Tag: wisconsin basketball recruiting

Wisconsin reaches out to a new wing in the 2023 recruiting class

Wisconsin has reached out to a 2023 wing from Texas:

Wisconsin’s offense is beginning to trend toward three guard starting lineups, so the Badgers are continuing to do their homework on bigger wings that can space the floor in the 2023 recruiting class. Preferably ones that could pair with the two commits they already have in place with John Blackwell and Gus Yalden.

Earlier this week, Greg Gard and his coaching staff spoke with 2023 three-star guard/forward Gehrig Normand out of North Richland Hills, Texas.

Per 247sports, Normand is the No. 49 SF in the country, and the No. 18 player in the state of Texas. As a junior, he averaged 12 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals per game.

The Birdville High School standout currently holds offers from Colorado State, Kansas State, New Mexico, Oral Roberts, Rice, SMU, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Xavier and several others.

From what the three-star wing told BadgersWire, this was a phone call from coach Gard so that the two of them could better get to know each other.

“I watched a lot of Wisconsin during March Madness and I always loved the way they played,” said Normand.

The two sides discussed the possibility of getting Normand up to Madison for a visit, but nothing has been scheduled as of yet.

“I’m looking for somewhere I can be as confident as possible, and a school where I can trust the coach and have them trust me so I can put a product on the floor that wins a National Championship,” said Normand.

Standing at 6-foot-6, 175-pounds, Normand is a versatile scorer who can space the floor or take defenders off the dribble. He has good size for the position, and plays with the kind of toughness and selflessness that make him worth a deeper look for UW’s coaching staff.

 

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2023 target Nolan Winter gives an update on his Badgers recruitment

A top of the board prospect in the 2023 class gives an update on his Badgers recruitment:

Greg Gard and his coaching staff have had a knack for quickly identifying culture fits that play their specific brand of basketball, and establishing relationships that they’re able to maintain throughout the entire recruiting process.

One of the prospects Wisconsin was able to identify early in the recruiting process was 2023 three-star forward Nolan Winter out of Lakeville, Minnesota, who Wisconsin offered back in June of 2021.

If Lakeville sounds familiar, it’s because UW has created a bit of a pipeline at Lakeville North High School in recent years – producing Badger forward’s Nate Reuvers and Tyler Wahl.

Per 247Sports, Winter is the No. 140 overall prospect in the 2023 class, the No. 23 SF in the country, and the No. 2 player in the state of Minnesota.

The 6-foot-11, 190-pound forward currently holds offers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Stanford, Xavier, Oregon State, St. Thomas, and Wake Forest.

Additionally, he’s heard from Virginia Tech, UCLA, Illinois, Notre Dame, Virginia, Utah, Creighton, and Oklahoma State.

At the moment, assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft is acting as the lead recruiter for the stretch forward’s services. “We talk very often, and he’s been able to make it to a lot of my games this spring so far,” said Winter. “The thing that stands out about Wisconsin is how early they started to recruit me, and from that day on we’ve been in constant contact. The staff and I are very comfortable, and we frequently will have calls or shoot texts back and forth. It’s a great college and program with awesome people controlling it.”

“The staff at Wisconsin sees me in a stretch-four type of role. They often compare me to Jon Leuer back in the day. Someone who can shoot from the outside, along with getting into the paint and using my size to my advantage in multiple ways. I think I could have a big role from the beginning” said Winter.

Along with strong academics, the 6-foot-11 forward is looking for a competitive program with an established culture, winning tradition, and a great relationship with the coaching staff.

When asked if Wisconsin is a serious contender for his services, Winter had this to say:

“For sure. Wisconsin has, and will be towards the top of my list. It’s a great college and I have a ton of respect for the school,” Winter told BadgersWire. “They just got two huge recruits and I feel like if I were to go there, we could all complement each other’s games really well.”

Right now, the talented junior doesn’t have a timeline for his commitment, but it’s worth noting that he’s already taken several visits to Madison.

It’s easy to see the Minnesota native’s potential fit within a program like UW given the success they’ve had utilizing big men with similar skill-sets.

Winter is an obvious top of the board recruit for Greg Gard and his coaching staff, so this will be an intriguing recruitment to follow moving forward.

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Wisconsin basketball’s remaining big board in the 2023 recruiting class

After landing two commitments in the 2023 recruiting class, all attention pivots to these three prospects:

Greg Gard and the Wisconsin men’s basketball program are in a really good spot with the 2023 recruiting class as they enter the July evaluation period.

As it stands, UW has already received verbal commitments from three-star combo-guard John Blackwell, and four-star center Gus Yalden – giving coach Gard a really solid foundation to build on.

Typically speaking, July is when most of the under the radar prospects see their recruitment take off – making it increasingly difficult for a school like Wisconsin to stay in the mix once the blue bloods come knocking. So, having already sealed the deal on two priority recruits at this point in the cycle is rather impressive.

