Tag: gus yalden

LOOK: Wisconsin basketball’s class of 2023 arrives on campus

Gus Yalden, John Blackwell and Wisconsin’s class of 2023 have officially arrived.

Head Coach Greg Gard and the Wisconsin basketball program have made recent waves on the recruiting trail, adding St. Johns transfer A.J. Storr and highly-touted 2024 prospect Daniel Freitag. The program seems to be taking strides forward after a disappointing 2022-23 campaign.

The 2023-24 team sees Steven Crowl, Chucky Hepburn and Tyler Wahl return for another season and now gets the infusion of Storr and an impressive class of 2023. Signs point towards a highly-successful season upcoming for Gard and his program.

That class of 2023 finished the recruiting cycle ranked No. 34 nationally in the 247Sports composite ranking and No. 7 in the Big Ten. The class of four-star center Gus Yalden, three-star power forward Nolan Winter and three-star point guard John Blackwell has Badger fans excited, and rightfully so.

That class arrived on campus for the first time earlier today, as documented by the Wisconsin basketball Twitter account:

Gard’s program has operated mostly under the radar with the current outward excitement surrounding Luke Fickell and the football program. But as noted, it’s been an impressive offseason, one which seemingly has the team set to be quite good in the next 4-5 years.

Much is left to happen before that point. But it would not surprise me if we see the 2023 recruiting class make an impact as soon as they step on the court.

Watch: Chucky Hepburn sophomore season highlights

The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball season may not have gone to plan, but Chucky Hepburn took a step forward in year two at point guard.

The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball season may not have gone to plan, but Chucky Hepburn took a step forward in year two as the team’s starting point guard. His highlight reel for this sophomore season was released Wednesday.

Hepburn averaged 12.2 points, 2.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 37.7 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from deep. Although the Badgers failed to make the NCAA Tournament, they did participate in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), losing to North Texas in the semifinals.

He will now enter his third season as the starting point guard in Madison, returning to a roster that will have all five of their starters from the 2022-2023 season on top of three incoming recruits in forward Gus Yalden, forward Nolan Winter and guard John Blackwell.

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Greg Gard listed in Top 50 of MBB head coaches

Greg Gard listed in Top 50 of MBB head coaches

After what was arguably the most disappointing season for Greg Gard as a head coach, the College Basketball Report gave him a little love Monday, listing him as a top 50 MBB coach. Gard came in as the 38th best men’s basketball head coach in the country.

In total, Greg has gone 164-93 (63.8%) over eight seasons as the head coach of the Badgers, but the 2022-2023 campaign stirred up some calls for his job. The fans didn’t take kindly to the Badgers missing the NCAA Tournament for the second time in five years and felt like Wisconsin could be better off with someone else at the helm.

At the end of the day, Gard kept his job after Wisconsin reached the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), losing to the eventual victors North Texas 56-54.

Moving forward, the head coach will get the benefit of having his entire starting lineup return in 2023, while also launching the careers of highly-touted recruits forward Gus Yalden, forward Nolan Winter and guard John Blackwell.

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Watch: Steven Crowl junior season highlights

The Badgers men’s basketball team released the highlights for their star big man Steven Crowl on Tuesday.

The Badgers men’s basketball team released the highlights for their star big man Steven Crowl on Tuesday. The 7-footer averaged 12.1 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 51 percent from the field.

Crowl and the Badgers failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last five years, but they did make a deep run to semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). During that run, Crowl produced a career-high 36 points in the first round of the tournament against Bradley.

Moving forward, Crowl will look to mentor both incoming big men from the class of 2023, Gus Yalden and Nolan Winter. With Tyler Wahl also returning in 2023, Wisconsin’s frontcourt should be much deeper next season.

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Collapse in second half, Badgers lose to UNT, 56-54, in semis at NIT

The Wisconsin Badgers’ men’s basketball team lost to North Texas, 56-54, in the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday.

The Wisconsin Badgers’ men’s basketball team lost to North Texas, 56-54, in the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday. It was a tale of two halves for the Badgers, ultimately dropping the contest in brutal fashion.

To set the scene, Wisconsin took a 41-29 lead into halftime. Fueled by a fantastic first half for Chucky Hepburn, who went 5-for-8 from deep, the Badgers were able to take the lead and hold it all the way until the break.

It was after half, where things took a devastating turn for Greg Gard’s squad. North Texas ramped up its defensive effort after break, something that can certainly be credited to head coach Grant McCasland. Rubin Jones in particular supplied an added boost on the offensive end, scoring all 12 of his points in the second half.

With the Mean Green surging, the Badgers couldn’t afford to let their foot off the gas, but they ended the game without scoring a single point in the final 9:07.

Tyler Wahl (12 points) missed two free throws with less than a minute left, keeping the Badgers down, 56-54, and then later, Wisconsin failed to even get a shot off on their final possession, allowing the final 5.8 seconds to run out.

In crushing fashion, the Badgers fell one game short of the NIT championship, bringing their season to an end and potentially the career of forward Tyler Wahl.

