Bono NEEDS to go

[wrestle87]

2 hours ago, ionel said:

When did he do this?

Surely this is in jest.

In case it is not, Askren is responsible for generating and developing many of the most present, poised, and mentally composed wrestlers around the country right now.  He also has a track record of being able to being that impact to bear with many current and former Mizz guys.  

On top of this, he is excellent at marketing, is a shrewd businessman, and is technically as good as anybody out there.  If he went into coaching, Askren Cael would become the Gable Smith of this era.  

The amount he would have to get paid would be stupid high though to justify the amount he would be giving up in business, lifestyle flexibility and family time.

[The_KC_Godfather]

9 hours ago, wrestle87 said:

Of all the teams I’ve watched this year (and I will admit to watching a borderline unhealthy amount of wrestling), there are 3 teams I would say have actually wrestled “well”.  Penn State, Okie State, and Cornell.  

Teams who have been on-par with expectations, but who don’t have enormous expectations to begin with are are Penn, Minnesota, and that’s about it.

The one team I would say you left out is Nebraska. Those guys are looking pretty legit so far, dual-wise and individually.

[The_KC_Godfather]

2 hours ago, Disappointed_Badger_Fan said:

Sure he hasn't coached at a college level, but look at the guys I mentioned they were all ready and able to step in as freshman and make an impact. Even the more than likely "worst" rated recruit Keckeisen came in as a freshman and dominated. Either way experience or not the Badgers program under Bono has been going down hill and if you actually follow the Badgers and look at the recruits that are coming in it doesn't look like they will be ascending any time soon. Bono relies on getting senior transfers way to much. There current ranked guys Barnett, Maylor, Liegel are all seniors and the other 2 ranked guys Hamiti and Zargo are juniors. Basically none of the young talent has shown very much of anything besides Rivera and Condon and the recruits is extremely underwhelming. I mean for god sake Little Rock is currently ranked higher than Wisconsin and they also have 2 Wisconsin guy in their lineup. It is no disrespect to them, but how are they able to recruit and develop better as a still relatively new program than a established big 10 program like Wisconsin. There is 1 answer and it is Bono. He can't recruit well or develop well. 

At this point they should fire Bono and take a chance on Askren because it really can't get much worse and the potential upside could be huge for the program.

It seems like there are burned bridges with Askren and Wiscy....and I would guess that Ben is recommending that the top recruits you mention not go there. Maybe not, but with Bono and the staff he has, the scholarships they have in D1, and the chance to stay close to home for AWA guys, there has to be another reason they aren't getting these top WI kids...

[BuckyBadger]

7 hours ago, Disappointed_Badger_Fan said:

Why not bring in Ben to be the coach. He has massive name recognition and has proven that he can coach wrestling. I also think that if he were the coach we might see some Wisconsin guys that left the state come back home and wrestle for the badgers. Also it is very fair to say Bono isn't good at developing guys. Hamiti came in as a freshman and was an all American but hasn't reached the next tier yet. Amos was a top 5 recruit and hasn't even made the round of 12 in his 2 years. Rowley was a top recruit and left after 1 year. You brought up that Bono is only getting mid tier guys and that is another problem. If all you can get is mid tier you need to be good at developing them. If you look at statistics the Badgers fired Barry Davis because he wasn't meeting the standard they felt they should be at and Bono has had either the same or less success. Instead of hiring Bono they should've hired Ben because then they would've at least had a chance at keeping O'Toole, Keckeisen, Clayton Whiting, Peyton Mocco, Mirasola twins, Sinclair, Millard, Mesenbrink, Scoles, and Mulvaney in Wisconsin for college. They were/are all were top recruits and I'm probably missing some people, but having that much talent in the state and seeing them all leave should be exhibit A for why Bono needs to go. 

I don’t disagree that Ben would be a great coach and elevate the program, I just don’t think UW would ever hire him. 

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

9 hours ago, ionel said:

You are kidding correct?

Not at all.  Brands hasn't thrown a chair or a brick at an official that I can recollect.

