Barry DavisRevWrestling.com recently caught up with the Badger coach to talk about about his team's success, whether he envisioned Ben Askren having as much collegiate success as he has coming out of high school, and whether Tom Brands was the right man to replace Jim Zalesky at Iowa, and much more.
First off, congratualtions on your win last week over Penn State. Were you happy with the team's effort overall?
Davis: It's like anything else, you're glad with the win. (Zach) Tanelli had a good win for us. It was also a big win for him. I thought there were other matches where we chances to win, but couldn't quite finish guys off. I thought we had a chance with (Dallas) Herbst. He missed a body lock there late in the third period … if he keeps that, we have a chance to put (Phil) Davis away. (Craig) Henning did really well. He got the bonus points we needed. (Kyle) Ruschell, being a redshirt freshman, same thing. (Tyler) Turner missed a couple takedowns … and in the second period we had a chance to widen the gap, but we just didn't take advantage of the situation.
There are some areas we have to work on. But it was a good win overall for us. It was a good team victory. Individually, we did some good things. But there are other areas we need to keep improving on weekly.
You're currently 12-0 in duals this season. Could this potentially be your best team ever at Wisconsin?
Davis: It could be. Yeah. But if you look at the rankings right now, we would only have two All-Americans. But then we have guys like Herbst, Ruschell, Tanelli, (Kyle) Massey, (Collin) Cudd … we have to sneak those guys on the stand. It could potentially be our best team. It just depends on how much certain individuals improve until the last day of the NCAA's.
Craig Henning is 18-1 this season at 157 pounds and seems to be wrestling with a lot of confidence right now. Will anything short of a national title be a disappointment for Henning?
Davis: That's his goal … to win a national championship. In his mind, that's what he wants to do. You just go out there and do the best you can and make your own breaks. All you can do is wrestle up to your capability and the chips are going to fall where they fall. I told the guys, 'A lot of people deserve a lot of things, but you get to earn it on the mat.' That's his goal. That's what he wants. And it's our job to help him get there. We'll know that Saturday night where we stand.
There was some talk before this season that Henning might redshirt. Is there still a possibility that he could redshirt next season?
Davis: I won't know that until next year. He's in the lineup right now. He's 18-1. And he has a goal set ahead of him. We're going to focus on that right now. When next September comes around … we'll make a decision on who is where at that time.
You brought Donny Pritzlaff back to Wisconsin. What kind of impact has he made this season?
Davis: He's made a very big impact. He's guy who has been though the program, won two NCAA titles, and just took a bronze medal in the World Championships. We have someone who has been through the system. He was away … and came back. A lot of people know who he is … and know the name. He's still competing. It has been a big impact. It's nice to have people like that back. But it's also nice to have Cory Wallman. He's still here. So we kept everyone intact all the way through. We also have guys like Tom Clum and Eddie Gutnick. The coaches have made a good impact all the way around.
Donny steadily climbed the U.S. freestyle ladder. He won his first U.S. Nationals and World Team Trials title this past spring. He then proceeded to capture a bronze medal at the World Championships. What do you attribute to his steady improvement?
Davis: His work ethic and his ability to adapt and change. I think a lot of guys when they finish college … they can't go to the next level because they just can't adapt and change to the rules and change to the style. And I think Donny has made that change. The biggest thing is his defense has gotten so much better at that level. His technique has gotten that much tighter. He doesn't make as many mistakes. He's in better position. His defense has gotten better. I remember when he was in college … anytime a guy got to his leg … he would just turn and kick away. It used to drive me crazy. I would say, 'Donny, you can't do that. You have stuff his head, get your hips down, get your weight back, and score that way.' But he's made that change. And I think that it's helped him win a bronze medal. Hopefully as he continues to make changes he'll continue to move up in the World Championships. But that's the biggest thing, to adapt from college to that style … continue to make changes year after year to make yourself better. He's always looking for ways to improve … and when you do that, you're only going to get better.
You coached Tom Brands at Iowa. What was your reaction when you received the news that he would be replacing Jim Zalesky at Iowa?
Davis: That's who they wanted, so that's who they hired. That's good for them. It's a good position to have. He was the right choice for them, so it worked well for both parties.
Do you expect Brands to be a successful collegiate head coach?
Davis: Uh … time will tell. I know he's very competitive. He's very aggressive. He coaches that way, too. There's no doubt that he wants to be successful, so I'm sure he'll work at it until he is successful.
Barry DavisDavis: No. I think Dan has prepared a lot of guys for not only coaching, but life in general. If you look at not only the coaches, but also look at what some of these guys are doing in the business world as well … and you'll see success in that area, too. I think he produced that because of the way we trained, the things we've done, and the life that he gave us. So I don't just look at coaches … but I look at other careers, too.
You travel to Iowa City on Sunday to wrestle the Hawkeyes. Do you expect the atmosphere to be any different this season with Brands and Gable there?
No. With Iowa fans, I don't think it matters who is coaching. They're going to be there cheering their team on. They're just loyal.
Wisconsin native Ben Askren is considered by many to be the toughest collegiate wrestler pound-for-pound in the country. Coming out of high school, could you have ever envisioned that he would go on to accomplish what he has at Missouri?
Davis: Put it this way, a lot of kids you thought would be great, don't do all that well, whereas some kids are doing great. All you can do is recruit a guy … and hopefully they adapt, make the changes, and improve. Obviously, Ben has done all those things. That's a tribute to him.
The state of Wisconsin has produced some very successful wrestlers in recent years, including Ben and Max Askren, Matt Pell, and Cole Konrad. How would you rate the talent level coming out of the state in recent years compared to other states?
Davis: I think it goes to show that it's one of the top states the last five or six years. If you look at the results, Wisconsin has made a big move. I think it's a tribute to the high school coaches in the state, the college coaches, and everybody. The state itself has really made a big jump and that's good for us … because now hopefully we can keep the doors closed and keep everyone in the state.
You have landed quite a few of Wisconsin's top wrestlers in recent years, including Kevin and Tony Black, Tyler Turner, Craig Henning, and Dallas Herbst, just to name a few. How important is to insure that you do keep the top kids in the state?
Davis: It's very important. You always want to keep you top kids in the state if you can. But it's like anything else, you have 9.9 scholarships. You only have so much money. You have a lot of coaches coming into your state recruiting. Sometimes your hands our tied … because you only have so much money. Sometimes people have to do what is best for them financially. Obviously, you can't keep everybody you would like to for that reason. If I could, I would like to keep everybody. Again, it's just not possible.
Last question, what kind of performance would you like to see out of this team at the NCAA Championships in Auburn Hills, Michigan to be satisfied?
Davis: Well, we have goals. If we continue to make the progress we've made from the beginning of the season until now, from now until the end of the season, we can have a very, very successful season. I think we can make a big run in the Big Ten duals, Big Ten Championships, and NCAA's. Our goal right now is to take it day by day, dual by dual. If we continue to make the progress that we're going to make, we'll evaluate that Saturday night at the NCAA Championships.
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