Head Coach Ben Askren

[pokemonster]

  On 2/18/2024 at 2:22 PM, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

Except, there is probably little more embarrassing in sports than when one man is trying to crawl off the playing surface and the other man grabs him by the foot, pulls him back in and says something to the effect of "Uh uh, you're not going to get away from me, I'm not done with you yet."

This translates to freestyle, folkstyle, BJJ, MMA, the playground, NFL football, etc.

Expand  

Any clips of that match? Would love to see it

[GoGopher]

Askren said he wants to be in the wrestling room with his only focus being on coaching. If that’s his goal, a D1 head coach isn’t what he is pursuing. I imagine he sticks with his club.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

  On 2/18/2024 at 8:11 PM, pokemonster said:

Any clips of that match? Would love to see it

Expand  

I looked for it yesterday, but was unable to find.  I believe it was at Sunkist,  2008ish.

[1032004]

  On 2/18/2024 at 11:23 PM, GoGopher said:

Askren said he wants to be in the wrestling room with his only focus being on coaching. If that’s his goal, a D1 head coach isn’t what he is pursuing. I imagine he sticks with his club.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Expand  

Askren said on his last FRL that he also wants to coach more senior level athletes.

Then there was a (mostly?) sarcastic discussion about Flo starting an RTC…

[PortaJohn]

  On 5/3/2024 at 10:17 AM, 1032004 said:

Askren said on his last FRL that he also wants to coach more senior level athletes.

Then there was a (mostly?) sarcastic discussion about Flo starting an RTC…

Expand  

Askren coaching senior level guys is meh for me.  His results at the youth level is astounding.  I hope his methods and approach catches fire nationwide.  The kids coming out of AWA are phenomenal 

[MPhillips]

  On 5/3/2024 at 4:33 PM, PortaJohn said:

The kids coming out of AWA are phenomenal 

Expand  

and some are senior level guys...

[steamboat_charlie]

  On 5/3/2024 at 4:33 PM, PortaJohn said:

Askren coaching senior level guys is meh for me.  His results at the youth level is astounding.  I hope his methods and approach catches fire nationwide.  The kids coming out of AWA are phenomenal 

Expand  

Meh in what way? 

The Askrens are bringing guys to the collegiate and senior level that are ready to compete right away.  I don't see why they wouldn't be effective coaching at the next level.  

They have a unique approach, with seriously impressive results. Notice how each of their guys wrestles with their own identity?  This isn't the same type of dominant high school factory we've seen in the past where a coach molds each of his guys in his own image.  

[NM1965]

Askren seems like an Ivy League guy. I bet he's taking over at Yale. 

[AgaveMaria]

  On 2/17/2024 at 5:30 AM, SocraTease said:

Askren has been coaching for years at Askren Wrestling Academy (AWA) with his brother.  Supposedly, it is one of the best clubs.   He's helped to produce a whole bunch of elite guys:  Kegan O'Toole, Mesenbrink, Keckheisen, etc.   He goes to tournaments with his kids and has fed many of them into the best college schools.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo6F2kLzD59li40zNKSeX7g/videos 

Expand  

Given this maybe Iowa should hire Ken Chertow?

[BarSeries]

 

[BruceyB]

I'd imagine if Wisconsin offered him enough to make it worth his while, he would genuinely consider taking the job, but I think he's unlikely to take on the administrative tasks, recruiting demands, media obligations etc. unless he was going to be making a significant amount more than he currently does with AWA. I do think the competitor in him wants to compete against Cael on the college landscape from a coaching perspective. I will say this here and now. I am officially a Badger if Askren ever takes the job.

[pokemonster]

  On 3/22/2025 at 9:58 PM, BarSeries said:

 

Expand  

woahhhhhhhhh lets get it!!

[BuckyBadger]

The state of Wisconsin had 4 finalists, 2 of them champs, I believe none of them ever considered UW for school.

Just another data point showing what the program could be if they could be recrui in state.

Edited March 23 by BuckyBadger

[scourge165]

  On 3/23/2025 at 4:51 AM, BuckyBadger said:

The state of Wisconsin had 4 finalists, 2 of them champs, I believe none of them ever considered UW for school.

Just another data point showing what the program could be if they could be recrui in state.

Expand  

UW isn't hiring Askren to be their head coach...he doesn't want to be a HC. He WOULD like to coach more Sr level Wrestlers...presumably because he's developed...multiple Wrestlers who could compete at the Sr Level and medal. 

