each contest. Based on his efforts, Happ was awarded the Big Ten Freshman of the Year Award and was named to the Third-Team All-Big Ten and the Big Ten All-Defensive teams.
As a sophomore, Happ upped his averages to 14.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game on 58.8% from the field. His playing time increased very slightly to 28.1 minutes per game, and he able to contribute 1.2 blocks and 1.8 steals per game. His playmaking also increased as he saw more attention by defenses, as was evident by his increase in assists from 1.3 to 2.8 per game.
In this season, he was named to the first-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Defensive teams while also being awarded a third-team mention on the All-American team.
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 7/8/2017.
Moving into this next season for Wisconsin, Ethan Happ will be a contender for Big Ten Player of the Year. He will be the focal point of a young team and will look to once again improve his overall game. Happ’s biggest weakness at this point in his career is that he does not stretch the floor very well. If he can find a way to consistently knock down free throws and some mid-range jumpers, then his influence on the game will increase even more.
Next: Expectations for Wisconsin and Ethan Happ
Happ will receive the majority of defensive attention during games this season, but his craftiness around the basket should net him even more buckets now that Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes have both graduated. Happ is now the big man on campus and he will look to lead the Badgers to yet another NCAA Tournament berth.