The 2024-2025 Badgers basketball season has officially started, with the infamous Red versus White intrateam scrimmage taking place Sunday, Oct. 20.
While Team White had some glimmers of hope during the first half, Team Red dominated as they won 64-43, leading for over 30 minutes and trailing for just under seven minutes.
A variety of players were utilized in various roles during the game as the team finalized its starting lineup ahead of their opening game at the Kohl Center against Holy Cross on Monday, Nov. 4.
Key Takeaways
The standout player on Team Red was sophomore guard John Blackwell, who had 13 points, three rebounds and four assists.
Blackwell controlled the floor well, often making selfless plays for other teammates, notably to graduate student and forward Steven Crowl, who had 10 points, three assists and seven rebounds.
“Playing with Steven [Crowl] … he sees all the cuts and he’s so dominant,” Blackwell said. “You need a go-to bucket? Go to Steven.”
He also explained the importance of having a veteran mentor on his team, such as senior guard Kamari McGee. McGee scored 11 points during the scrimmage, with two assists and a steal.
“[McGee] helps [himself] and Steven out … he makes us feel confident in ourselves. He’s running the show,” Blackwell said.
Redshirt freshman guard Jack Janicki also let his presence be known, tallying eight points and two assists.
Team Red was nothing short of dominant with the help of Blackwell, Crowl and McGee, who will continue developing their skills as the year progresses.
On Team White, graduate student John Tonje and senior Max Klesmit led the team in points, with Tonje, a guard, scoring 12 points and two rebounds and Klesmit, a forward, garnering 10 points and one assist.
A surprise appearance from freshman guard Daniel Freitag was also on display — he had nine points, three rebounds and one assist.
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Postgame
“[I’m] proud of the way that the team competes with each other,” Klesmit said. “We have a lot to work on, but there’s a lot of good flashes that a lot of guys showed today.”
He specifically talked about freshman Riccardo Greppi, a freshman from Lecco, Italy and his experiences in getting adjusted to American basketball.
“A guy like Riccardo [Greppi] — he’s finally finding his way,” Klesmit said. “Coming all the way from Italy can be a challenge, but [he] showed some good flashes.”
Head coach Greg Gard echoed many of the same things the players said. With a good mix of new players, including five new freshmen and three transfers
“There [are] ups and downs,” Gard said, which goes to show how important these scrimmage games can be for new players.
“You see how people react and if there’s nerves or jitters, but it’s something they have to go through,” Gard said.
Gard also didn’t leak anything about the team’s style of play going into this season.
“If you don’t play hard, you’re not playing with us,” Gard said. “This group has worked and played hard every day.”
It’s exciting to see what this team could do in this upcoming year and with many games to come, there’s no doubt the Badgers will always show up and compete at the highest level.