Gus Yalden is ready to return home for college basketball. Less than two weeks ago, the Badger State native fulfilled his childhood dream of committing to Wisconsin basketball.
The consensus four-star prospect’s high school journey has taken him around the nation, and he spent this past season with Asheville School in North Carolina. His roots, however, were always leading him back to Madison.
A one-time Appleton, Wisconsin local, Yalden grew up admiring the Final Four runs put together by Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker, and crew as he one day hoped to become part of Badger basketball lore.
“I grew up a Wisconsin fan,” Yalden said in an Instagram post earlier this month. “Being from Appleton, Wisconsin basketball just means more. When they went to the 2015 national championship – you can ask my mom – the day after I cried and didn’t go to school because I was so sad.
The four-star prospect has long been at the top of Wisconsin’s wishlist, and for good reason. Within a minute of watching Yalden’s tape, you see a unique bag of offensive tricks coupled with a 7-foot-2 wingspan. Few players in the 2023 class can showcase offensive versatility comparable to the Appleton native. He comfortably maneuvers off-ball for catch-and-shoot threes, can grab-and-go off of his own rebounds, and excels as a scorer and passer with his back to the basket.
So many different ways for Yalden to contribute offensively. C&S 3s, handling it in transition, mid post work, lethal hook, unafraid to spice things up as a passer pic.twitter.com/cN8x9laKtX
— Asher Low (@alow_33) May 17, 2022
The natural question then becomes where does Yalden fit in Wisconsin’s swing offense? It’s a luxurious question to ponder when talking about a player who does this many things well.
Earlier this week, BadgersWire spoke with the four-star commit on how he sees his game, his thoughts on the fit at Wisconsin, and what the Badger coaching staff went over with him from an x’s and o’s perspective before his decision was made: