Wisconsin men’s basketball: The Frank Kaminsky Experience

Frank Kaminsky is getting his #44 retired on Thursday night with a special ceremony taking place before the Badgers face #6 Purdue. Kaminsky was, of course, the Big Ten player of the Year, Player of the Year, and a unanimous First Team All-American in 2015. Kaminsky had the size and shooting touch that has hardly been matched at the college level, along with the ability to dribble and drive the basketball. He led the Badgers to two straight Final Fours, one championship game, and was an NBA first-round draft pick.

In this article, we won’t be talking about any of that.

What made Frank Kaminsky so special and memorable wasn’t actually what happened on the court, it was the antics that took place off the hardwood. It was an experience. It was the Frank Kaminsky Experience.

The Goggles

 

Long before he was the Player of the Year and “Frank the Tank”, Kaminsky was just a reserve forward who hadn’t shown anything spectacular. Anything spectacular except being able to pull of those goggles. Frank wore the goggles after cutting his iris in a game against Indiana. He missed a couple of weeks, but some would say it was worth it if you think about how well he pulls off the glasses.

Goggles-Headband Combo

As any fashion icon would do, once you perfect a look? You take it a step further. Frank’s step further was a headband. It really is quite the combo.

Frank Kaminsky’s 43-point explosion

Frank scored 43 points against North Dakota his junior year, setting a University of Wisconsin men’s basketball record for single-game scoring. I bet no one even remembers a single bucket from his offensive explosion, but I bet just about everyone remembers his picture replicating Wilt Chamberlain after his 100-point game.

Frank dancing in NCAA Tournament commercial

Not many near 7-footers can dance, and I’m not so sure Frank really can either, but whatever. Frank doing “the Carlton” to a Pitbull song really shows how confident he is in himself.

More Frank Dancing

Frank really took Lee Ann Womack seriously when she sang “I Hope You Dance.”

Frank meets Will Ferrell

“Frank the Tank” met “Frank the Tank” in a real-life Spiderman pointing at Spiderman meme. I remember being in high school during this and seeing Frank meet Hollywood A-listers was so strange but cool. To see a Badger making national waves in the way Frank did is something we’ve never seen before and may never see again.