Tag: 2023 college basketball season

Badgers MBB “Top 8” may be coming to fruition

Badgers MBB rotations coming together

The Badgers men’s basketball team held practice Thursday, which was open to the media and their top unit may have been identified. Last year’s five primary starters Chucky Hepburn, Connor Essegian, Max Klesmit, Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl were all part of it, which comes as no surprise.

Notably though, the rest of the “top eight” was rounded out by forward Carter Gilmore, transfer wing AJ Storr (St. John’s) and freshman big man Nolan Winter. This is by no means the only group of players that will be major contributors for Greg Gard’s squad in 2023-2024, but it does shed light on where the roster is at ahead of their season opener in a couple weeks.

Amongst those who weren’t part of the top unit Thursday was guard Kamari McGee, who will likely be the primary backup point guard this season.

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Badgers MBB sets date for scrimmage

Red and White scrimmage set for early October

Every year, the Badgers men’s basketball team holds a “Red vs White” team scrimmage and this year’s contest will take place Sunday Oct. 15. The game will begin at 4 PM and it is free to attend.

The seating will be on a first-come, first-serve basis so get their extra early if you want the best seats in the house. This season’s Badgers squad will see the return of their entire starting lineup from 2022-2023, highlighted by the fact that forward Tyler Wahl elected to stick around for another year.

Greg Gard’s squad fell short of the NCAA Tournament last season and the scrimmage will be their first step towards putting that behind them.

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LOOK: Badgers legends visit WBB team

Three legends visit the WBB team

The Wisconsin women’s basketball season is still a couple months away, but the team was visited by three former legends this week. LaTonya Sims, Cassie Rochel and Amy Poole visited the squad.

Sims was a member of the Badgers’ WBB team from 1998 to 2001, earning many honors including Big Ten Freshman of Year. She was also the team’s Most Valuable Player twice and currently ranks sixth on the all-time UW career scoring list with 1,857 points.

Rochel was a part of the Wisconsin roster from 2010 to 2015. The forward most notably ranks second at UW in career blocks with 181 and third with 1.64 blocks per game.

Poole was a member of the Badgers from 1995 to 1999 and she’s a member of the WBCA Hall of Fame after he high school career at Randolph.

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WATCH: Introduction to new Badgers guard

What’s in Storr for transfer guard?

The Badgers men’s basketball team will look very familiar in 2023, but new addition transfer guard A.J. Storr will look to make a splash in his first season in Madison.

Storr spent the 2022 season with St. John’s but he’ll be with the Badgers this year after transferring this offseason. He averaged 8.8 points per game in his freshman campaign with St. John’s and he’ll look to improve upon that with Wisconsin.

Additionally, he had the opportunity to play with the Bahamian National Team this month, recording 30 points over two exhibition games against the Kansas Jayhawks.

It’s unclear what role he’ll have in Madison, but the 6-foot-6 high-flyer will likely have a substantial impact on Greg Gard’s squad.

Badgers guard hosts first annual youth camp

New Badger hosts youth camp

The Badgers men’s basketball team got a transfer addition in guard A.J. Storr from St. John’s this offseason and the 6-foot-6 athlete hosted his first annual youth camp this week.

Storr just returned to the states last week after he scored 30 points over two exhibition games against Kansas as a member of the Bahamian National Team.

During his one season with St. John’s, the guard appeared in 33 games, including 17 starts, while averaging 8.8 points and 1.9 rebounds.

It’s unclear if he’ll instantly be a starter with Greg Gard’s Badgers this year, but Storr will bring a high-flying playstyle to the Kohl Center in 2023 regardless of role.

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Badgers guard hangs up sneakers, becomes coach

Badger guard becomes coach

Entering the 2023-2024 college basketball season, a lot of attention has been paid to the incoming members of the Badgers men’s basketball team, but a returning member announced the end of his playing career Saturday.

Justin Taphorn was set to be entering his fourth season with the Badgers, but the 6-foot-5 athlete will now become an undergraduate assistant coach for the team this year.

With guards A.J. Storr (St. John’s transfer) and John Blackwell (freshman) entering the picture, Taphorn likely saw his chances to play becoming slim, so he figured a new way to contribute to Greg Gard and the team in 2023.

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WATCH: Best jams by a former Badgers high-flyer

This high-flying Badger created quite the highlight reel

The 2023 college basketball season is still a couple months away, but the Big Ten posted a highlight reel of some of Khalil Iverson’s best dunks. A member of the Badgers from 2015-2019, Iverson provided plenty of emphatic slams.

During his four years in Madison, the 6-foot-5 forward never really became the go-to offensive option, but he did carve out a significant role. He played over 20 minutes per game in his final two seasons.

Iverson averaged a career-high 8.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists while starting all 33 games, playing 30.4 minutes per contest during his junior campaign in 2017-2018.

Here are some of his epic finishes:

 

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LOOK: Badgers MBB non-conference schedule released

How will the Badgers fair in their non-conference schedule in 2023?

The 2023 college basketball season is still a couple months away, but the Badgers men’s basketball non-conference schedule has been announced.

Greg Gard and his Wisconsin squad are looking to return to the National Tournament after missing it last year. They did end up advancing all the way to the semifinals of the NIT though, losing to the eventual winners North Texas 56-54.

Now with the entire starting lineup returning in 2023 in addition to some add-ons like A.J. Storr and the four incoming freshman, they’ll look to get the train back on track.

The non-conference slate includes top squads like Tennessee, Marquette and Arizona.

WATCH: Badger MBB player throws down a dunk for Bahamas National Team

The newest high-flying Badger

The 2023 men’s basketball season remains a couple months away, but one of Wisconsin’s newest additions has been getting after it with the Bahamas National team.

AJ Storr transferred to Madison from St. John’s this offseason and many are hyped about his skillset. Most commonly referred to is his athletic prowess, possessing incredible burst with his 6-foot-6 frame.

Storr, as seen below, can attack the rim with great success, something Greg Gard’s squad struggled to do this past season. It’s unclear whether Storr is expected to start or not in his first season in Madison, but there is no doubt he’s set for a significant role with the Badgers.

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WATCH: Which Badgers’ shot was better?

The 2023-2024 MBB season is still a few months away, but two of the athletes filmed each other making some trick shots in the Kohl Center.

The 2023-2024 men’s basketball season is still a few months away, but two of the athletes filmed each other making some trick shots in the Kohl Center. Entering his second season in Madison, Connor Essegian along with freshman forward Nolan Winter both made shots from the bleachers.

Essegian averaged 11.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in his freshman season in 2022-2023, making a Badger freshman record 69 three-pointers over 35 contests. He’s quickly become a fan-favorite and his Twitter presence has certainly allowed him to gain popularity.

Winter on the other hand will be entering his first year in Madison, entering the program as a three-star recruit from Lakeville, Minnesota. The 6-foot-10 athlete won the 2022 Gatorade Player of the Year award and will look to become the next Wisconsin star from his home state.

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