With incoming freshmen 6-foot-8 forward Gus Yalden and 6-foot-10 forward Nolan Winter set to join the team next season, coach Gard will get some much needed reinforcements down low, regardless of Wahl’s status. Additionally, they’ll also get 6-foot-3 guard John Blackwell as a part of the class of 2023.

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The Winding Road That Led the GusBus to Madison, Wisconsin

Top-100 recruit Gus Yalden talked with @DillonGraff about the unconventional path that eventually led him back home:

Madison, Wis. –- For Gus Yalden, a 2023 Wisconsin men’s basketball commit, “home” has been difficult to peg down, at least on paper.

During his unconventional prep career, the 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward has lived in Wisconsin, Nebraska, back to Wisconsin, Colorado, California, Florida, and North Carolina. He will finish his prep career at LaLumiere High School in Indiana, a national hoops power, before the GusBus makes its final stop in Madison next season.

While discussing his childhood during a recent interview with the Badgerswire, Yalden felt that the unconventional, winding road that ultimately led him to Madison shaped him into the man he is today.

“My roots and childhood home have always been in Wisconsin,” Yalden said. “I’m familiar with being uncomfortable, which is a critical component of success. We are the sum of all of our experiences, so I would say that for a senior in high school, I’ve had a pretty full life so far.”

Yalden’s fondest memories of the Wisconsin men’s basketball program came during a two-year stretch from 2014-2015 when the Badgers earned back-to-back Final Four trips under Hall-of-Fame head coach Bo Ryan.

“I remember it all,” Yalden explained. “The players on the podium, Nigel Hayes challenging the stenographer with “onomatopoeia,” Josh Gasser’s big three against UNC, Dekker’s dagger to beat undefeated Kentucky, and the heartbreaking call…when that loose ball clearly bounced off the fingertip of Justice Winslow, and then they [Duke] hit a three to seal the dub.”

Those memories, while painful, serve as proof that UW can win at the highest level when everything breaks right.

Yalden, a lifelong Badgers fan and top-100 national recruit, sees no reason why Wisconsin can’t replicate that success and has set some lofty goals of his own once he sets foot on campus.

Win,” Yalden said plainly. “A lot and often.”

Future Badgers F Gus Yalden Named to Nike EYBL Peach Jam 2nd Team

2023 four-star forward Gus Yalden made the Nike EYBL Peach Jam 2nd Team:

This past week, the top basketball talents across the country were all in North Augusta, South Carolina, at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam.

The final live period represented the last opportunity of the summer for recruits to showcase their talents in front of high-major coaches from across the country.

Representing the Wisconsin Badgers was 2023 four-star forward Gus Yalden out of Asheville, North Carolina, who made the Nike EYBL Peach Jam 2nd Team.

The 6-foot-8, 240-pound F, who plays with City Rocks (NY), averaged 15.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game for the week.

Per 247Sports, he is the nation’s No. 12 ranked center in the class of 2023 and the No. 93 ranked player in the country.

Yalden is Greg Gard’s second commitment from a top-100 recruit during his coaching tenure and the first since Nate Reuvers in 2017.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Q&A with Gus Yalden: What Wisconsin’s latest commit brings to the Badgers

We caught up with 2023 four-star big Gus Yalden, Wisconsin basketball’s newest commit

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.

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:

 

Social media reacts to Wisconsin landing 2023 four-star prospect Gus Yalden

A look at social media reactions to Gus Yalden choosing the Badgers

On Tuesday afternoon, Wisconsin basketball continued their solid start to the 2023 recruiting cycle by landing four-star big man Gus Yalden.

Yalden is an Appleton, Wis. native who has had multiple stops throughout his high school career. The four-star prospect (per 247Sports) is currently playing at the Asheville School and for City Rocks on the club circuit.

Yalden had offers from the likes of Nebraska, Rutgers, Auburn, and Arkansas before ultimately choosing Wisconsin. He joins Michigan native John Blackwell as one of the first two pieces in the Badgers’ class of 2023.

Here is a look at how social media reacted to the Badgers landing one of their top targets:

Wisconsin lands a commitment from 2023 four-star C Gus Yalden

Wisconsin lands their second commitment in the 2023 recruiting class:

Coming off a visit to UW, 2023 four-star center Gus Yalden out of Asheville, North Carolina has officially committed to Wisconsin. 

This is a full-circle commitment for head coach Greg Gard, who made Yalden his first offer in the 2023 recruiting class for the Badgers back in July of 2020. 

The 6-foot-8, 240-pound center chose to play for his home-state Badgers over offers from Nebraska, Rutgers, College of Charleston, and a host of other power five programs. 

Per 247Sports, Yalden is the nation’s No. 12 ranked center in the class of 2023 and the No. 93 ranked player in the country. 

As a junior, he averaged 17.4 points and nearly 7.0 rebounds a game for Asheville School in North Carolina. You can watch his highlights here. 

Gusbus gives the Badgers a stretch big man that has a strong inside-out presence, impressive footwork in the low-post, high basketball IQ, and passes the ball at an extremely high level. 

Yalden is now the second commitment in the 2023 recruiting class, joining combo-guard John Blackwell.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.