After create a role for himself with poise and playmaking, Wisconsin basketball guard Connor Essegian has found himself in a new role.
A season ago, the then Freshman guard Essegian was lighting up the scoreboard for the Badgers. Now, the guard is only playing and producing a fraction of what he accomplished during his first season. Despite the changes, Essegian has embraced the new demands of the coaching staff.
Wisconsin Basketball Guard Connor Essegian Has Found Himself in New Territory
Just a season ago, Connor Essegian was one of the brightest spots on a struggling Badgers basketball squad. The electrifying guard carved out a role for himself as a deep-range, offensive specialist for Wisconsin. Essegian averaged 27.4 minutes and 11.7 points per game for the Wisconsin basketball team as a true Freshman.
Now, following injuries, transfers, and a new mindset from Head Coach Greg Gard, and Essegian has found himself in a completely different role. The guard got off to an unfortunate start after injuring his ankle against the Arkansas State Redwolves in the season opener. Since then, Essegian has played an average of 7.3 minutes per game while scoring 3.5 points.
Between the emergence of guards AJ Storr and John Blackwell and the injury setback, Essegian returned to play without a true role for himself. Since then the Wisconsin basketball staff has moved to push the former star into playing like a well-rounded guard.
Can the Wisconsin Badgers Basketball Staff Find a Use for Essegian?
While there might have been plenty of additions to the Wisconsin basketball team this past offseason, there should still be a role for Essegian the Badgers’ staff must find. Coach Gard has been vocal all season about the fact that he wants to ‘push’ Essegian to be a better player, and it seems as though limiting his play time is a way of doing so.
Most players may not respond to that type of situation accordingly, but Essegian has embraced the criticism and ‘hard coaching’ that Gard has displayed. In the minds of the Wisconsin basketball staff and Essegian, the only way to get better is to work on the aspects that need to be corrected, which may not result in exorbitant playing time.
A Look Ahead: Badgers Prepare for Tough Conference Stretch
After a dominant home victory against the Michigan State Spartans, the Badgers now look ahead as the Cornhuskers and Boilermakers are on the horizon. Wisconsin will need to play their best basketball in order to defeat their next two opponents.
Nebraska has not lost at home against their Big Ten competition yet this season, which certainly raises the stakes for the Badgers who visit town tonight. In the case of the Boilermakers, Wisconsin basketball will have to host the two-loss team as they visit Madison.
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