And behind that seven-man rotation, there was a group of players who wanted to play, knew they could play and wanted to show that every practice. Brown, Hill and freshman Ethan Happ were a few of the notable members of a scout team that caused starters a lot of problems in practice. Kaminsky remembered that the coaching staff would make the starters run if the scout team scored too much.
"We had to run a lot that year," Kaminsky said. Because, Kaminsky said, a lot of times the scout team was better than the team the Badgers were preparing to play. Players like Hill relished in these moments.
Hill decided to use his redshirt before the 2014-15 season. He had wanted to compete, yet looked at the depth chart, and was trying to be smart. But that meant every practice, he would try to "show out.
" Kaminsky remembered Happ, an eventual three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, would steal his moves in practice. Hill would score and talk trash. Starters were dominated at times, Hill remembered.
Practices got chippy, but the competitive environment was not something Ryan looked to quell, within reason. "The best teams that I've been on are the teams that have guys that are ready to step up at any moment," Brown said, "so that you can't get complacent." There are positives and negatives to depth.
Brown experienced part of the negative: He, like many others, would have to wait his turn. That was the culture of the Badgers program then, and perhaps that waiting is something the transf.
