Bucky's 5th Quarter is seeking basketball, recruiting writers

As part of the second-generation leadership group here at Bucky's 5th Quarter, the last year-plus has been phenomenal. We've so thoroughly enjoyed taking the site to a new level that we frankly don't know what we'd be doing without it. We're reaching a larger audience than ever, but that's not why we're here. We're here to make B5Q the go-destination for Wisconsin fans to share their views, engage in lively and rewarding discussion and find out everything that's going on with our beloved Badgers.

Our staff has grown significantly since Andrew, Andy, Phil and myself have taken over as leaders of the site -- but we're looking for more. Specifically, we're seeking men's basketball and recruiting writers (hoops or football) to take our coverage in those areas to greater heights.

Let's start with basketball...

What we're looking for in a basketball writer (and no, we're not just looking for one):

• First and foremost, an individual who seriously wants to write about basketball. That means you're knowledgeable about college basketball, and especially of Wisconsin. That also means you like the writing part -- we're not seeking Pulitzer-quality prose, and a lack of previous writing experience might not even matter. But we want people eager to contribute to the site an authoritative voice that is grounded in analysis and commentary.
• That said, we have an opening for a pseudo-basketball beat writer. The four of us are based all around Wisconsin, Minnesota and Chicago, and that means we can't always get out to practice or cover games. Honestly, that's fine -- our identity as an SB Nation site is one of, again, analysis and commentary. That can absolutely be done from the comfort of your blogging station. But, if you can get out to Madison frequently and cover games especially (practices we'll consider a bonus), all the better. For this, we'd like people with previous writing/reporting experience if possible. Journalism students and student paper guys and gals, we're looking at you especially.
• If you're not around Madison and/or not interested/able to cover things in person, that's OK. Again, we want analysis and commentary that is smart, entertaining and different than all other Wisconsin Badgers coverage on the Internet.

As for recruiting...

• 247, Rivals and Scout all do fantastic work, and we're absolutely not trying to compete, replace or become one of them. We're not a scouting service. Again, we're first and foremost about analysis and commentary, and we want to bring that element to our recruiting coverage.
• So, what do you need? Knowledge of this subject is the most important. Our editorial staff will proofread your work not just for clarity, grammar and style, but for the stated intention of presenting our audience with the most accurate, interesting and relevant content possible. So if you're a recruiting nut tracking the latest offers and visits, this is a great spot you. We want you. If you have any interest at all in football and/or basketball recruiting, we'd also like to hear from you.

Oh, and Photoshop...

• Honestly, this is a secondary need to the above two positions. That said, if you're good with Photoshop/other design tools and also interested in sports, we'd love to chat. Whether it's developing graphic-laden game previews or having some fun with photoshops, GIFs and the like, we'd like to explore the possibilities that are out there.

How to make it happen...

• Again, we prize candidates with superior knowledge in their respective topics. That said, we would like some sort of writing samples if you're interested in joining us. One will do just fine, whether it's a previously published article or something you cook up right now. If it's the latter, please write something on either basketball or recruiting, whatever you're interested in writing for us. Two or three samples, however, would be fantastic and likely help your case.
• Much of our staff -- not all, but most -- consists of undergrad or recent-grad journalism students seeking opportunities to develop their brand, build a portfolio and develop a social media presence as an authority on Wisconsin athletics.
• So, full disclosure: these opportunities will begin as unpaid. We promise you, the opportunity is there down the road to earn some compensation should your output warrant it. We are and always will be flexible regarding schedules. We're not here to drive anyone nuts by magnifying an already heavy workload -- if you're interested but not sure if you have the time, please do still contact us. If we like your work, we'll be more than happy to try to work something out.
• For questions, feel free to utilize the comments section below. To submit clips or ask questions you might want to raise privately, email me at michael.fiammetta@gmail.com.
• Finally, whether this is your first time on the site or you're one of our regular readers and commenters, thank you. We honestly do this for you, and we hope we're living up to your expectations. If we're not, or you'd like to see us address things differently, please do use the contact methods in the previous bullet. On Wisconsin, y'all.