The Milwaukee Post

Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan has made a Final Four. It is as it should be. He could get a national championship. If it happens, he will become the greatest coach of any sport in University of Wisconsin history. He would move ahead of everyone, including Barry Alvarez. It could happen. His teams have never had any trouble handling success. One national title wasn't enough at the Division III level. He continued to crush the competi- tion and win more titles. At Wisconsin, win- ning has been followed by more winning and more winning. Even with the elation at finally getting to a Final Four, Bo Ryan's his- tory says they will play a solid game against Kentucky, showing no signs of being con- tent with being in Dallas. Wisconsin will pull the minor upset and beat Kentucky. The Badgers will need some help. Kentucky can't continue to make three-point shots as they have in NCAA tourney play. They shot only 33 percent dur- ing the regular season, but they have made nearly 40 percent from long range during their four tourney games. They are due for a poor game shooting from beyond the arc. Kentucky will still get offensive rebound baskets, but a bad night of long-range shoot- ing will cost them the game. In fact, it's the only way Wisconsin can win the game. If Kentucky has another strong game shooting from the outside, the Badgers will be watch- ing Monday night's game as spectators. The Badgers will also need some help in the other semifinal contest between Connecticut and Florida. Florida is the best team remaining in the tourney. Wisconsin can't beat Florida. The Badgers did beat Florida 59-53 at the Kohl Center in November, but Florida played without Scottie Wilbekin, the SEC Player of the Year. Anyone using the game as an indica- tion that Wisconsin is the better team now is wearing red underwear every day of the year. I picked Florida to win the NCAA tour- ney last season because they were the best defensive team I'd ever seen in a blowout home win over Marquette. It would appear I was correct with the team but just a year too early. They are beatable in this year's Final Four because they still have some of the offensive slumps that knocked them out of the tourney last year. It's just not likely. If UConn could beat Florida, Wisconsin will beat the Huskies for the national champi- onship. The problem is a UConn win would be an ever bigger upset than Wisconsin over Kentucky, even though the Huskies have a regular-season home court win over the Gators. That win was almost as fluky as the Badgers' because of injuries and a spectac- ular last-second shot. So, the Badgers won't beat Florida, but Wisconsin will beat the team that beat Florida. It makes no sense. If it happens, it will be called destiny. *** Marquette has hired Duke's top assistant coach as the successor to Buzz Williams as men's basketball coach. His name is Steve Wojciechowski, but his name might not be as significant as the fact that he is a former Duke assistant coach. Duke's head coach Mike Krzyzewski has been one of the great- est coaches in the history of the college game, but none of his past assistants have found greatness in a head coaching role. They haven't been bad as a group, but there has been nothing special by even a single former Duke assistant. Tommy Amaker might seem special at Harvard, but some- thing weird is going on at that school because he couldn't win at Michigan. Wojciechowski will be the latest test case. He has been at Duke since the 1999-2000 sea- son. He must see something special at Marquette because he has certainly passed on other head coaching opportunities. Basketball insiders who I respect have said that it will be a great hire. "Wojo" has a chance to continue the Marquette excellence created by Tom Crean and Buzz Williams, who were both assis- tants before succeeding at Marquette. Wojciechowski (with his suggested pronun- ciation of "Where's your house key?") will also have a chance to be the first special head coach from Duke who wasn't the head coach there. April 4, 2014 • Milwaukee County Post • 11 "HOMER" on SPORTS STEVE "The HOMER" TRUE (Ste v e "The Homer" True, host of "Homer and Thunder Show," heard from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays on 540 ESPN, can be reached at homer@espnmilwaukee.com) Bo Ryan deserves trip to Final Four Post Staff MILWAUKEE – The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association held its 35th annual awards banquet last weekend in Middleton and several individuals connected with Milwaukee County were recognized. Inducted into the WFCA Hall of Fame were former South Milwaukee head football coach Brad Knoche, former Milwaukee Tech head coach Tom Konowalski, area official Orlando "Pancho" Palesse and Whitefish Bay coach Jim Tietjen. Knoche coached at South Milwaukee High School from 1983 until 2001. He also had assis- tant coaching gigs at Oak Creek and St. Francis high schools before retiring in 2007. Knoche also belonged to the South Milwaukee Lions. He passed away in 2011. Konowalski became the head football coach at Milwaukee Tech in 1986 and coached his teams to 12 City Conference titles in 19 years. During his tenure, he won 33 consecu- tive conference games, a mark that still stands today. All told, he amassed a record of 135-77. Palesse officiated high school, college and semi-pro football in the state, as well as high school and college basketball. He also served as official scorer for the Milwaukee Brewers for six seasons. Tietjen was an assistant football coach at Mukwonago for six seasons before joining the staff at Whitefish Bay as a defensive coor- dinator. He left Bay in 1996 to join Konowalski's staff at Tech as a defensive coordinator. Tietjen left Tech in 1998 and returned to coaching at Bay as the school's freshman coach. He became the head coach in 2002 and earned North Shore Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2004, 2008 and 2012, and WFCA District 14 Coach of the Year in 2008. Additionally, former Pulaski High School football coach Gregg Dufek was presented with the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. From 1964 to 1996, Duffek was the head football coach at Pulaski and was elected the City Conference's Coach of the Year in 1995. In 1999, he entered the WFCA Hall of Fame. His service résumé includes camp direc- tor and coach of the Medalist Hall of Fame Camps in football, basketball and wrestling. He served on a committee that established the WIAA football playoff system and helped create a section of sports medicine in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dufek is a member of the South Milwaukee Lions Club and also serves on the Board of Review in South Milwaukee. Milwaukee native and longtime prep sportswriter Steven Tietz was inducted into the WFCA Hall of Fame for media coverage. State football association inducts group from county into Hall of Fame Former Pulaski coach receives special award Post Staff MILWAUKEE – Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear are wagering on their home teams in Saturday's NCAA Final Four men's bas- ketball game. "With two great teams and great fan bases, this game will be one for record books. Under the leadership of Coach (Bo) Ryan and with the exceptional talent of all our players, the Badgers have the momentum and skills to tame the Kentucky Wildcats and move onto the final," Walker said in a statement. Walker wagered an array of Wisconsin beer, bratwursts and cheese for a Badgers victory; Beshear bet a fully stocked Kentucky bourbon bar that Kentucky will win. "The Wildcats are playing their best basketball of the year, and they've already taken out three of last year's Final Four teams," Beshear said in a statement. "It will be a real treat to see these fantastic coaches, John Calipari and Bo Ryan, go head-to-head, but Kentucky clearly has the edge over the Badgers." Wisconsin will face Kentucky at 7:49 p.m. Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game will be broad- cast on TBS. Florida and Connecticut will meet in the other semifinal game prior to the Badgers-Wildcats game. The winners will clash in the championship game Monday night on Channel 58. Wisconsin (30-7) advanced to the Final Four with a 64-63 victory over Arizona in overtime last Saturday. Kentucky (28-10) advanced with a 75-72 victory over Michigan. The Badgers are making their first Final Four appearance since 2000. Governors offer friendly wager on Final Four game Post Staff The Milwaukee Community Foundation and Special Olympics Wisconsin will host "Over the Edge at Miller Park" on Saturday, July 19. The fundraising event will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and all proceeds will benefit Special Olympics Wisconsin. Those raising $1,000 or more will have the opportunity to rappel down the side of Miller Park. For more information and to sign up for the event, visit www.overtheedge.fundraisingbrewers.co m. Brewers Community Foundation and Special Olympics set event

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