
University of Wisconsin men’s basketball coach Greg Jard set out to live out his dream of playing on the field of his favorite baseball team.
Jared was a defensive player at UW-Platteville – “for a very short time” he was quick to point out – but he wouldn’t take the field for the Milwaukee Brewers. Instead, he’ll lead the Badgers in their first college men’s basketball game at American Family Field on November 11 against Stanford. This was also a big goal for the 51-year-old who grew up rooting for strong Brewers teams in the early ’80s.
“This goes back at least 15 years,” Jared said on Monday at a press conference on the field. “Maybe further afield. When I was an assistant (under Bo Ryan) I was scheduling.
“This stadium was just being built by the time we got to Madison. When it was first built, there was no heat in the interior of the stadium.”
American Family Field was built in 2001, but the facility has branched out from baseball in recent years. there Football matches wereAnd the Bowling Championship and recently, Hard Rock Concert by Hair Metal.
“Wisconsinans paid for this stadium,” said Rick Schlesinger, president of Brewers’ commercial operations. “And even though it’s designed for baseball, it’s really a theme park for people with all these events.”
But how will the double-header field work, as the UW women’s team faces Kansas State before the men’s game?
Perfect conditions for basketball
Tickets will go on sale Tuesday, and the unique arrangement is sure to draw a choppy crowd, with fans in the stadium’s stands in addition to the Brewers’ regular seating. With an early November date, it’s also fair to wonder about the actual atmosphere of the game.
“The good news is that we have a really good heating system,” Schlesinger said. “It’s in good shape. So we wouldn’t have any problems keeping the temperature anywhere between 68 and 70 (degrees). Whatever the coaches prefer. Maybe the visiting players’ dressing rooms are a different temperature, but we can talk about that.”
“I am very relieved and confident that regardless of whether it is snowing or snowing or snowing, whatever we do in November in Milwaukee, conditions will be very mild and perfect for basketball.”
UW Women’s coach Marisa Mosley hopes her players will be ready for radically different lines of sight than they are used to in Madison.
“The Cole Center is a great environment, too,” Mosley said. “Seventeen thousand people and the way people back off is somewhat in the end areas. So it’s not where you enter these other arenas and it’s more intimate with how they feel. I’m not saying it’s quite the same, but I think you get a little bit of that feeling.”
“I also think depending on the nature of our presence, the sheer number of people you’re going to play in front of, we have some kids who like to show up (on a big stage) and those guys, it’s time to go. There might be some little headlights.”
Jared expects a quick adjustment.
“The rims are still 10 feet high,” he said. “The court is 94 feet long. We’re going to play.”
National lights as well as some tail
The College Basketball “Game of the Century” 1968 Between UCLA and Houston at the Astrodome he was called several times during the press conference. While the double-header won’t have the star power of Lou Alkindor against Elvin Hayes, the matches will attract more hype than typical non-conference matches early in the season.
“I think it’s cool,” said Jared. “Not only from the TV coverage that will be patriotic, but I think the experience the fans will have here is just going to be great.
“Just looking here today and kind of imagining it. I’ve had this vision for over 15 years, but now I know it’s going to come true. It’s going to be a wonderful experience.”
For Moseley, who will be in her second season at UW, it’s also important to get more interest in her show and also get more face recognition.
“One of the pillars for me as a coach is to make sure I connect with the community,” Mosley said. “We’re not necessarily here in Milwaukee, but we’re an hour and 15 minutes away.
“Obviously there’s a huge recognition in this case for the Badgers and people to understand that it’s a new dawn for women’s basketball, that we’re building something special and they’re going to want to join in.”
The games also give basketball fans across the state a rare opportunity to get into a spacious parking lot.
“Rain or shine, tail,” said Schlesinger. “And knowing our fans, the weather is kind of irrelevant to that.
“We will try to create the Badger experience at home and the Brewers experience outside.”