Bennett finally getting his due

Steve Addy

Thursday, March 23, 2000 | 10:34 a.m.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Dick Bennett was Old School long before it was cool. It just took time for everyone else to catch up with Wisconsin's coach.

He bows before the altar of Lombardi, preaching discipline and organization, and even refers to screeners as "blockers." His clinics are among the most widely attended -- by fellow coaches. His career winning percentage is .637. Insiders regard him as the quintessential coach's coach.

But now the 56-year-old, gray-haired Bennett has finally guided a team deep enough into the NCAA Tournament for the rest of the sporting public to notice what a terrific bench jock he has been for 23 years, all of them in Cheesehead Country.

"It is great to see Coach getting the credit he deserves," top scorer Mark Vershaw said. "He has rebuilt this program with a system that is very sound, and the system works. I'm happy people are seeing what kind of coach he is."

Tonight the Old School coach and his throwback team have a chance to win more hearts and minds. The eighth-seeded Badgers (20-13) play fourth-seeded LSU (28-5) at 7:15 in the West Regional semifinals at The Pit, seeking to continue their deepest Tournament run since Wisconsin captured the eight-team event in 1941.

No, wise guy, Bennett wasn't coaching them then. But he probably could have. His teams rely on modest talent but strong fundamentals that recall a mostly bygone era. He has used 10 different starters this season and only Vershaw averages double figures in points (12.2). Fast breaks are rare. The Badgers average only 60.3 points. "We value each possession," Bennett understated. "We only run after turnovers. I hope that I haven't fouled up anybody's NBA future with that, and I don't think I have."

But the battle-hardened Badgers more than compensate for their deliberate offense with a suffocating man-to-man defense that allows only 55.9 points and 40-percent shooting. One gets the idea they wouldn't mind winning every game 2-0, and the way they shoot, there is seemingly that possibility.

That doesn't make for entertaining basketball, mind you, just effective basketball. The Badgers beat Fresno State and top-seeded Arizona in the West subregional, imposing their plodding style on both teams, who grew erratic and frustrated. That's why Wisconsin is playing in the round of 16, and they're not.

Some have characterized the Badgers' style as a football team in basketball Bermudas. Bennett's system is built on precision and physicality, and he has no problem with that characterization.

"We try to play as physically as we can, within the rules," Bennett said. "However, the game has changed to the point where you can't be crude, awkward or dirty and survive. The shot clock does not permit you to play stall-ball. So we've changed our style a little, but we're just not at the same tempo as most teams that are generally playing at this time of the season.

"I value possession of the ball. I value elimination of mistakes. In that way, I must say I've been influenced by (Vince Lombardi). I was right there (in Green Bay). I watched his practices, went to every game during those years. His method of teaching was repetition and simplicity. Do few things, but do them well."

It's no surprise, then, that Wisconsin's best player is a hardnosed defensive whiz, point guard Mike Kelley, a junior who will probably win his second straight Big Ten defensive player of the year award. He averages only 5.2 points, but that's not his game. His 87 steals were sixth-most in Big Ten history, and he had 11 thefts combined in the wins over Fresno State and Arizona.

"His strength isn't his quickness, athleticism or his intelligence, though all of those things help. It is his ability to anticipate," Bennett said. "I've worked with many players over the years, and that ability isn't common, nor is it taught particularly well. It's something a guy picks up along the way. Mike came to us with that ability."

Kelley, a coach's son, said he has played that way as long as he can remember.

"When I was a kid, I always played against bigger, stronger kids," he said. "I certainly was not able to muscle them or use a finesse game to beat them. So defense was something I had to cultivate at a young age, and anticipation was something I relied on to stay in the game."

Kelley's hands have kept the Badgers in most games. For a team that can't afford to be careless with possessions, he's been remarkably steady. He has one turnover over the last six games.