The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Senior class eager to create better March memories
A variety of factors prevented Kansas State’s Dean Wade, Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ and Kentucky newcomer Reid Travis from ending the season the way they would have wanted last year.
They want their senior years to conclude differently.
A foot injury caused Wade to play a total of eight minutes in the NCAA Tournament during the Wildcats’ run to an NCAA regional final last season. Wisconsin went 15-18 last season to end a string of 19 straight NCAA Tournament appearances . Travis never reached the NCAA Tournament during his four seasons at Stanford, which included one injury-shortened campaign that resulted in a redshirt.
“I didn’t watch any of the tournament because of how bitter I was about it, about the whole thing,” Happ said. “Obviously life is funny in some ways. Hopefully that great failure turns into something special this season.”
They’re eager to create better March memories this season.
Happ is back for his senior season at Wisconsin. Wade is healthy again and eager to get Kansas State back into the postseason. Travis is now a graduate transfer at Kentucky , a move that significantly improves his chances of getting to the NCAA Tournament.
They’re three of the top seniors in college basketball heading into the season. Here’s a look at some notable seniors across the country.
Height: 6-foot-9, Position: Forward
Daum was one of only three Division I players to average over 20 points and 10 rebounds last season, as he ended up with 23.9 and 10.3 points per game. The other 20-10 players were Duke’s Marvin Bagley and Saint Mary’s Jock Landale. Daum also made 96 3-pointers to set a school single-season record. He ranked sixth in the nation in scoring average and 16th in rebounds. This followed a sophomore season in which he had 25.1 points per game. Each of the last two seasons, Daum has been Summit League player of the year and has received honorable mention on the Associated Press All-America team. his team in all five of those categories since Wisconsin’s Sam Okey did it in 1995-96. This fifth-year senior is one of only five Big Ten players over the last 20 years to have 1,500 career points, 800 rebounds and 250 assists. The others are Purdue’s Robbie Hummel (2008-12), Michigan State’s Draymond Green (2009-12), Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine (2013-16) and Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes (2014-17). Height: 6-8 Position: Forward Maye was a third-team AP All-America selection last season and heads into his senior year as an AP preseason All-America pick. Maye, the son of former North Carolina quarterback Mark Maye, averaged 16.9 points and 10.1 rebounds last season. He also won the Skip Prosser Award given annually to the ACC’s top scholar-athlete in men’s basketball.