Even amidst the offseason departures of four scholarship players to the transfer portal, including starters AJ Storr andChucky Hepburn, I did my best to hold off on drawing any conclusions about the state of theWisconsin basketball program until I saw what Greg Gard reeled in to replace them.
The modern-day transfer portal has become a pay-for-play model. The school with the most up-front resources often has its pick of the litter, so to speak, leaving everyone else in scramble mode.
It’s evolved to the point where coaches now view roster construction as a year-to-year endeavor rather than recruiting and developing for stability.
“I’ve seen this landscape coming,”Gard told reporters. “This isn’t a surprise to anybody. I’m not mad at anybody because, specifically Chucky and AJ, if anybody in their right mind told any of you guys or gals that you couldgotriple your income by taking a different job, you’d do it in a heartbeat, no questions asked.”
Gard has expressed interest in adding another transfer to the frontcourt if the right fit emerges for Wisconsin. Regardless, much of the Badgers’ heavy lifting in the portal has alreadybeen done,so it seems fitting to break down the new transfer class and share some initial impressions.
How Wisconsin Basketball Navigated the Transfer Portal
The Badgers brought in former Central Arkansas point guard Camren Hunter, former Northern Illinois forward Xavier Amos, and former Missouri guard John Tonje to round out the core of their transfer portal class this offseason.
Wisconsin basketball is counting heavily on these new additions, who probably didn’t receive the same NIL compensation as Storr and Hepburn on the open market, to play at a somewhat comparable level in the Big Ten and fill the gaps left by the departing Badgers players.
By all accounts, this strategy falls into the category of being ‘fiscally responsible’ with NIL funds.Coach Gard used that phrase when discussing how to manage the available NIL budget, and itappears to be a likely path for Wisconsin basketball to follow in future offseasons.
Retaining and developing core players will always be the goal. However, mining proven transfer talent from the lower levels could mitigate some risk in the portal when handing out scholarship spots to fill out its roster. In short, it’s a sustainable path in a wildly unstable landscape.
Now, let’s get back to my assessment of the transfer portal haul. From what the Wisconsin basketball team has added, I’m optimistic. Coach Gard and the Badgers’ offense made crazy strides last season, largely thanks to offensive coordinator Kirk Penney. The staff had a chance to recruit specifically for their free-flowing offense and find better fits who accentuate this new direction.
At 6-foot-8 inches, Amosappears to bea perfect candidate for the starting role at the four spot due to his versatility and ability to draw defenders to the perimeter.As a sophom*ore, he averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks while having a 38.5% hit rate from beyond the arc last season. He seems well-suited to fill Tyler Wahl’s shoes and could be the floor-spacing forward this offense has desperately needed.
Despite a foot injury derailing Tonje’s last season at Missouri, his previous average of 14.6 points at Colorado State and his reputation as a shooter when healthy could render him a valuable asset.
Wisconsin basketball has struggled at times offensively without a “wing” capable of scoring and defending prototypical small forwards. He checks those boxes and gives them an experienced option capable of putting the ball in the basket — while being a 37.1% career three-point shooter.
The most intriguing prospect here is Hunter. At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Hunter is one year removed from averaging 16.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game as a sophom*ore. After missing all of last season with a foot injury, there’s some risk involved here due to the projection.
His 31.1 percent shooting from distance in 2022-23 and less-than-ideal assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3 to 1) as a point guard raise some concerns.
However, Hunter’s potential could be unlocked in Gard’s offensive system, which plans to pair him withstrongshooters and leverage his ability to create off the dribble and score at the rim.Synergy data showsthat the Hunter ranked in the 69th percentile on offense as a pick-and-roll ball handler and in the 63rd percentile as a spot-up shooter.
Where I have some pause with this group comes on the defensive end. Wisconsin basketball had more than its fair share of struggles on defense last season, which isn’t something Badgers fans are accustomed to. That said, the coaching staff appears fully committed to building the program around their new-look offense, and it’s more than evident that targeting this area was a primary focus in the transfer portal this offseason.
With these new pieces, along with the return of key players like Max Klesmit, John Blackwell, Steven Crowl, and Nolan Winter, Wisconsin basketball has the makings of an NCAA Tournament team on paper. Freshman Daniel Freitag could also be a core contributor for the Badgers.
As I sit here and write this, nobody knows how the Badgers will be able to blend the transfer additions with the returning pieces — but Wisconsin men’s basketball found a way to bounce back in the portal and recoup much of the production that walked out the door. In my eyes, there is a non-zero chance this could be a more well-balanced team in 2024-25.
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