Bo Ryan- "I Have People Who Believe"

This was taken from the Wisconsin State Journal. It is amazing how great coaches put things in proper perspective. In this article Bo Ryan has some quotes that fans, coaches, and players will nod in agreement with. His best line- "I have people who believe and as long as you've got people who believe then you know you're in a good position."

In my humble opinion- if a coach on any level can say that about their players- they are going to be successful!!

Through 10 seasons as the coach of the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team, Bo Ryan has averaged more than 24 wins a season, reached the NCAA Tournament each season, won three Big Ten Conference regular-season titles and two Big Ten tournament titles.

But when asked to evaluate his program after a decade, Ryan never mentioned any numbers.

"The only way I look at it is: Do I have the kind of guys I want to teach and coach? Do I have the kind of support and the kind of interest from our fans that I wanted? The answer is yes to everything," Ryan said prior to Tuesday's night's celebration of the Badgers' just-completed season at the Kohl Center.

"We have good young men who take care of business in the classroom, who are true student-athletes," he continued. "We have one of the best fans bases developed in the country. We have a waiting list for tickets. We have an administration that understands what we're doing here and likes the way we're doing it. That's all I need to see."

Ryan, who is 242-91 at Wisconsin, said success is always measured by someone else.

"If it's a fan, if it's a player, if it's an observer, if it's an opponent or whatever, success isn't something that has a true definition. It's not one thing," he added. "I have people who believe and as long as you've got people who believe then you know you're in a good position."

That said, Ryan mentioned that many coaches have called him since Shawn Eichorst was named the new athletic director at Miami (Fla.).

Eichorst, who is heading the search for a new men's basketball coach there and is considering UW-Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter, was an associate athletic director at the UW and one of his duties was overlooking the men's basketball program

"I'm hearing from a lot of guys right now because they know I know Shawn Eichorst. So you can imagine the coaches I've heard from. You name them, they've called me," Ryan said. "They all know Robbie is up for the job and everybody is smart enough to understand that.

"But I'm talking to guys who are very good coaches who, for one reason or another, were let go from their teams and are unemployed right now. There are some who are employed, too," he continued. "The thing I hear from other coaches more than anything else is how consistently competitive our guys are. That gives you a chance."

Ryan, like many of the Badgers' supporters, obviously wants the Badgers to get back to the Final Four and win a national title. But he said you can't lose sight of all of the team's many other accomplishments when focusing on that goal.

For instance, the Badgers just completed a season where they finished 25-9, reached the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 and finished third in the Big Ten regular-season standings and earned just its second-ever win over a No. 1 team. They also led the nation in three categories: assist-turnover ratio, fewest turnovers and free throw shooting percentage.

"Do you know how many people out there want to be us? Who want the consistency of the program? Ryan asked.

"A national championship comes ... first, you have to get in the tournament, then you have to get hot and certain things happen," Ryan said. "You get a little mojo going and that's how you can get it and there are a lot of good teams that have never had a chance to sniff that. In our sport, there's not one bowl game. We are so different."

When told that some believe the Badgers need to step up their athleticism to get there, Ryan began his response with a wry smile.

"I always liked Joe Paterno," Ryan said of the legendary Penn State football coach. "Do you know what color shoes he has his defensive backs wear? Black. You know why? It makes you look slower. Paterno loved it. It's true. ... And again, athleticism can be measured in different ways."