[jchapman]

6 hours ago, The_KC_Godfather said:

It seems like there are burned bridges with Askren and Wiscy....and I would guess that Ben is recommending that the top recruits you mention not go there. Maybe not, but with Bono and the staff he has, the scholarships they have in D1, and the chance to stay close to home for AWA guys, there has to be another reason they aren't getting these top WI kids...

Nope, it’s Askren 100%.  It started long before Bono was the coach.  It started when Barry Davis didn’t offer him enough of a scholarship.

[juniorvarsity]

Hillger, Barnett, Wick, Hamiti, Gomez.

Wick was already there. Hillger was already there. Gross followed him and would have done well if the tournament occurred. Gomez was a transfer recruit.

Barnett and Hamiti are the only AA's he recruited out of high school since he took over for the 2019 season. 

 

[Ivan Stankowski]

Wisconsin recruits for 2024, SOLID Class, should be right up there with Iowa and Penn State in a few years!!! 

David Malin
La Crosse Aquinas, Wisconsin
Class of 2024
Committed to Wisconsin
Projected Weight: 174, 184

Reid Spurley
Dodgeville, Wisconsin
Class of 2024
Committed to Wisconsin
Projected Weight: 125

Dillan Johnson
Joliet Catholic, Illinois
Class of 2024
Committed to Wisconsin
Projected Weight: 285

Colin Kelly
Mount Carmel, Illinois
Class of 2024
Committed to Wisconsin
Projected Weight: 174

Carson Exferd
Nampa, Idaho
Class of 2024
Committed to Wisconsin
Projected Weight: 141, 149

Wyatt Ingham
Amery, Wisconsin
Class of 2024
Committed to Wisconsin
Projected Weight: 197

[ionel]

2 hours ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

Not at all.  Brands hasn't thrown a chair or a brick at an official that I can recollect.

Just threw his whole body/running onto the mat multiple times, giving opposing coaches the shaft from the corner, his humping imitation, etc etc ... "not at all."  

[JimmyBT]

8 hours ago, WrestlingFan89 said:

Bono should get at least 10 more years to prove himself.  

This .  

[red viking]

44 minutes ago, Ivan Stankowski said:

Wisconsin recruits for 2024, SOLID Class, should be right up there with Iowa and Penn State in a few years!!! 

David Malin
La Crosse Aquinas, Wisconsin
Class of 2024
Committed to Wisconsin
Projected Weight: 174, 184

Reid Spurley
Dodgeville, Wisconsin
Class of 2024
Committed to Wisconsin
Projected Weight: 125

Dillan Johnson
Joliet Catholic, Illinois
Class of 2024
Committed to Wisconsin
Projected Weight: 285

Colin Kelly
Mount Carmel, Illinois
Class of 2024
Committed to Wisconsin
Projected Weight: 174

Carson Exferd
Nampa, Idaho
Class of 2024
Committed to Wisconsin
Projected Weight: 141, 149

Wyatt Ingham
Amery, Wisconsin
Class of 2024
Committed to Wisconsin
Projected Weight: 197

Johnson will eventually just stick to football. Not a great class. It's just average, again. 

[MNRodent]

Most people wouldn't have predicted Mayor or Liegel to do as well as they have this year and Zargo has looked tough at times.  It isn't easy to jump levels in big ten team status. It takes a lot of baby steps of recruiting, development, transfers, and repeat again in consecutive years.

[poorwrestler]

I wonder what the replacement plan is for Barnett next year. The only other 125 they have on their roster is a freshman that has only wrestled 133 this year and is 3-4 against D2 and NAIA competition. Reid Spurley coming in as a recruit next year but he’s not ranked in matscouts 2024 big board.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WrestlingFan89]

11 minutes ago, poorwrestler said:

I wonder what the replacement plan is for Barnett next year. The only other 125 they have on their roster is a freshman that has only wrestled 133 this year and is 3-4 against D2 and NAIA competition. Reid Spurley coming in as a recruit next year but he’s not ranked in matscouts 2024 big board.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My guess would be mid level transfer 

[ionel]

11 hours ago, wrestle87 said:

Surely this is in jest.

In case it is not, Askren is responsible for generating and developing many of the most present, poised, and mentally composed wrestlers around the country right now.  He also has a track record of being able to being that impact to bear with many current and former Mizz guys.  

On top of this, he is excellent at marketing, is a shrewd businessman, and is technically as good as anybody out there.  If he went into coaching, Askren Cael would become the Gable Smith of this era.  

The amount he would have to get paid would be stupid high though to justify the amount he would be giving up in business, lifestyle flexibility and family time.

As has been pointed out earlier:  what is his university coaching & admin experience, will he hire an experienced assistant who has those skills, will he be willing to sever ties with AWA, etc. ? 

Moreover, who was the last individual to go straight into a D1 head coach position? 

[MNRodent]

2 hours ago, poorwrestler said:

I wonder what the replacement plan is for Barnett next year. The only other 125 they have on their roster is a freshman that has only wrestled 133 this year and is 3-4 against D2 and NAIA competition. Reid Spurley coming in as a recruit next year but he’s not ranked in matscouts 2024 big board.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On one of the WI podcasts that I listened to a while ago, they seemed to think Rivera 125, Fugitt 133 next year.

 

[wrestlingfanforlife]

21 hours ago, wrestle87 said:

Also, why does Bono have to go? I hear this about a lot of programs coaches right now, when in reality PSU is outclassing most programs optically that it makes these other teams, which aren’t doing poorly by their historic standards, look like trash.

Of all the teams I’ve watched this year (and I will admit to watching a borderline unhealthy amount of wrestling), there are 3 teams I would say have actually wrestled “well”.  Penn State, Okie State, and Cornell.  

Teams who have been on-par with expectations, but who don’t have enormous expectations to begin with are are Penn, Minnesota, and that’s about it.

Now, is this actually the case, that EVERY OTHER TEAM is having a crappy year? No, that’s just not mathematically possible.

Is wisconsin having a bad year? I dunno, they have half the lineup who can sniff an AA, that’s not shabby. Same for rutgers.  3AA’s is a watershed year for either of those programs.  That’s also the same number of AA’s that Michigan and Ohio State could bring back, and UMich and OSU need some guys to really show up.  Gomez isn’t a lock for michigan by any stretch, and neither is anybody in ohio state’s lineup except mendez. 

The old topic of dual teams vs tournament teams comes up again.  Is Nebraska going to be that close to PSU in the national tournament as they were in that dual? Highly unlikely. I look to our good friend @Wrestleknownothing for the actual points impacts of different results, but what is a broadly competitive match at 157, for example, is likely the difference between a finalist and a blood round guy, similar dynamics at 165, and at 149 in the opposite direction. 

For as long as we are a one tournament sport, which is really at the heart of the beauty and the cruelty of the sport at every level (states, NCAA’s, Olympics), this intermediate wrestling is entertaining, but only because it gives us hope for what might happen in March.

 

I have followed and enjoyed this forum both here and at its previous site for many years.  However, this post made me want to sign up and reply, not as a negative response, but to give rationale as to why many Badger wrestling fans are calling for Bono to be gone.

First, I have been around the sport of wrestling since I was old enough to know what wrestling actually was.  During high school, I lived in Northwest Illinois; we got IPT (Iowa Public Television) on our farm.  Yes, I am a life-long Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling fan.  Now, I live about 25 minutes south of Madison, WI.  I met and married a woman with no wrestling background or knowledge... needless to say, she has embraced the sport I love, and we are now Badger Wrestling season ticket holders. 

To address the why:  Bono and staff tout the importance of having in-state kids on the Badger roster.  However, that sentiment really is working against Bono.  When you take a look at the Badger state kids that Bono does not have on the roster, it is frustrating to see their success not in a Badger singlet.   O'Toole, Mocco, and Whiting at Mizzou, Keckeisen at UNI, Messenbrink now and the Mirasolas next year at Penn State, and countless other possible All Americans at other programs make the current roster less than impressive.  Going back to Askren, Pell, and Wagner all ending up at Mizzou, that pipeline was clearly established.  Additionally, the rocky relationship, supposedly on the mend, between Bono and Askren does not help.  While Wisconsin does have subpar facilities, this does not equal doom and gloom for the program.  As alluded to in other threads, a growing number of Badger fans are tired of Bono's antics, and the in-state kids the Badgers get do not compare to the list above!  If you look at the Wisconsin kids on the Badger roster this year and their records, it is not very impressive.  However, one very pleasant surprise for the Badgers has been Shane Leigel, a grad transfer from Division 3 Loras, and a multiple-time Wisconsin State Champion from River Valley High School.

