See where Wisconsin basketball transfers will call home in 2022-23:
The transfer portal has become part of a growing trend throughout the college basketball landscape, and, like it or not, it’s here to stay.
More than 1,200 players have entered the transfer portal in each of the last two offseasons, which averages out to roughly three players per Division one team transferring each year.
Players both incoming and outgoing can quickly alter the trajectory of a program due to the unpredictable nature each offseason can bring.
Unexpected transfers or early departures can often be mitigated by landing an experienced impact transfer at a position of need, or leave your roster with a glaring weakness just the same.
This offseason, Wisconsin has seen in-house transfers from Lorne Bowman, Ben Carlson, and Matthew Mors – all of whom entered the portal in search of a better long-term fit.
With all three transfers having found new homes, now seems like the perfect time to see where Wisconsin basketball transfers will call home this upcoming season:
A key piece of Wisconsin’s 2020 recruiting class is now back in school at UW.
Detroit, Michigan native Lorne Bowman was the lone true point guard in the Badger class of 2020, but ended up deciding to take time at home with family and deal with personal matters this past semester. There are no confirmed details on the situation, but based on the way Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard talked about it back in November, it seemed like a difficult family situation that was best to keep private:
“The situation he’s dealing with at home with his family has evolved to be more than what I think he and all of us had initially thought,” Gard told the media back in November. “So he’s decided, through consultation with a lot of people to withdraw, at this point, from school. So, he’s no longer a student.”
“But he is obviously a part of our program from a communication standpoint and communicating with people in the athletic department.”
The latest update came yesterday in Gard’s postgame presser. Bowman is now back enrolled in school at Wisconsin, albeit online. Hopefully things are improving in his personal life, and he comes back when/if he feels ready.
The Badgers 2020 signee is no longer a Wisconsin student
After being away from the team for a period of time this offseason, 2020 signee Lorne Bowman has made the decision to withdraw from Wisconsin.
The true freshman has been dealing with undisclosed family issues and headed home to be closer to his family in Michigan. Head coach Greg Gard commented on the situation during yesterday’s signing day Zoom call with reporters.
“The situation he’s dealing with at home with his family has evolved to be more than what I think he and all of us had initially thought,” Gard told the media yesterday. “So he’s decided, through consultation with a lot of people to withdraw, at this point, from school. So, he’s no longer a student.”
“But he is obviously a part of our program from a communication standpoint and communicating with people in the athletic department.”
While nobody is ruling out Bowman being a part of Wisconsin basketball in the near future, he will be away from the team for an indefinite period of time.
The UW freshman will head home indefinitely to tend to a personal family matter
A member of Wisconsin basketball’s fantastic 2020 class is going to be taking some time away from the team. Freshman guard Lorne Bowman will be taking an indefinite leave of absence to tend to a personal family matter per release from Wisconsin basketball.
The Detroit native remains a “committed member of the men’s basketball team,” per release.
“As a program, our thoughts are with Lorne and his family right now,” head coach Greg Gard said. “He is a big part of our Wisconsin Basketball family and we are going to continue supporting him in every way possible during this time.”
Hopefully the 2020 three-star signee can rejoin Wisconsin basketball in time for the start of the season. Even on a deep, senior-led team, the Michigan native has an opportunity to play a meaningful role off the bench as a freshman.
Roper has been a long-time Wisconsin target to add to an already impressive class of 2021 that features three four-star prospects according to 247sports. The Michigan native is prepping for his senior year at St. Mary’s high school where he shared the backcourt with 2020 Badger commit Lorne Bowman this past year.
Roper has listed 14 schools that are still in the running, including five Big Ten schools. Wisconsin commits in the class of 2021 have made their recruiting efforts public, led by 2021 pg Chucky Hepburn today on Twitter.
Roper would be one of the finishing touches on what could end up as Wisconsin basketball’s highest-ranked recruiting class of the modern recruiting rankings era. Tune in on May 4th to find out where the St. Mary’s star will take his talents next.
Wisconsin’s 2020 class is one of the most exciting in recent history for Badger basketball. The five signees are all likely going to be valuable pieces for UW as Greg Gard continues to move the program forward. In this BadgersWire scouting report …
Wisconsin’s 2020 class is one of the most exciting in recent history for Badger basketball. The five signees are all likely going to be valuable pieces for UW as Greg Gard continues to move the program forward. In this BadgersWire scouting report series, we are going to take a look at what each 2020 Badger signee will bring to Madison this fall and beyond.
