A new face and new duties are part of the expansion of the UW sports communications office. Justin Doherty, the UW assistant athletic director for communications, said interviews are underway to bring in someone to join the full-time staff. Among the duties for the new hire will be to serve as the main contact for men's basketball. Bringing in a sixth full-time employee was precipitated by two developments: 1) Doherty will focus on running the ever-in-demand department, thus relenquishing his duties as the No. 1 contact for football; 2) Tam Flarup, the most veteran member of the staff, will focus strictly on her role as director of website services. Doherty said he will continue to travel with football, but the day-to-day duties will fall to Brian Lucas, who previously handled men's basketball. Diane Nordstrom will continue to handle volleyball, but also will become the No. 1 contact for women's... >>MORE

  By the sounds of things, Wisconsin assistant coach Kevin Patrick made a good impression on the folks in Alaska. One of two finalists for the job as head coach of the Nanooks, a Central Collegiate Hockey Association program located in Fairbanks, Patrick formally interviewed for the post Thursday. As part of that process, Patrick took questions from a group of approximately 70 fans. Patrick talked about the importance of building relationships with his new players and the support staff; about having a specific plan heading into each season and sticking to it; about his goal of competing for championships. Patrick, 39, said that if he was hired -- a decision is expected sometime next week -- he would look to add Dallas Ferguson as his top assistant. Ferguson is the other finalist for the job. A former Nanooks player and assistant under the previous two Alaska coaches -- Tavis MacMillian resigned after the 2006-07 season and Doc Del Castillo stepped down after the 2007-08 season -- Ferguson was interviewed Wednesday. Not a surprise... >>MORE

 It took Chase Drake, a senior defenseman, honor student and three-sport standout at Mosinee High School, less than 24 hours to decide he wanted to play for Wisconsin. He visited the campus Wednesday and verbally committed to UW coach Mike Eaves Thursday. The tentative plan calls for Drake to play two seasons with Green Bay of the U.S. Hockey League before joining the Badgers in 2010-11. Drake, listed at 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds, has the kind of academic resume that led to interest from Princeton and Yale. Notre Dame and Colorado College also made big pushes. Strong skating skills, athleticism and instincts are why Drake -- who had 12 goals, 19 assists and 31 points for the Papermakers -- is rated 123rd on the NHL Central Scouting list of the top North American skaters eligible for the NHL Entry Draft next month. For more on the commitment, check Friday's Wisconsin State... >>MORE

 Not a lot of definitives came out of the recent American Hockey Coaches Association get-together in Florida, but two separate discussions are worth revisiting. One was behind closed doors: Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez, associate AD Sean Frazier, men's coach Mike Eaves and women's coach Mark Johnson had a private audience with Western Collegiate Hockey Association commissioner Bruce McLeod. The UW entourage asked for the meeting in order to hash out a series of grievances that occurred during the season. On the men's side, controversial losses to Denver and St. Cloud State in which officiating errors took place, as well as a dust-up with North Dakota that Eaves felt was allowed to exceed acceptable boundaries. On the women's side, the apparent use of an ineligible player by eventual WCHA and NCAA champion Minnesota-Duluth, which has yet to yield any sanctions.  "It was a tough year on a lot of fronts,'' Eaves said. "What needed to be put on the table was a little... >>MORE

 Wisconsin assistant coach Kevin Patrick is pouring all his energies into landing the job as head coach of Alaska, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association entry located in Fairbanks. That's why he removed his name from consideration as a candidate for the opening at Green Bay, the Tier I junior program in the U.S. Hockey League. Patrick, a UW assistant since 2005, is one of two finalists for the job of coaching the Nanooks following the abrupt resignation of Doc Del Castillo after the 2007-08 season. Alaska assistant Dallas Ferguson is scheduled to be interviewed Wednesday. Patrick will be interviewed Thursday. The new hire will be announced next week by athletic director Forrest Karr, a former Madison Edgewood High School goaltender who, like Patrick, graduated from Notre Dame after playing for the Fighting... >>MORE

A busy week rolled on for the University of Wisconsin women's basketball team Friday.Coach Lisa Stone's contract was not extended past its current end date of May 31, 2011 by the UW Athletic Board. Stone seemed well aware that her bosses were expecting more Thursday when she announced the hiring of assistant Kathi Bennett."It's time to climb, and we're ready to do it," Stone said. "I've got a very thirsty team. I've got a very eager staff."Stone then filled out her staff Friday with the hiring of assistant Oties Epps.Epps (whose first name is pronounced o-teece) was an assistant at Cleveland State under former UW assistant Kate Peterson Abiad for the past four seasons.Before that, Epps was an assistant men's coach at UW-Stout. He played at Mount Senario College in Ladysmith, which shut down in 2002.Epps will work with UW's guards, and assist in recruiting, scouting and player development.Epps' hiring was pretty much done Thursday, but the completion of paperwork caused the one-day... >>MORE

More on the University of Wisconsin women's basketball team's hiring of Kathi Bennett as an assistant coach:- Her year-by-year record as a head coach1988-89 Teikyo Marycrest 18-101989-90 UW-Oshkosh 17-71990-91 UW-Oshkosh 21-51991-92 UW-Oshkosh 18-61992-93 UW-Oshkosh 16-81993-94 UW-Oshkosh 24-31994-95 UW-Oshkosh 28-31995-96 UW-Oshkosh 31-01996-97 Evansville 3-231997-98 Evansville 6-201998-99 Evansville 19-111999-00 Evansville 23-72000-01 Indiana 20-112001-02 Indiana 17-142002-03 Indiana 13-152003-04 Indiana 12-172004-05 Indiana 10-18Overall record of 296-177 for a winning percentage of .628.- Bennett's first two seasons at Indiana were clearly her best. She talked Thursday... >>MORE

The University of Wisconsin women's basketball team hasn't released its schedule for next season yet, but it will include a trip to the Virgin Islands.The Badgers will play in the Paradise Jam tournament in St. Thomas Nov. 27-29, organizers announced Saturday.UW will compete in the tournament's Island division - the event has two divisions - with games against Villanova, Central Florida and Baylor.Villanova, of course, knocked the Badgers out of last season's Women's National Invitation Tournament in the second round.Baylor, which won the national title in 2005, has made the NCAA tournament eight straight years. The Lady Bears lost in the second round to Pittsburgh last season.Central Florida is the only team in either bracket that did not play in the postseason last... >>MORE