 

In a nutshell, the Badgers are missing out massively on the "great ones" who keep getting away and are settling for the second-tier recruits, most of whom are just not very successful in a Badger singlet.

 

Plus, that whole NIL thing!

Edited February 21 by wrestlingfanforlife

[PortaJohn]

30 minutes ago, wrestlingfanforlife said:

I have followed and enjoyed this forum both here and at its previous site for many years.

Hopefully this thread permanently gets you off the sidelines and we get your input on a regular basis.  

[wrestle87]

40 minutes ago, wrestlingfanforlife said:

I have followed and enjoyed this forum both here and at its previous site for many years.  However, this post made me want to sign up and reply, not as a negative response, but to give rationale as to why many Badger wrestling fans are calling for Bono to be gone.

First, I have been around the sport of wrestling since I was old enough to know what wrestling actually was.  During high school, I lived in Northwest Illinois; we got IPT (Iowa Public Television) on our farm.  Yes, I am a life-long Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling fan.  Now, I live about 25 minutes south of Madison, WI.  I met and married a woman with no wrestling background or knowledge... needless to say, she has embraced the sport I love, and we are now Badger Wrestling season ticket holders. 

To address the why:  Bono and staff tout the importance of having in-state kids on the Badger roster.  However, that sentiment really is working against Bono.  When you take a look at the Badger state kids that Bono does not have on the roster, it is frustrating to see their success not in a Badger singlet.   O'Toole, Mocco, and Whiting at Mizzou, Keckeisen at UNI, Messenbrink now and the Mirasolas next year at Penn State, and countless other possible All Americans at other programs make the current roster less than impressive.  Going back to Askren, Pell, and Wagner all ending up at Mizzou, that pipeline was clearly established.  Additionally, the rocky relationship, supposedly on the mend, between Bono and Askren does not help.  While Wisconsin does have subpar facilities, this does not equal doom and gloom for the program.  As alluded to in other threads, a growing number of Badger fans are tired of Bono's antics, and the in-state kids the Badgers get do not compare to the list above!  If you look at the Wisconsin kids on the Badger roster this year and their records, it is not very impressive.  However, one very pleasant surprise for the Badgers has been Shane Leigel, a grad transfer from Division 3 Loras, and a multiple-time Wisconsin State Champion from River Valley High School.

 

In a nutshell, the Badgers are missing out massively on the "great ones" who keep getting away and are settling for the second-tier recruits, most of whom are just not very successful in a Badger singlet.

 

Plus, that whole NIL thing!

This makes a great deal of sense, thanks for responding.  So is the overall feel that “we have a ton of nationally competitive kids at the high school level, why the heck can’t we keep them in state and keep repping Wisconsin”?

I ask because I’m from NJ, and being from the east coast, moving out of state was almost always a prerequisite for being able to have success at the national level.  This has obviously changed in the past ten years, but for the most part, when I was going through college ~2010, it was a very much big 10 and big 12 show, with Lehigh and Cornell getting feisty at times.

[Disappointed_Badger_Fan]

2 hours ago, wrestlingfanforlife said:

I have followed and enjoyed this forum both here and at its previous site for many years.  However, this post made me want to sign up and reply, not as a negative response, but to give rationale as to why many Badger wrestling fans are calling for Bono to be gone.

First, I have been around the sport of wrestling since I was old enough to know what wrestling actually was.  During high school, I lived in Northwest Illinois; we got IPT (Iowa Public Television) on our farm.  Yes, I am a life-long Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling fan.  Now, I live about 25 minutes south of Madison, WI.  I met and married a woman with no wrestling background or knowledge... needless to say, she has embraced the sport I love, and we are now Badger Wrestling season ticket holders. 

