Wisconsin Sports Headlines – 4/1/2020

The Latest Sports Headlines: 

>>Former Packer Says LB Position Not Valued In Green Bay

(New York, NY)  — Former Packer linebacker Blake Martinez says the linebacker position isn’t valued in the Green Bay defensive scheme.  Martinez was speaking with New York media Monday after signing a three-year contract with the Giants. He told reporters he wasn’t surprised to be leaving Green Bay after four years. He says he was asked to be the “clean-up guy” behind a freelancing defensive line. Although he consistently piled up big tackle totals, he says the responsibility of covering so many gaps limited his big-play chances and created a negative perception of his performance.  Martinez says he’s looking forward to working with Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham – who was Packers linebackers coach during the 2018 season.

 

>>Badgers Basketball Recruit Named Detroit Player Of The Year

(Detroit, MI)  — A basketball recruit for the University of Wisconsin is collecting some post-season honors, leading at least one website to upgrade him from a three-star to a four-star prospect. Six-foot-two guard Lorne Bowman was named Metro Detroit Player of the Year late last week.  Bowman has committed to the Badgers. He averaged 25 points, six assists and six rebounds-a-game for St. Mary’s High School, which finished the season with a 21-and-one record. The point guard is skilled at driving to the hoop, but scouts say he will need to refine his shot.

 

>>NFL Scheduling Decisions Push Green Bay Draft Hosting Hopes To 2024

(New York, NY)  — Although the N-F-L won’t release its complete schedule until next month, league officials have announced the addition of two games to the 2020 playoffs.  With this month’s draft going remote, the league will likely conduct the 2022 draft in Las Vegas – meaning it would be 2024 before the N-F-L might consider holding it in Green Bay. Starting with the 2020 season, the number one seed in each conference will be the only team getting a bye.  The first weekend of playoff games will be January 9th and 10th.

 

>>Recruiting Not All About Guards At Marquette

(Milwaukee, WI)  — The graduation of Markus Howard has focused a lot of the recruiting attention by Marquette on guards. The Golden Eagles are strong inside, but somebody needs to bring the ball upcourt.  Despite that factor, Marquette has been listed among the teams trying to sign a pair of sizeable players – seven-footer Asbjorn Midtgaard of Wichita State and six-foot-eight Trey Murphy of Rice.  Both have entered the transfer protocol. Midtgaard has been a reserve for the Shockers and is a big-time rebounder and shot-blocker, but not much of a scorer. Despite his height, Murphy is listed as a guard who averaged right at 11 points-a-game for the Owls.  He hit 39 percent of his 3-pointers last season, firing up an average of seven long shots-a-game.