Tag: Wisconsin men’s basketball

Former Wisconsin basketball guard transfers to Lipscomb

Former Wisconsin basketball guard transfers to Lipscomb

Former Wisconsin guard Ross Candelino announced his commitment to Lipscomb on Wednesday via social media. 

The former walk-on elected to enter the transfer portal in late March after two years with the Badgers. The Jacksonville, Florida native appeared in only five contests during his time with the program, all five coming during his freshman season in 2022-23.

Related: Where Wisconsin basketball players have ended up out of the transfer portal in 2024 offseason

His Wisconsin career finishes with those five games played, four total points and three rebounds on 2/2 shooting.

Before arriving in Madison, Candelino did account for 14.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game as a senior at Ponte Vedra High School. He also helped lead the Sharks to a 27-4 record and a berth in the Class 6A state championship game for the first time in program history.

He is one of seven now-former Badgers to have entered the portal since the end of the 2023-24 season. His commitment leaves only one entrant without a destination for next season.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, has added commitments from transfer portal guard John Tonje, point guard Camren Hunter and power forward Xavier Amos this offseason. Greg Gard successfully retooled the roster in advance of a critical 2024-25 season despite losing star point guard Chucky Hepburn and wing A.J. Storr.

 

Former Wisconsin basketball standout named head coach at in-state high school program

Former Wisconsin basketball standout named head coach at in-state high school program

Former Wisconsin men’s basketball standout Freddie Owens was named head coach of the Kimberly boy’s basketball team on Thursday.

Owens replaces longtime head coach Jon Murphy, who retired in April after three seasons at Kimberly and 36 total years of high school coaching experience.

Kimberly High School registered a 17-9 overall mark last season and was the 2021 runners-up in Division 1. The program also won WIAA Division 2 state titles in 1994 and 1995.

A former assistant coach with the UW-Green Bay men’s basketball team, Owens was named interim head coach there for the 2022-2023 season following a coaching change. 

Prior to the role in Green Bay, Owens was an assistant coach at Oregon State, College of the Holy Cross, Utah Valley State University, University of Montana and Adams State College. 

At UW, Owens averaged 7.2 points and 2 rebounds in over 111 career appearances. He started the final 61 games of his four-year collegiate career and helped UW clinch the 2004 Big Ten Tournament championship.

Owens won three total Big-Ten titles as a player and later enjoyed a brief professional career overseas. 

Wisconsin basketball appears in Joe Lunardi’s 2025 bracketology

Wisconsin basketball appears in Joe Lunardi’s 2025 Bracketology

Wisconsin men’s basketball program appeared in Joe Lunardi’s latest 2025 March Madness men’s field prediction on Thursday. 

Fresh off their round of 64 loss to No. 5 James Madison, Lunardi projected Wisconsin as one of the last four teams to make the tournament.

Wisconsin, alongside Saint Mary’s, Illinois and NC State, is forecast as an “on the bubble team” in the way-too-early estimates for 2025.

Over the past few weeks, UW’s program has experienced a complete shift in personnel. Thus far, the Badgers have landed Missouri transfer guard John Tonje, Central Arkansas guard Camren Hunter and Northern Illinois power forward Xavier Amos via the transfer portal.

With the departures of former Badgers Chucky Hepburn (portal), AJ Storr (portal) and Tyler Wahl (graduation), Greg Gard’s starting lineup will look much different in the fall. 

Wisconsin boasts four Final Four appearances, six Elite Eight bids and 10 Sweet 16 seasons in its storied history. The crew finished 22-14 a season ago, but will welcome three newcomers and freshman Daniel Freitag into the rotation next season.

Wisconsin basketball in contact with versatile transfer forward

Wisconsin basketball in contact with versatile transfer forward

Wisconsin basketball has been in contact with former South Florida forward Kasean Pryor per On3’s Jamie Shaw. 

At 6-foot-10, Pryor entered the transfer portal over a week ago as a rising senior. A myriad of schools including UConn, Arizona, Gonzaga, Illinois, USC, Michigan and Wisconsin have reached out to Pryor since he made his decision to transfer. 

Related: Tracking Wisconsin basketball’s reported transfer portal visits and targets

That number of programs is now up to 25, according to Shaw.

The Chicago, Illinois native has displayed gradual improvement since his freshman and sophomore campaigns at Boise State. 

After reaching the hardwood a combined 13 times in his first two seasons in Idaho, Pyror transferred to Northwest Florida State and averaged 14.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 35 appearances for the Raiders in 2022-2023.  He also shot a respectable 46.2% from the field, 35.2% outside and 79.9% from the charity stripe in 28.1 minutes per game. Pryor elected to transfer to South Florida following his third collegiate year 

His 13.0-point, 7.9-rebound marks this past season vaulted him into the No. 47 small forward spot on 247sports transfer rankings. 

With the departures of AJ Storr, Chucky Hepburn, Tyler Wahl and Conor Essegian, Wisconsin is certainly in need of a boost in size and versatility. Pryor’s length and veteran savvy could provide a spark for Gard’s squad entering his 10th year manning the sidelines.

Pryor is yet to make any transfer decision.

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Wisconsin basketball in heavy pursuit of former four-star recruit

Wisconsin basketball in heavy pursuit of former four-star recruit

Wisconsin basketball is in heavy pursuit of former UMass guard Matt Cross, according to Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68.

Wisconsin is among the programs Cross is hearing the most from at this stage of recruitment along with Iowa, TCU and USC. Cross recently elected to enter the transfer portal on the April 16.

Related: Tracking Wisconsin basketball’s reported transfer portal visits and targets

The Beverly, Massachusetts native played his freshman campaign at the University of Miami where he shot 40% from downtown in 14 appearances for the Hurricanes. 

After transferring to Louisville for his sophomore season, Cross then landed at UMass for his junior year — where he has been a staple for the past two years. The nation’s former No. 86 recruit in ESPN 100 earned Atlantic 10 First-Team and NABC All-District Selections for a stellar senior performance. 

His 15.3-point, 8.3-rebound marks this past season vaulted him into the No. 36 small forward spot on 247sports transfer rankings. 

Outside UMass, Cross originally received offers from UConn, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Miami and Tulane following his final year at Brewster Academy. He left high school as 247Sports’ No. 5 prospect in Massachusetts. 

With the departures of AJ Storr, Chucky Hepburn, Tyler Wahl and Conor Essegian, Wisconsin is certainly in need of a replacement at power forward. Cross’s length and veteran savvy could bridge that gap.

Cross is yet to make any transfer decision.

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Wisconsin approves contract extension for men’s basketball head coach Greg Gard

Wisconsin approves contract extension for men’s basketball head coach Greg Gard

The University of Wisconsin Athletic Board approved a contract extension for men’s basketball head coach Greg Gard on Friday.

The extension is a procedural move and was done for all of the organization’s winter coaches. It extends Gard’s contract through May 31, 2029. He remains one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport.

Related: An updated look at Wisconsin basketball’s 2024-25 roster after Chucky Hepburn’s departure

Gard will enter his 10th season manning the sidelines for the Badgers during the 2024-2025 campaign. Since taking over for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Bo Ryan, Gard has led Wisconsin to six NCAA Tournament appearances and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2022.

Wisconsin Athletic Director Chris McIntosh previously expressed a vote of confidence in Gard after the conclusion of the team’s 2023-24 season.

The Cobb, Wisconsin native boasts the third-highest winning percentage (.635) in program history, trailing only the aforementioned Ryan (.737) and Walter Meanwell (.712).

The Badgers has experienced a seismic shift in personnel over the past few weeks. Chucky Hepburn, AJ Storr, Tyler Wahl and Conor Essegian are among eight Badgers to depart Madison via graduation or the transfer portal.

Gard is firmly in place to guide the program through a turbulent offseason.

Alongside Gard, the UW Athletic Board approved the extensions of five other winter head coaches — Marisa Moseley (women’s basketball), Yuri Suguiyama (swimming and diving), Mike Hastings (men’s hockey), Mark Johnson (women’s hockey) and Chris Bono (wrestling).

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Wisconsin basketball in pursuit of a top transfer, nation’s leading 3-point shooter

Greg Gard and the Wisconsin staff are still quite active in the transfer portal:

Wisconsin basketball contacted former Dayton guard Koby Brea, according to On3’s Jamie Shaw.

Brea, a 6’6″ marksman, entered the transfer portal earlier this week with one year of eligibility remaining. A myriad of schools have reached out to the top shooting guard, including Kansas, UConn, Duke, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Baylor and Wisconsin. Shaw notes there are 25 total programs on that list.

Related: Tracking Wisconsin basketball’s reported transfer portal visits and targets

The Bronx, New York native shot a remarkable 49.8% from downtown during the 2023-2024 season, enough to vault him into NCAA Division I men’s basketball’s upper echelon. He averaged 11.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 33 appearances for the Flyers in his fourth campaign in Ohio.

247sports ranks Brea as the No. 25 overall shooting guard and No. 139 overall player in the portal.

Wisconsin is certainly in need of a shooting boost from the perimeter with the departures of top guard A.J. Storr and sharpshooter Connor Essegian,. Brea’s length and veteran presence could also provide a spark for head coach Greg Gard’s guard rotation.

Brea is yet to make a transfer decision.

Former four-star recruit with ties to Wisconsin basketball enters transfer portal

Former four-star recruit with ties to Wisconsin basketball enters transfer portal

Former four-star recruit and Duke Blue Devil Jaden Schutt entered the transfer portal on Monday.

The Badgers were in on Schutt during his high school process. Greg Gard’s program offered him on July 30, 2020. 

The Yorkville, Illinois native was ranked No. 78 nationally coming out of high school and landed as the No. 8 shooting guard in the class of 2022. Eighteen schools offered him during the process, including Illinois, Michigan State, Marquette, Florida, Xavier, Iowa and Wisconsin. 

During his senior year at Yorkville Christian High School, Schutt captained the Mustangs to the Class 1A state title in 2021-22 and earned 2022 Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Illinois. Schutt also averaged a stellar 24.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game off 52% from the floor and 39% from deep.

The shooting guard averaged 2.1 points in 14 appearances as a freshman at Duke and even laced up for eight minutes of the team’s ACC Tournament quarterfinal game vs. Pittsburgh in 2023. He then exercised his redshirt season in 2023-24 after his sophomore campaign was cut short due to a left knee injury.

With guard A.J. Storr in the transfer portal, Wisconsin could certainly utilize a lengthy marksman to bolster its wing play. Schutt has previous ties to the program and could provide a much-needed boost.