After the UW-Whitewater men’s basketball team ended their 2023-24 season on a sour note – a 76-70 loss to UW-Stevens Point in the first round of the WIAC Tournament – many fans felt disappointed given the team’s preseason expectations.
As for guard Collin Madson, he felt a sense of optimism about his future with the program. After a sit down meeting with head coach Jarod Wichser after the season, his optimism grew.
“I wanted last year to be more of a learning year… I just wanted to grow and get better,” Madson said. “Wichser and I had a sit-down meeting at the end of the year, and he said he wanted my role to extend.”
Wichser stuck to his word: Madson’s role did extend. Now in his sophomore season with the Warhawks, he is contributing 8.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. More importantly, he plays an average of 26.7 minutes per game, the second-highest average on the team.
“I just wanted to be ready,” Madson said. “I want to do whatever it takes to win, and if me growing as a player was what we needed, I needed to get that done.”
Before becoming one of the Warhawks’ most efficient shooters, he had to fall in love with basketball, which was hard for someone whose initial love was baseball. Madson began playing AAU basketball in seventh grade, playing for JH1 Elite. During this time his favoritism began to shift.
This shift continued to be more prominent as Madson entered high school, where he was a three-year varsity basketball player for Mukwonago High School. While playing for Mukwonago, he was chosen as a team captain and broke MHS records for most three-point shots made in a career and points scored in a single season.
“Coach [Steve] Pollnow really let me play loose, understood that I put in all that work, and he had all the faith in the world in me,” Madson said. “I really would not be where I am today without him.”
On Dec. 11, 2022, Madson announced his verbal commitment to Whitewater. He chose the Warhawks over a multitude of Division II offers, citing proximity to home as a big reason for his commitment.
“I’m a very family-oriented guy,” Madson said. “I visited a lot of DII schools, and they were more far away. They [offered] full-ride scholarships, but I want to be close to my family and close to home.”
With a considerable number of athletes returning from the 2022-23 Final Four team, Madson’s freshman season was a period for him to watch and learn. He appeared in 11 games with no starts, registering 21 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists on 6.2 minutes per game.
Following the team’s first-round exit in the conference tournament, and a sit down meeting with Wichser, Madson’s 2024 offseason became more important. The hard-working athlete, already balancing basketball with school and work, had to work even harder.
“Normally I’d work out in the morning, go to work, go lift, and then go do another basketball workout,” Madson said. “I was working hard this summer.”
When compared to his freshman season, Madson’s 2024-25 campaign is a showcase of that hard work. On top of the general statistics, Madson is one of the most efficient shooters on the squad, shooting 44.5% from the field and 32.3% from three-point range.
On top of that, Madson has been finishing at the rim more effectively, primarily because of an emphasis on growing physically during his offseason workouts. Madson gained 15 pounds this offseason, noting that he’s seen the results when “getting to the rim, posting up, being physical on defense, and boxing out.”
“I felt like that physical step was something that I needed to take to the next level if I wanted to play here,” Madson added.
When it’s all said and done, Madson wants to leave a legacy of teamwork. He could not care less about individual awards, including All-American distinctions, as long as he can contribute to team accolades.
Off the court, Madson shares an energetic personality, always being positive and happy. Having an open personality has allowed him to form great relationships with teammates, especially Joey Berezowitz, Tristian Lynch and Brock Marino.
“They’ve always been huge believers in me and always have supported me on and off the court,” Madson said. “They know what I’m capable of, and think ‘we need you to win games.’”
Madson also dedicates much of his basketball career to his coaches, which has inspired him to eventually be a head varsity basketball coach himself. Madson loves being around kids and seeing them grow as individuals in the same way that his coaches trusted him to grow as an individual, giving him many opportunities to step up and form his own legacy.
“I just think if I could have that impact on someone, why wouldn’t I?”
