MONROE - Many Monroe boys basketball campers wanted to see him dunk. Others wondered what had happened to his creative hair styles.
Former University of Wisconsin forward Mike Bruesewitz paid 66 campers a visit Thursday at Monroe High School. "I can't dunk because I turned my ankle in a game yesterday, but I can still shoot the three," he told them.
Bruesewitz, who has played professional basketball overseas in Jerusalem as well as Slovenia and Malta the last two years, attended the basketball camp to talk and shoot with the boys. Bruesewitz gave campers a snapshot of his background growing up in Litchfield, Minnesota, a town of about 7,000. He then moved to the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area to finish high school.
"I know what it's like to succeed in a similar environment to this," he said referencing Monroe. "I always had the goal to play professional basketball."
Bruesewitz played his final season for the Badgers in 2012-13. He still ranks eighth in UW history in career offensive rebounds (197). After graduating from Wisconsin, Bruesewitz played with the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Summer league before signing two different contracts to play overseas. He signed an eight-month contact to play in Jerusalem.
"It was amazing," he said. "Every day I have to pinch myself because I get paid to play basketball."
Last year, he started the season playing with Slovenia and finished the year with Malta, a southern European island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, where he won a championship.
Bruesewitz encouraged children to play a lot of sports and become three-sport athletes in high school. Bruesewitz played hockey, tennis, baseball and football. The only year he didn't play more than one sport was his senior year of high school when he had a scholarship to attend Wisconsin.
"Be a three-sport athlete, it's good for cross-training and you can find out what sports you like and don't like," he said.
He told the story of always getting the key to the gym so he could shoot while he was in high school. He shared how he gained confidence through hours of shooting and practice as well as playing on a traveling AAU team.
"Where I get my drive and confidence is knowing that I have outworked a lot my competition," Bruesewitz said. "Practice makes confidence. Everyone, if you get frustrated and suck making left-handed or right-handed layups remember it's a game and you have to have fun with it."
Bruesewitz encouraged children to continue to study and complete their work in school. He said it was a lot easier being recruited when colleges knew he had a 3.4 grade-point average.
"I have seen a lot of talented people who couldn't get it done off the court in the classroom," he said. "I have great parents who believed in me and pushed me."
Bruesewitz shared a couple of shooting drills with the basketball campers and then played a couple of shooting games before signing autographs.
Former University of Wisconsin forward Mike Bruesewitz paid 66 campers a visit Thursday at Monroe High School. "I can't dunk because I turned my ankle in a game yesterday, but I can still shoot the three," he told them.
Bruesewitz, who has played professional basketball overseas in Jerusalem as well as Slovenia and Malta the last two years, attended the basketball camp to talk and shoot with the boys. Bruesewitz gave campers a snapshot of his background growing up in Litchfield, Minnesota, a town of about 7,000. He then moved to the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area to finish high school.
"I know what it's like to succeed in a similar environment to this," he said referencing Monroe. "I always had the goal to play professional basketball."
Bruesewitz played his final season for the Badgers in 2012-13. He still ranks eighth in UW history in career offensive rebounds (197). After graduating from Wisconsin, Bruesewitz played with the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Summer league before signing two different contracts to play overseas. He signed an eight-month contact to play in Jerusalem.
"It was amazing," he said. "Every day I have to pinch myself because I get paid to play basketball."
Last year, he started the season playing with Slovenia and finished the year with Malta, a southern European island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, where he won a championship.
Bruesewitz encouraged children to play a lot of sports and become three-sport athletes in high school. Bruesewitz played hockey, tennis, baseball and football. The only year he didn't play more than one sport was his senior year of high school when he had a scholarship to attend Wisconsin.
"Be a three-sport athlete, it's good for cross-training and you can find out what sports you like and don't like," he said.
He told the story of always getting the key to the gym so he could shoot while he was in high school. He shared how he gained confidence through hours of shooting and practice as well as playing on a traveling AAU team.
"Where I get my drive and confidence is knowing that I have outworked a lot my competition," Bruesewitz said. "Practice makes confidence. Everyone, if you get frustrated and suck making left-handed or right-handed layups remember it's a game and you have to have fun with it."
Bruesewitz encouraged children to continue to study and complete their work in school. He said it was a lot easier being recruited when colleges knew he had a 3.4 grade-point average.
"I have seen a lot of talented people who couldn't get it done off the court in the classroom," he said. "I have great parents who believed in me and pushed me."
Bruesewitz shared a couple of shooting drills with the basketball campers and then played a couple of shooting games before signing autographs.
