Our Wisconsin friends would like to remind us there are two sides to every story, but in the case of a recent story coming out of Badgerland, you have to really squint to see Bo Ryan's version.
Redshirt freshman Jarrod Uthoff recently asked for a release from his scholarship from the Wisconsin men's basketball team. Uthoff is one of those classic Wisconsin forwards who can shoot from the outside and score from the inside -- usually with three seconds left on the shot clock (cheap shot, sorry). But the former Iowa Mr. Basketball decided his talents were better suited elsewhere.
This is a rarity at Wisconsin, where -- much to his credit -- Ryan has not had a player transfer out since 2006. Ryan is a staunch believer in loyalty (more on that later), but he granted Uthoff a release ... in his own way. The release reportedly said Uthoff could not transfer to Iowa State, Marquette or any school in the Big Ten. So the former top player in Iowa can't play for the Hawkeyes or Cyclones under those terms.
Metro Sports Report noted that the entire ACC has been added to the list. That means we're up to 25 schools. Per that report: "Uthoff said he doesn't know why Ryan has placed so many schools on the restricted list. 'You have a better guess than I do,' he said. 'I'm not really sure.'"
If you love someone, sort of set them free?
The Omaha World-Herald interviewed Uthoff and noted the player is appealing the restrictions on where he can transfer. He is slated to visit Creighton later this month. Ryan, who is taking heat from a lot of different sides, has not commented. For now, it simply looks like the coach is upset that he's losing a potential contributor and he's not exactly handling it well.
The other side of the story is, we suppose, that this is consistent with Ryan's past sentiments about devotedness. He has said numerous times that he is against the NCAA regulation that allows athletes who graduate before their eligibility expires to transfer without having to sit out a year. Russell Wilson did just that and helped the Badgers football team to the Rose Bowl this past season. After recently calling it "one of the worst rules I've ever seen," Ryan also said, "It's all about building a team, building trust ... what college athletics was meant to be."
True. But if a player wants to leave -- like it or not -- you have to move on. That was the message from Uthoff's former AAU coach, Jamie Johnson.