 

Great High School coaches have taken jobs at the next level, right?

So...you suck it up for 2 more years, let John watch Mitchell tech and pin his way to being a 3X NC who was mistaken about a RT point away from matching Cael, THEN...after finding a wealthy benefactor who is willing to donate 10-15M to the Wrestling program you;

1-Hire John Mesenbrink
 #1 Assistant-Mitchell Mesenbrink...doesn't really need to be explained
 #2-Zach Tanelli
 #3-I don't know, find a big guy

RTC-Askren steps back in there. He can keep AWA going and growing and you can entire Buchanan, Keckiesen, O'Toole would be back, Mesenbrink, in the future, Sinclair, Millard, Scholes, maybe the Mirasola(s), Clark and...several others. 

 

John Mesenbrink has gotten more out of less than anyone in HS and he got more out of more than anyone as well. He's not controversial, he'd be a big name and he basically ran a College Style program at Arrowhead. I remember hearing how they'd have morning workouts. ~1 or so of conditioning before school. Practices would be 3 hours long at night.

They'd have a lot of kids quit, but the kids that didn't...you'd have kids who came out of nowhere and were 30-15 knocking off returning champs and winning State Titles. I also remember one year, Jake Sueflohn, a stud who seemed to always be in a tough weight at the NCAAs, but he was at the same weight at Jessie Thielke, one of the greatest HS Wrestlers in Wisconsin history(he gave him his only loss with a great game plan) and he also beat Alex Dieringer that year when those 3 were 3 of the best in the Country, but Sueflohn was considered the clear #3. 

 

Chances of that happening? Probably about the same as the legal BAC in Wisconsin, .08, but...you could turn it around real quickly and appease everyone. But I can't imagine John would do it while Mitchell is dog walking the field at 165. 

[Ched64]

he has found his role…let him do it on his terms…dealing with the academics may be beyng his wishes…or should be

[BuckyBadger]

  On 3/23/2025 at 5:17 AM, scourge165 said:

UW isn't hiring Askren to be their head coach...he doesn't want to be a HC. He WOULD like to coach more Sr level Wrestlers...presumably because he's developed...multiple Wrestlers who could compete at the Sr Level and medal. 

 

Great High School coaches have taken jobs at the next level, right?

So...you suck it up for 2 more years, let John watch Mitchell tech and pin his way to being a 3X NC who was mistaken about a RT point away from matching Cael, THEN...after finding a wealthy benefactor who is willing to donate 10-15M to the Wrestling program you;

1-Hire John Mesenbrink
 #1 Assistant-Mitchell Mesenbrink...doesn't really need to be explained
 #2-Zach Tanelli
 #3-I don't know, find a big guy

RTC-Askren steps back in there. He can keep AWA going and growing and you can entire Buchanan, Keckiesen, O'Toole would be back, Mesenbrink, in the future, Sinclair, Millard, Scholes, maybe the Mirasola(s), Clark and...several others. 

 

John Mesenbrink has gotten more out of less than anyone in HS and he got more out of more than anyone as well. He's not controversial, he'd be a big name and he basically ran a College Style program at Arrowhead. I remember hearing how they'd have morning workouts. ~1 or so of conditioning before school. Practices would be 3 hours long at night.

They'd have a lot of kids quit, but the kids that didn't...you'd have kids who came out of nowhere and were 30-15 knocking off returning champs and winning State Titles. I also remember one year, Jake Sueflohn, a stud who seemed to always be in a tough weight at the NCAAs, but he was at the same weight at Jessie Thielke, one of the greatest HS Wrestlers in Wisconsin history(he gave him his only loss with a great game plan) and he also beat Alex Dieringer that year when those 3 were 3 of the best in the Country, but Sueflohn was considered the clear #3. 

 

Chances of that happening? Probably about the same as the legal BAC in Wisconsin, .08, but...you could turn it around real quickly and appease everyone. But I can't imagine John would do it while Mitchell is dog walking the field at 165. 

Expand  

The scenario you lay out would be great, but like you said, very unlikely.

I don’t know how old Messenbrink is, but very rare at that stage in life to take over a DI program. And then of course, where do you find big booster money.

But more realistically, find a younger coach that Askren is on good terms with. Brandvold seems like the obvious choice. He’s a UW alum and has recruited AWA guys to Minnesota. If you had a guy like him who could recruit only a quarter of the talent the state produces now, you’d have had a number of AAs and a championship or two the last five years or so.