Bronson Koenig

Bronson Koenig

No. 24 – Wisconsin Badgers
Position	Guard
League	Big Ten Conference
Personal information
Born	(1994-11-13) November 13, 1994 La Crosse, Wisconsin
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	193 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school	Aquinas (La Crosse, Wisconsin)
College	Wisconsin (2013–present)

Bronson Koenig (born November 13, 1994) is a basketball player for the Wisconsin Badgers. Koenig attended Aquinas High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

High school career

Koenig attended Aquinas High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin. As a sophomore, Koenig averaged 17 points and 3 assists per game. He was named First Team All-State after leading Aquinas to the 2010 Division III State Championship. He missed much of his junior season due to an injury. In his senior campaign, he again led his team to a state title and was named Wisconsin Player of the Year by the Associated Press. Koenig scored 16 points in the title game. He averaged 17.0 points and 4.4 assists per game as a senior, shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. Koenig was a McDonald's All American nominee.

Name	Home town	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Bronson Koenig PG	La Crosse, WI	Aquinas	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Sep 24, 2011
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 78
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

College career

Koenig was moved into the Badgers starting lineup during the 2014–15 season after an injury to point guard Traevon Jackson on January 11, 2015. He averaged 11.6 points per game as a starting guard.

In the second round of the 2016 NCAA Basketball Tournament against the Xavier Musketeers, Koenig made a game-tying three-pointer with 11.7 seconds left. Then, after a Xavier offensive foul, he made another three-pointer at the buzzer to give Wisconsin a 66-63 victory. Koenig finished the game with 20 points. After the win, he said, “I like to have the ball in my hands in those kinds of situations because I believe in myself.”

College statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2013–14	Wisconsin	37	0	15.5	.443	.328	.750	1.2	1.1	0.3	0.1	3.5
2014–15	Wisconsin	40	24	28.8	.414	.405	.812	1.8	2.5	0.2	0.2	8.7
2015–16	Wisconsin	35	35	34.9	.392	.390	.763	2.8	2.4	0.4	0.2	13.1
Career		112	59	26.3	.407	.386	.782	1.9	2.0	0.3	0.2	8.4

Personal life

Koenig is the son of Paul Koenig and Ethel Funmaker. He is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and is only one of forty-two Division 1 NCAA Basketball players who identify as Native American. The Hoo-Chunk Nation once spanned from Illinois to Nebraska. However in the 1800's, the nation was stripped of much of its land and reservations were formed in Nebraska and Wisconsin, not far from where Koenig grew up. He is opposed to using Indian names as mascots, and is particularly against the Washington Redskins. Most recently in the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball tournament, Koenig was praised for his leadership on and and off the court. After hitting the game winning shot against Xavier, Koenig said in an interview "That was for all my natives." He used this platform and attention from the press to speak out against these Indian names as mascots. In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Koenig stated, "With the mascots and all that stuff I think people think its OK to make fun of us...I feel like sometimes we are the lowest of the low among the minorities...and when a Native American kid sees that growing up and see disrespect, it lowers their self-esteem and puts them in a lower place in society." In his remarks about the Washington Redskins, Koenig asks the questions, "Is our skin Red? Would it be OK for the Kansas City Negroes or the Blackskins?" There is unfair treatment and disregard for political correctness towards Native Americans in our society and that is the point the Wisconsin Badger strives to drive home with his efforts. Koenig is continuing to improve in his basketball career while also serving as a role model for native youths across the country.

For further information regarding Koenig's stance on this issue and his Milwaukee Journal Sentinel interview, please visit the following pages:http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/02/04/bronson-koenig-native-mascots-people-think-its-ok-make-fun-us-159029

http://www.lakotacountrytimes.com/news/2015-03-19/Sports/Wisconsin_floor_general_speaks_out_against_Native_.html