Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Wednesday, November 22, 2000
Badgers lose bite Somehow, it's fitting that the last Wisconsin player to be suspended for his part in the discount shoe fiasco is kicker Vitaly Pisetsky.
after suspensions
The loss of key players prior to
start of first game might have cost
Wisconsin a shot at national titleChang on all-freshman team
By Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinNot that Badgers head coach Barry Alvarez found any humor in it after learning of the last-second decision Monday. Far from it.
In his mind, the NCAA's suspension of 11 players for three games and 16 others, including Pisetsky, for one game for receiving extra benefits from a Madison, Wis., shoe store, is cruel and unusual punishment that cost him a shot at competing for a national championship.
"We found out about the 26 suspensions the afternoon of our first game," Alvarez said after the long journey from Wisconsin to Hawaii. "That seems to be the pattern. Nothing surprises me anymore. I feel terrible for the kid.
"He's worked hard. He's had a good year. He was looking forward to this trip and to have to tell him at 2:30 yesterday afternoon that he couldn't make the trip is just brutal."
University of Hawaii quarterback Tim Chang was named to the Rivals.com all-freshman team yesterday for his play this season with the Warriors. Chang on all-freshman team
He was an honorable mention selection behind first team all-freshman quarterback Phillip Rivers of North Carolina State.
Chang was one of seven true freshmen signal callers to receive the honor. The list included Louisiana Tech's Luke McCown.
"That's great for Timmy and our team," UH head coach June Jones said last night. "You never know if this will lead to bigger things for Timmy. It depends on the team and whether we win. But I'm happy he got the recognition. He deserves it."
Chang enters this Saturday's nonconference meeting with Wisconsin ranked ninth in the nation in total offense with an average of 285.6 yards a game.
The former St. Louis School standout has thrown for 2,327 yards this season and 14 touchdowns.
Paul Arnett, Star-Bulletin
Originally, Pisetsky fell into a category that wouldn't require a suspension. But after it was learned that the benefits he received from the Shoe Box exceeded $300, the school felt it had no choice but to hold him back.
"Quite frankly, they found receipts that he had some special assistance from the university when he was a freshman," Alvarez said. "Whereby if you qualify, you can get shoes, or coats, or whatever. He really didn't get any benefit. The university saved money on the thing. So, I'm disappointed in it. And I know he's very, very hurt by it."
He's not the only one. The entire Wisconsin team was primed to compete for a third consecutive Big Ten championship that Alvarez had hoped would put the Badgers in a position to compete for a national title.
But upon learning of the suspensions, Wisconsin went down in a hurry, losing its first three Big Ten games en route to finishing in a tie for fourth in league play with a 4-4 mark.
Alvarez did receive a bit of good news on Monday after learning his team would be playing in the Sun Bowl. It's not exactly the Rose Bowl, but considering everything this team has been through this year, Alvarez will take it.
"We never really did recover from the suspensions," Alvarez said. "It disrupted our whole football team. It disrupted our whole year. It's really unfortunate for these kids. I've said this before: There's no way they knew they were doing anything wrong. They didn't take anything. They paid money for what they bought.
"It took the chemistry away from our team. Because of all the shuffling we had to do, I think it really led to guys having more injuries than we normally would have had. The team that we practiced with and coached the day before our first game, we never got the chance to coach again and never will. And that's the sad part."
Wisconsin will do its best to put the past behind it and try to enjoy what Hawaii has to offer. This is the fourth time Alvarez has coached in the island chain, so he understands how to balance the distractions with work.
Today, the team will practice hard at Aloha Stadium after taking off yesterday. The Badgers had breakfast at 2:30 a.m. (HST), before boarding a charter flight that arrived 12 hours later. While here, Alvarez will take his team on a dinner cruise, go to Pearl Harbor and do a little snorkeling on Sunday after the game with the University of Hawaii this Saturday night at Aloha Stadium.
"We want to make sure our players enjoy this experience," Alvarez said.
"The last time we came here, we had to win the game to qualify for a bowl. This year, the game is important, but it's not like we have to win it to qualify for a bowl game. To have already accepted a bid, takes a lot of pressure off of us."
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii
