I've got nothing to add... just here to ***** about the fact that Wisconsin is still employing Chris Bono. Flat out embarassed yesterday at home against Iowa. Full blown apathy as set in here in Madison.
General (non-ISU) Wrestling Twitter/News Thread
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I get tired of hearing people rag on Bono, one of the Cyclone greats, without ever giving any reason. Yeah, their team is down this year, but the program has surely done better than it did with their prior coach.
I mean Barry Davis did pretty decent throughout the years, I mean he was the national coach of the year in 2010. The problem with Bono is that a lot of wrestlers have transferred out or not really progressed under him at Wisky besides a few guys and the lineup he has right now is pretty bad, I would venture to guess Grandview could probably beat them right now. I like Bono and love Reader, but it just seems like he has regressed as a coach.
I seem to remember everyone beating on (figuratively) Davis too, for doing a poor job. Not every team, every year is going to be top 10. Bono turned a bad SDSU team into a contender and I wish him success in Madison too.
I’ve had season tickets here in Madison for the last 7 years after Bono got the job. I was fired up for him to come here. The results are no better than Barry Davis, mid-teens to low 20s at NCAAs, although I will say his best squad was the COVID no NCAA year and would have been top 10.
It’s pretty broken in Madison right now however. He’s got a track record now of losing top guys in the portal (Wick, Hamiti, Gomez, Rowley), the Burwick transfer fiasco, Endene transferring in and leaving before the season started, several top recruits decommitting (Estrada to Iowa, Root to UNC, Kelly to Illinois, Copass and Clark to Purdue) and virtually none of the top instate talent staying in Wisconsin.
This year I think absolute best case scenario this season is 5 qualifiers with 0 all-Americans. 2 guys who are capable of blood round or R16 with a good tournament. Not much help on the way in the recruiting world either. You can squint and see some very faint positives in that Amos and Zargo are medical redshirting and they are both solid if unspectacular, plus the team being super young.
So there is the reasoning. I watch them as close as I watch the cyclones and in person far more than I get to see the cyclones. It’s not good and there is zero excitement within the local wrestling community when it comes to the Badgers, especially know this with a son who’s just getting started in youth wrestling.
It’s not a personal thing with Bono. It’s simply something that’s got to change if Wisconsin wants to be relevant in wrestling.
#5 NC State vs #3 Okie State starting on ESPN+, should be a great dual but I don't see it being close
The other side of losing top guys is attracting them in the first place (Gomez comes to mind, for one) But why do you think he's losing top guys? I don't know. Hamati maybe got NIL money?
Is Braxton Amos injured? I see he didn't wrestle against Iowa.
#11 Vincent Robinson (NCST) upsets #2 Troy Spratley (OSU) 7-3, got a late takedown via scramble
Gomez I think Wisconsin was probably one of the few that’d give him a shot after his concussion issues. Proved he was healthy and still really good, got a bag from Michigan.
Hamiti got paid well, but had plateaued a bit. Think he was looking for a room try and see if he can compete for a title in his last season.
He inherited Evan Wick who basically said he wasn’t all in on Bono’s style, but that’s not uncommon when it’s not the coach who recruited you.
Amos hasn’t wrestled all year. Hurt his shoulder at 2023 NCAAs and MFF out. Sat 2024 after shoulder surgery, was going up to HWT this year and hurt his shoulder again. So we’ll see if he can get healthy and, if so, how effective he’ll be up at heavy. A bit like Carroll. Might be too big to manage the cut to 197 and be effective, but TBD on if he’s big enough to be good at heavy. Real tweener.
I'm not making excuses for anyone but often guys graduate from that school and want to go to grad school somewhere else. I think Hamiti would fit this category
Oklahoma state is the 2nd best team in the country right now
OkSt might have just proved what hiring a younger coach that everyone grew up watching (and who is also a good coach) along with a metric boat load of cash can do to turn a program around completely. Wow is all I can say (also sucks they are going to be back to running the big12)
I personally think if Hughes can manage his weight 133, he will give them another title contender there and would cement them at #2.
We don’t match up well with them at all.
Wish we were at full strength for a dual that’s on ESPN.
