Tag: Sam Dekker

Former Badgers F Sam Dekker Signs With The London Lions

Former Badgers star Sam Dekker is headed across the pond next season:

On Sunday, former Badgers star Sam Dekker officially signed a contract with The London Lions of the British Basketball League, which is the top tier in British basketball for the upcoming season.

Last season, Dekker signed a one-year deal with the Toronto Raptors but made just one appearance before he was released. He would finish the year in Turkey playing for the Bahcesehir basketball club, averaging 13.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

The former Sheboygan Lutheran High School standout, who was drafted No. 18 overall in 2015, spent four seasons in the NBA, appearing in 201 total games for the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, and the Toronto Raptors.

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Team Ingold tops Team Dekker 20-12 in the first annual Battle 4 Wisconsin

Team Ingold wins the first annual Battle 4 Wisconsin charity softball game:

On Saturday night, former Badgers alumni Alec Ingold and Sam Dekker hosted the first annual Battle 4 Wisconsin charity softball game in Madison at Warner Park.

The game, held at The Duck Pond, featured many famous Wisconsin football and basketball alumni, both past and present – with proceeds going to the Ingold Family Foundation.

“It was time to raise some money and give that back to different foster care families, different organizations that help with financial literacy and professional development,” Ingold told Mike Lucas of UWBadgers.com.

The evening kicked off with a cumulative home run derby, pitting the football and basketball programs against one another.

Team Ingold would win the derby 53-47 behind standout performances from former Badgers Alec Ingold and Taylor Mehlhaff – making them the home team for the event.

Every Wisconsin Badger selected in the NBA draft since 1980

The Badgers selected in the NBA draft since 1980

With Johnny Davis becoming the latest Badger to be selected in the NBA draft, let’s take a look back at the history of Wisconsin basketball draft choices.

On Thursday evening, the La Crosse native became the first Badger selected since 2015 when Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker ended up being first-round picks.

Since 1980, there have been 18 Badgers selected in the NBA draft. Of those 18 players, 9 were selected in the first round, with the highest pick landing at No. 5 overall.

Since 2000, there have been 6 selections, with five being first-round picks. Here is a look at the complete history of Badgers in the NBA draft since 1980:

Sam Dekker weighs in on officiating from the 2015 national championship

Sam Dekker weighs in on the officiating from the 2015 national championship against Duke:

If you’re a fan of the Wisconsin men’s basketball program, you’ve likely never endured a greater heartbreak than the Badgers 68-63 loss to Duke in the 2015 national title game. 

It seemed as though UW was a team of destiny, chosen by the basketball gods to surprise the college basketball world and make history along the way.

National title game recap:

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – APRIL 06: The Wisconsin Badgers look on after being defeated by the Duke Blue Devils during the NCAA Men’s Final Four National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 6, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Duke defeated Wisconsin 68-63. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Knotted up at 31 a piece at half-time, Wisconsin jumped out to a 48-39 advantage in the first seven minutes of the second half – things were looking up for the good guys. However, Duke would tie things up at 54 all with just seven minutes to play.

There is no good reason to rehash how those final seven minutes went, but it’s worth noting that of the 20 free throws Duke attempted (twice as many as UW), 16 of them came in the second half. 

Earlier today, Sam Dekker took to twitter to give his take on the officiating in the 2015 national title game: 

And while this is a rational, informed take, I choose to live in denial because it hurts too much to admit otherwise. Justice touched it.

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WATCH: Sam Dekker reflects on winning 2022 FIBA Europe Cup

The Badger legend is a 2022 FIBA Europe Cup champion

Earlier this week, Wisconsin basketball legend Sam Dekker became a 2022 FIBA European Cup champion as his Turkish squad Bahcesehir College came out victorious.

It was the culmination of wild year for the former Badger, as he began the season in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors before being cut and finding himself overseas.

After winning the 2022 European Cup, Dekker took to Twitter to share his thoughts on a championship and overcoming adversity in his professional career. After spending the first four seasons of his professional career in the NBA, Dekker has bounced around overseas along with his short stint in Toronto:

Sam Dekker wins 2022 FIBA Europe Cup with Bahçeşehir Koleji

The Badger legend wins a championship overseas

A tumultuous professional year for Wisconsin basketball legend Sam Dekker ended in triumph this week.

After getting another NBA shot with the Toronto Raptors before the beginning of the 2021-22 NBA season, Dekker was cut shortly thereafter and found his way to the Turkish Super League.

