Jeff Potrykus

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MADISON – Ethan Happ’s intriguing rise at Wisconsin continues.

A raw talent as a freshman two years ago, Happ honed his game while battling Frank Kaminsky in practice.

A redshirt freshman last season, Happ was named Big Ten freshman of the year and a member of the all-defensive team.

The third-year sophomore on Monday was named a first-team all-Big Ten pick.

Happ, UW’s only non-senior starter, helped the Badgers to a second-place finish (12-6) in the Big Ten and the No. 2 seeding in the tournament. He leads UW in scoring (14.6 points), rebounds (8.6), assists (3.0), steals (3.5) and blocks (2.3) in Big Ten play.

Happ earlier Monday was named a third-team All-American by The Sporting News and USA Today.

According to UW officials, Happ is the second UW sophomore to be named a first-team pick. The first was Michael Finley, who accomplished the feat in 1993.

"And he's got a long ways to go yet, too," UW coach Greg Gard said Monday night on his weekly radio show. "There's so many things he can continue to improve upon. As long as he stays hungry like he has been and continue to work he will do very well for himself."

Senior guard Bronson Koenig was a second-team pick according to the league’s coaches and a third-team pick according to the media.

Koenig, who has been battling a left-calf injury since late January, averaged 13.8 points and shot 41.8% from three-point range in conference games. Koenig was a third-team pick (coaches) and honorable mention (media) as a junior.

Senior Nigel Hayes was a third-team pick according to the coaches and media. Hayes averaged 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in league play.

Happ and UW senior guard Zak Showalter were named to the league's all-defensive team, along with Northwestern's Vic Law and Purdue's Dakota Mathias. Minnesota's Reggie Lynch was named defensive player of the year.

Only two other UW players have been named to the league's all-defensive team more than once. They are: Josh Gasser (three times) and Michael Flowers (twice).