To address the why:  Bono and staff tout the importance of having in-state kids on the Badger roster.  However, that sentiment really is working against Bono.  When you take a look at the Badger state kids that Bono does not have on the roster, it is frustrating to see their success not in a Badger singlet.   O'Toole, Mocco, and Whiting at Mizzou, Keckeisen at UNI, Messenbrink now and the Mirasolas next year at Penn State, and countless other possible All Americans at other programs make the current roster less than impressive.  Going back to Askren, Pell, and Wagner all ending up at Mizzou, that pipeline was clearly established.  Additionally, the rocky relationship, supposedly on the mend, between Bono and Askren does not help.  While Wisconsin does have subpar facilities, this does not equal doom and gloom for the program.  As alluded to in other threads, a growing number of Badger fans are tired of Bono's antics, and the in-state kids the Badgers get do not compare to the list above!  If you look at the Wisconsin kids on the Badger roster this year and their records, it is not very impressive.  However, one very pleasant surprise for the Badgers has been Shane Leigel, a grad transfer from Division 3 Loras, and a multiple-time Wisconsin State Champion from River Valley High School.

 

In a nutshell, the Badgers are missing out massively on the "great ones" who keep getting away and are settling for the second-tier recruits, most of whom are just not very successful in a Badger singlet.

 

Plus, that whole NIL thing!

you are spot on. The way things are going with Bono all the tier 1 nationally ranked high school wrestlers in Wisconsin leave and the tier 2 guys stay, and then we get to listen to the clown hype man talk about how great it is to have 5-7 Wisconsin guys in the lineup. This really comes down to Bono not being able to lock down the border from a recruiting standpoint. Just imagine where this team would be ranked if O'Toole, Messenbrink, Mocco, Keckeisen, Whiting, Buchanan, and any other Wisconsin guys were at UW.

[juniorvarsity]

Bono since 2020 has landed 10 kids off Flo's Big Board. Only 2 are from Wisconsin - Nicolar River and Wyatt Ingraham.

Wisconsin as a state has had 20 kids on the Big Board since 2020. Of the highest ranked kids in those years, five of the six kids have been from AWA - Keegan O'Toole, Aeoden Sinclair, Connor Mirasola, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Cole Mirasola(Koy Hopke is the sixth).

I am not from Wisconsin and I do not follow high school close enough to recognize more than 10 kids off the Big Board each year.

These are Bono's biggest recruits:

Year	Rank	Name
2020	1	Braxton Amos
2021	6	Dean Hamiti
2021	32	Hayden Copass
2022	61	Nicolar Rivera
2022	21	James Rowley
2022	70	Brock Bobzien
2023	39	Lucas Condon
2024	16	Dillan Johnson
2024	69	Colin Kelly
2024	51	Wyatt Ingham

 

Edited February 21 by juniorvarsity
table format

[wrestlingfanforlife]

3 hours ago, wrestle87 said:

This makes a great deal of sense, thanks for responding.  So is the overall feel that “we have a ton of nationally competitive kids at the high school level, why the heck can’t we keep them in state and keep repping Wisconsin”?

I ask because I’m from NJ, and being from the east coast, moving out of state was almost always a prerequisite for being able to have success at the national level.  This has obviously changed in the past ten years, but for the most part, when I was going through college ~2010, it was a very much big 10 and big 12 show, with Lehigh and Cornell getting feisty at times.

You are welcome!  I understand the pride of having Wisconsin kids on the roster.  However, when they aren't "the guys" who could and would elevate the program, it gets tough to stomach after seeing the success of the hammers who thrive outside the state!

[bnwtwg]

7 hours ago, red viking said:

Johnson will eventually just stick to football. Not a great class. It's just average, again. 

Yeah he's too short and already too big to be an effective edge. He's going inside and gaining weight, which means the Polar Bear path is an unlikely one.

[bnwtwg]

Bono is a boner. But be careful what you wish for Wiscy fans because you might just get it.

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

11 hours ago, ionel said:

Just threw his whole body/running onto the mat multiple times, giving opposing coaches the shaft from the corner, his humping imitation, etc etc ... "not at all."  

Sorry.  Not nearly as bad as throwing objects at an official, no matter how you try to rationalize it.