According to both Rivals and 247sports, Lorne Bowman is a three-star prospect. The point guard out of Detroit, Michigan is also ranked as a top-5 player in the state. Bowman chose Wisconsin over offers from Buffalo, Iowa, and Nebraska among others. His St Mary’s Prep squad went 21-1, and finished the year number one in the state of Michigan according to MaxPreps. Bowman’s high school teammate Julian Roper is a Wisconsin class of 2021 target who fans should be watching out for.
Lorne Bowman in one word: Bowman is a crafty point guard. The 6-2, 180 point guard doesn’t jump out at you on film as someone with overpowering speed or athleticism. Instead, he has excellent footwork that opens up a ton on the offensive end.
Offense: Bowman relies on excellent footwork to get where he needs to go on the floor. He has the speed to beat his defender, and the point guard’s handle is tight. In film from this past summer on the Nike EYBL circuit, the Michigan product was under control when he got in the paint, and finished with solid floaters over shot blockers. His hesitation dribble is nasty, and was one of the main moves he used to create space. When given space, Bowman can certainly knock down open jumpers with relative consistency, but has room to improve. In nine games at the EYBL, the 6-2 guard shot 31% from three. With only 42 attempts from deep at the Nike EYBL, the sample size was small, but nonetheless Bowman has room to grow as a shooter.
As a passer, the St. Mary’s star made solid reads in the pick-and-roll to find open bigs at the rim or get to the cup himself. He certainly is not a turnover prone point guard, as he plays under control at his own pace.
Defense: Bowman will come into Madison this fall with excellent strength for his size. I don’t see him getting bullied by anybody in the size and physicality departments at the next level. Staying in front of lightning-quick guards could be an issue in the Big Ten, but expect Greg Gard and the coaching staff to teach him the Wisconsin way on defense.
Overall: Bowman certainly has the ability, especially as a true ball handler that Wisconsin needs desperately, to contribute off the bench next year. Minutes will not be easy to come by as a freshman on such a deep roster, but look for him to potentially be an important piece off the bench next season.
Lorne Bowman becomes the latest member in the 2020 recruiting class to sign his letter of intent to play for the Wisconsin Badgers.
Lorne Bowman
6’2″, 180, guard, Detroit, Mich. (St. Mary’s)
Bowman became the first commit in Wisconsin’s 2020 recruiting class when he made his verbal commitment to Wisconsin in November of 2018. Bowman made it official on Wednesday by signing his letter of intent to play for Wisconsin.
The Badgers are getting a talented playmaker who is able to not only create shots for himself but also for his teammates. Despite D’Mitrik Trice, Brad Davison, and Trevor Anderson being ahead of Bowman when he arrives on campus the trio will all be seniors. There may not be many minutes available to Bowman in his first year but it could be beneficial to him to see the floor as a true freshman to gain some valuable experience before he officially takes over once Trice, Davison, and Anderson have exhausted their eligibility.
Note: All quotes/stats provided by uwbadgers.com.
Bowman chose Wisconsin over other offers from: Iowa, Nebraska, Buffalo, Oakland, Toledo, and Valparaiso
Bowman’s Accolades: Four-star recruit by ESPN … ranked No. 94 in the ESPN 100 for 2020 … standout at St. Mary’s High School is a two-time Class A All-State honoree in Michigan, earning first-team honors in 2019 and honorable mention in 2018 … averaged 23.1 points and 5.1 assists per game during his junior season … averaged 22.5 points and 4.9 assists per game as a sophomore … in AAU, member of EYBL where he excelled at the Nike circuit, averaging 13.5 points and 3.6 assists through his first six games.
Gard on Bowman: “We are ecstatic to have Lorne join our Badger family. He’s the ultimate competitor, both on the court and in the classroom, and we can’t wait to begin working with him. It was evident early on that Lorne is exactly what we look for and he’s only continued to improve. Lorne plays at his own pace, always under control, giving his team whatever it needs in the right moments with a skillset that can turn from scoring guard to playmaker in an instant. He has a great ability to get the ball where it needs to be and can also create shots with his tremendous pull-up game. Lorne displays natural leadership, both by his extreme work ethic and also through his communication on and off the court. Lorne and his family are a pleasure to be around and represent everything that being a Badger is about.”