Wisconsin is expected to take three, possibly even four prospects in the 2023 recruiting cycle. So, having two players already in the fold allows coach Gard the flexibility to put the full-court press on his remaining top of the board recruits.

Here are, in no particular order, the three recruits I expect coach Gard to prioritize in the 2023 recruiting class moving forward:

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.

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Wisconsin basketball adds 2022 PWO Ross Candelino

Greg Gard adds a PWO to the 2022 recruiting class:

On Sunday, Greg Gard and his coaching staff received a preferred walk-on commitment from 2022 wing Ross Candelino of Ponte Vedra, Florida.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound lefty shooting guard accepted a PWO spot from the Badgers over a Division one scholarship offer from American University of the Patriot League. 

Per MaxPreps, Candelino averaged 14.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists as a senior for Ponte Vedra High School. You can watch his highlights here.

Candelino is now the third commitment in the 2022 recruiting class, joining fellow PWO Luke Haertle and scholarship shooting guard Connor Essegian.

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Wisconsin basketball makes the top four for 2023 C Gus Yalden

Wisconsin basketball makes the top four for 2023 C Gus Yalden:

Greg Gard’s first offer in the 2023 recruiting class went out to center Gus Yalden all the way back in July of 2020. Now, fresh off a visit to UW, the four-star big man announced that he plans on deciding where he’ll be playing college basketball next Tuesday at 12:30pm EST via IG Live.

The Appleton, Wisconsin native has narrowed his list down to Wisconsin, Rutgers, Tennessee, and College of Charleston. 

Per 247Sports, Yalden is the nation’s No. 16 ranked center in the class of 2023 and the No. 125 ranked player in the country. 

The 6-foot-8, 240-pound center held offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Butler, Iowa, Illinois, Florida State, Louisville, Marquette, Nebraska, Rutgers, Stanford, Utah, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Xavier, and a host of others.

Yalden is a stretch big man with advanced footwork, high basketball IQ, excellent floor vision, and knows how to use his weight effectively to mix it up down low. 

Badger fans will have to wait until next Tuesday to see if the hometown hero pitch sealed the deal on the coveted four-star center.

You can watch his junior season highlights here.

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Wisconsin showing interest in St. Bonaventure transfer Dominick Welch

Wisconsin has reached out to an experienced wing in the transfer portal:

Greg Gard and his coaching staff have made a point to leave no stone left unturned in the transfer portal this offseason as they look to fill their two remaining scholarships. 

On Friday afternoon, Jon Rothstein reported that Wisconsin was among a long list of potential suitors that had reached out to St. Bonaventure transfer wing Dominick Welch. 

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound wing averaged 12.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on 37% shooting from beyond the arc.

It’s also worth noting that the New York native has shot at or above 36% on three point attempts in all four seasons for the Bonnies.

Welch has also received interest from Pittsburgh, Texas Tech, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, Maryland, Rutgers and SMU.

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2023 SG Jamie Kaiser discusses his official visit to Wisconsin

Three-star SG Jamie Kaiser breaks down his official visit to Wisconsin:

Less than two weeks after being offered a scholarship by Greg Gard during the spring evaluation period, fast rising shooting guard Jamie Kaiser wasted no time getting himself to Madison for an official visit.

“I took the visit so quickly because I wanted to use some of my junior officials, and I thought it was a great fit for me anyway,” Kaiser told Badgerswire.

“What stood out to me was the amount of detail in the simple things coach Gard talks about and teaches. I’m really comfortable with the staff, coach Oliver was the first one to reach out, and is the one I’m most familiar with, but I was able to get to know all the coaches on my visit.”

The three-star shooting guard was also able to meet former Badger guard Brad Davison, and current UW guard Jordan Davis on his visit.

“I was able to talk with them a lot, so that was nice. They’re just hardworking, grounded guys like me,” Kaiser said.

The Bishop Ireton High School standout’s name has been picking up steam on the recruiting trail as of late, but has been hearing the most from Harvard, George Mason, Virginia Tech, Yale, Rhode Island, Georgia Tech, and of course Wisconsin.

Standing at 6-foot-6, 200-pounds, Kaiser has excellent size out on the wing, can post up smaller defenders, and is a knockdown three-point shooter that would fit seamlessly into a program like Wisconsin. He’s also an intriguing player defensively, given his projectable frame and ability to defend multiple positions.

“They [Wisconsin] see me as an immediate impact player from my freshman year, and someone that can eventually lead a locker room in my later years,” Kaiser said.

Assistant coach Dean Oliver is acting as the lead recruiter for the three-star shooting guard, who doesn’t have a clear timeline for commitment at the moment, but made mention he would like for it to be in the fall.

Right now, Wisconsin is at or near the top of Kaiser’s list, so this is going to be an important recruitment to monitor moving forward. His fit with the program would be undeniable, at a position of need no less.

The Virginia native averaged 20.7 points and 7.1 rebounds this past season. You can watch Kaiser’s junior season highlights below:

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Tracking where Wisconsin basketball transfers will call home in 2022-23

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: