Well, not happy to be here, but that's life sometimes. UW has an interesting rebuild, but should return some solid pieces. Time to look closer.
The departures
John Tonje - One-year transfer wonder. Was one of the couple best players in the league. Will be missed.
Max Klesmit - Really nice shooting guard who helped at point and wing. Had a rough shooting year, but was just really valuable to have out there. Good Badger.
Steve Crowl - Four-year starting center. Never quite dominant, but often pretty good, if not the most consistent. Gonna be weird not having him out there.
Carter Gilmore - A former walk-on whose offense had folks calling for less of him, but whose defense always meant he found a role. Figured out some shooting this season and became an almost starter. Also held down 4 spot well.
Kamari McGee - A transfer development story. Was almost useless when he arrived from UWGB. Was a nice change-up ball-handler and spot up shooter last year. Also the only true point in the rotation.
Markus Ilver - Wasn’t in the rotation. Spent four years, seeming like a guy who could maybe find a way to contribute at a thin spot, but he never did.
Rotation (hopeful) returners
John Blackwell - He's a strong scoring wing/shooting guard who can be a point. Ideally he's not having as much of that work this year, but he's a top guy regardless.
Nolan Winter - Versatile center type who platooned last year while playing a bit of power forward. I kind of think he slots in at center and they go from there.
Jack Janicki - Kind of do-everything low-usage wing in the mold of a lot of UW shooting guards of yesteryear. Ideally he's a glue guy backup, but if he starts, wouldn't be a killer.
Xavier Amos - Was brought in to start at the 4, but wasn't consistent and played about 10 minutes per game. Has the skills to be a great starter, inconsistent starter or nice bench option, and he controls a lot of that. Mild transfer candidate because of how this year went.
Non-rotation guys who might have ability
(These guys are in that zone where we don't know if the staff has already decided they will have it, don't have it or might have it. Some could be future starters, some could be told they'll likely never have a role)
Cam Hunter - Last year's point guard transfer. He was supposed to be a functional starting option, but barely got in and looked lost when he did. An injury was a factor there, but I'm kind of skeptical he's a B1G rotation guy.
Daniel Freitag - Well regarded point guard recruit who was expected to fight for a rotation spot as a freshman. Came in completely not ready, and this year was basically a wash. Still has ability, but on the staff to decide what's there.
Jack Robison - Supposed to be a nice shooting wing. Probably not big enough to be an undersized stretch 4, so probably in the same space as Janicki. He all but redshirted, so we'll have to see if he/they think he could pop this year or next.
Riccardo Greppi - Big beefy backup center type they added late last year. Always kind of a project, so we'll see if they want to keep trying with him.
Chris Hodges
Chris Hodges has been at UW for four years, despite it being pretty clear he wouldn't be a thing after year 2. He stayed on the roster that season because attrition/portal challenges meant they didn't need the spot. Last year, they moved some money around to honor his scholarship. I'd assume his spot is contingent on a bunch of folks leaving.
Incoming freshmen
Zach Kinziger - Seems like a classic UW shooting guard. Will be interesting to see if he's the kind who can play 10-15 MPG off the bat. Would be helpful.
Will Garlock - 7-foot center with range out of the Madison area. Probably will be good at some point. Big key is if he's ready to be an 8-10 MPG player as a true freshman. If so, allows some flexibility elsewhere.
Hayden Jones - A 6-foot-7 international wing, seems like more a power wing, maybe with some shooting (curious if down the line he ends up in that 4 spot UW likes).
Portal wants
Point guard - UW was fine with a combined effort last year, but if you can get a guy who can really fill the role, you'd love to have it.
Big - This is an interesting one. Were I them, I'd want a 4/5 type who can work the perimeter, but also anchor a lineup. Granted, those are hard to find. If they like Winter/Garlock/Greppi at center, then maybe another 4 to round things out with Amos.
Wing - They know they have Janicki and Blackwell (who might help at point). Maybe you hope some combo of Robison, Jones and Kinziger helps there, but considering the last two wing adds were All-Conference guys, definitely worth trying to sell that again.
Wildcard - There were some insider comments they could try for a fourth guy. Maybe another frontcourt guy if you add a true center. Maybe just beef up the perimeter more. Maybe just add talent.
Other questions
Some Badger fans think they should proceed with Blackwell as a de facto point. This is insane to me, but maybe Gard likes it?
Which freshmen project as Year 1 "solid backups"? If Garlock or Kinziger look ready to be a rotation guys, it changes some of how you portal shop.
Do any non-rotation guys step up? If Freitag, Robison or Greppi can be even 8 MPG guys, it changes a lot of dynamics. Hunter at this point feels like mediocre insurance/a flyer.
Any portal surprises? UW fans are lusting after Owen Freeman, as the Badgers were in that recruitment. That seems deeply unlikely to me, but one curveball would change a lot.