The former Badger found himself with Bahcesehir Koleji in Istanbul, a team that participates in one of Europe’s biggest basketball competitions, the FIBA Europe Cup.

Dekker’s team finished off Italian squad Reggio Emilia over the two-game championship round to win the 2022 FIBA Europe Cup. It was the first ever trophy win in club history.

Over 17 games this season, Dekker has averaged 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while shooting over 48% from the field.

Evan Miya lists two Badgers among the most impactful players of the last decade

Analytics savant Evan Miya lists two former Badgers among the most impactful players of the last decade.

According to analytics savant Evan Miya, two former Badgers were among the most impactful players of the last decade using his BPR metric.

This metric measures a players overall impact using a number of factors, such as their individual statistics, impact on the team’s success when they’re on the court, and other historical data.

The Badgers dynamic duo of Frank Kaminsky (12), and Sam Dekker (14) both made the list for their impressive performances during the 2014-15 season.

Frank the tank won the National Player of the Year award that season while posting a season stat line of 18.8 points per game, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.5 blocks while shooting 41% from beyond the arc.

Dekker had an unforgettable run in March that cemented his legacy at Wisconsin forever. As a junior he posted a season stat line of 13.9 points per game, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists on an efficient 52% from the floor that season.

Per KenPom, Wisconsin’s adjusted offensive efficiency of (129.0) in the 2014-15 season is still the most efficient offense in college basketball history since the metric has been recorded. It only makes sense that the two best players on said offense would make Evan Miya’s list of most impactful players.

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Sam Dekker finding success in the Turkish Basketball Super League

Former Badgers forward Sam Dekker is finding success in the Turkish Super League.

Originally drafted 18th overall by the Houston Rockets, former Badgers forward Sam Dekker is continuing to blaze his own trail on the basketball court.

Sam Dekker was signed by the Toronto Raptors on August 10th after playing two highly productive years overseas.

After being lightly used in the preseason and appearing in just one regular season game, Sam Dekker would ultimately be waived by the Toronto Raptors on November 6th.

He would land on his feet rather quickly, signing with Bahçeşehir Koleji of the Turkish Basketball Super League on December 4th – and he appears to be settling in quite nicely.

As it stands, Sam Dekker is the clubs leading scorer – averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3 assists in 26 minutes per game on 55% shooting from the field.

Sam Dekker can only return to the NBA this season if offered a full guaranteed contract. There is no doubt that the talent is there, he just needs an opportunity to log consistent minutes.

Sam Dekker helped lead the Badgers to back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2014, 2015 while donning the cardinal and white, including a national championship appearance.

In total, Dekker appeared in 113 games with 81 starts in his three seasons in Madison, and earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors his sophomore and junior seasons.

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WATCH: Sam Dekker catches fire in final Toronto Raptors preseason game

Sam Dekker impresses in his final preseason audition with the Toronto Raptors

For Sam Dekker, Tuesday night was not only a final audition for the Toronto Raptors but one for the league as a whole as the former Badger tries to resolidify his place in the NBA.

The Wisconsin native showed out late in the Raptors’ 113-108 win over the Wizards. Dekker finished with 18 points in only 16 minutes, going 7-10 from the field and catching fire in the second half. His improved shooting showed, as the 2015 first-round pick went 4-5 from beyond the arc and converted on a four-point play.

The one-year deal Dekker signed with Toronto this offseason is partially guaranteed, but would become fully guaranteed if he makes the final regular season roster. It was about as good of a final showing as the Badger legend could have hoped for, and now it’s a waiting game to see if the Raptors, or any of the NBA’s other 29 teams take a chance on the 6-foot-9 forward.

The Wisconsin Badger family reacts to the Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA title

Some of the best reactions from current and former Badgers to the Bucks’ Game 6 win last night:

The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns 105-98 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals last night, completing their quest for the franchise’s first championship in 50 years.

The Wisconsin Badger and Milwaukee sports family and fandom parallel each other in so many ways. And with this late-summer quest for a championship, we’ve seen numerous members of the Wisconsin Badger family express their support for the Bucks.

Some are Wisconsin natives, some just gained a Wisconsin identity through playing football or basketball for the Badgers. But in either situation, the feeling of elation was clear after last night’s win.

From Melvin Gordon, to Josh Gasser, to Tyler Beach and more, here are some of the best reactions from current and former Badgers to the Bucks’ NBA title:

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