The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program has landed its first commitment in the 2027 recruiting class.

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And it didn’t have to go very far to find him.

Four-star guard Jalen Brown, one of the top players in the state of Wisconsin and a longtime priority target for Greg Gard and his staff, announced his commitment to the Badgers following a visit to Madison.

“Ain’t nothing like a hometown hero, right?” Brown wrote.

The timing is notable.

With roster construction in today’s college basketball landscape increasingly centered around the transfer portal, high school recruiting no longer carries quite the same weight that it once did. But Wisconsin has remained committed to building much of its program the traditional way, identifying core pieces early, developing them internally over time, and supplementing the roster through the portal when necessary.

Brown fits that vision perfectly.

The Wauwatosa West standout is a player Wisconsin has tracked for years. After offering him following an advanced camp performance in the summer of 2025, the Badgers never really backed off. Multiple visits followed, relationships with Gard and Sharif Chambliss continued to strengthen, and coming out of another portal cycle, the Badgers made it clear Brown remained one of their top priorities in the 2027 class.

Now they have him.

At 6-foot-4 and roughly 180 pounds, Brown brings the type of size, athleticism, and versatility that has become increasingly valuable in modern basketball. He can handle the ball, create offense for teammates, score at all three levels, and defend multiple positions.

The production speaks for itself.

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With the Wisconsin men’s basketball team’s offseason calendar starting to hit a bit of a dead period after roster movement, portal decisions, and retention battles dominated the conversation for the past few months, the focus now shifts toward a much more interesting question: what exactly is this team capable of becoming once summer workouts officially begin?

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So for this mailbag, we’re digging into questions surrounding Wisconsin’s roster construction, long-term ceiling, and the balancing act Greg Gard’s program is trying to navigate in the modern NIL era. We’ll talk about which returning players feel primed to take meaningful jumps, whether the Badgers’ Moneyball approach is truly sustainable long term after losing John Blackwell, and how confident I actually am that this roster is capable of getting back to the NCAA Tournament again next season.

Let’s dive in.

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There’s a tendency this time of year across college basketball to reduce roster construction down to a spreadsheet. How much money did you spend? Who did you land? Who did you lose? Did you “win” the portal?

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But listening to general manager Marc VandeWettering talk about the Wisconsin men’s basketball program’s offseason recently during an appearance on Butchie’s Den, it became pretty clear that the Badgers are trying to build something a little more layered than that in Madison.

Not necessarily flashy. Not always headline-driven. But intentional.

“This time of year, through April and May, is a lot of roster construction,” VandeWettering said. “That’s retention, that’s transfer portal, that’s international, and even high school. All can happen within that window there. It’s getting a lot of contracts negotiated. It’s talking to a lot of the agents, visits, Zooms, all the different things are happening at once.

“It’s really just orchestrating behind the scenes and making sure that the coaches can coach, so that I can handle everything else for them.”

And the reality is, Wisconsin’s offseason really did begin with retention.

The Badgers made keeping frontcourt pieces Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp a priority, understanding just how expensive experienced frontcourt players had become in the portal market. From there, the next tier of continuity mattered too, with players like Jack Janicki, Hayden Jones, Zach Kinziger, and Will Garlock all returning to a locker room that now has enough holdover pieces to teach the culture to the next wave coming in.

That matters more than people think.

“Knowing the capital you have to invest in the team as a whole is key to figuring out the strategy of how you want to disperse it,” VandeWettering said. “There are a lot of different ways to go about this.

“Last year, we went heavy on making sure we had two really good guards, and that worked really well for us. Going into this year, we could see where the transfer market was heading and knew frontcourt pieces in the portal were going to cost a lot. So retaining our frontcourt guys — and retaining them early — became a priority, and we made sure to make that happen.”

Even though college basketball continues to drift toward annual free agency, Wisconsin still, in many ways, resembles what the sport used to look like. There are layers to the roster. Different tiers of expectation. Proven veterans. Developmental pieces. Players expected to help immediately. Others expected to grow into something more over time.

The incoming group reflects that balance.

Portal additions like Eian Elmer, Trey Autry, and Victory Onuetu address immediate needs in the rotation, while the addition of 22-year-old guard Owen Foxwell brings another older, experienced piece to the roster despite not technically arriving through the transfer portal after playing professionally overseas. Meanwhile, incoming freshmen like Jackson Ball, LaTrevion Fenderson, Josh Manchester, and Australian forward Isaac Riddle give the roster some developmental runway moving forward.

And if a few of those younger pieces push beyond the tier they’re currently projected into, the overall floor of this team starts to rise pretty quickly.

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The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program has officially made its second known scholarship offer in the 2028 recruiting cycle.

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That offer went out to fast-rising Arizona wing Terrance Byrd, who announced the opportunity from Wisconsin shortly after a strong showing on the AAU circuit with Factory AZ at the New Balance P32 event.

Head coach Greg Gard was in attendance at the tournament, evaluating him firsthand. Byrd remains unranked nationally for now, but Wisconsin became the first high-major program to jump in with an offer, joining the Badgers’ first 2028 scholarship offer to in-state prospect, Joey Kohnen.

And the early evaluation makes sense when you turn on the film.

At 6-foot-7, Byrd fits the mold of the modern multi-positional wing that continues to become more valuable across college basketball. He’s long, skilled with the ball in his hands, and plays with the kind of pace and feel that allows him to impact the game in several different ways offensively.

But what stands out most is how comfortable Byrd looks operating as a playmaker at his size. Whether it’s working out of pick-and-roll situations, attacking defenders downhill, making drive-and-kick reads, or creating offense in the midrange, Byrd already flashes a polished offensive skill set for a player entering only his sophomore year of high school basketball. There’s a natural rhythm to the way he plays that jumps off the screen.

And the production backs up the intrigue.

During the 2024-25 season at Highland Prep in Arizona, Byrd averaged 16.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while also contributing defensively with 1.2 steals and 1.7 blocks per contest, according to MaxPreps.

The statistical profile reflects what the film suggests — a versatile player capable of impacting multiple areas of the game without needing everything built entirely around him. That versatility and skill set are part of why Byrd has started generating more national attention from coaches this summer.

Scouts evaluating the 2028 class have increasingly pointed toward Byrd as one of the more underrated players in the country, particularly because of the combination of size, passing ability, defensive instincts, and shot-creation upside he brings as a big wing. He’s also a multi-sport athlete with a football background, something that often shows up physically in the way Byrd absorbs contact and plays through traffic.

Defensively, there’s upside there too.

Byrd has the length and timing to create disruption around the rim while also moving fluidly enough to project across multiple positions defensively as he continues maturing physically. With a reported wingspan approaching 6-foot-11, the tools are difficult to ignore.

For Wisconsin, the offer also reflects the continued evolution of what the Badgers are prioritizing on the recruiting trail under Gard. The game continues trending toward bigger, more skilled perimeter players capable of handling, passing, and defending multiple positions. And early on in the 2028 cycle, Byrd appears to check quite a few of those major boxes.

At the same time, high school recruiting and the spring and summer evaluation periods no longer carry quite the same weight they once did in an era dominated by the transfer portal and roster turnover.

But Wisconsin still wants to resemble something close to a traditional program by building much of its core and culture internally, which makes identifying the right high school prospects early in the process all the more important — even if the process itself looks very different now.

“Hopefully, we’ll get more stability with multi-year contracts, but right now, we’re evaluating one year at a time,” Gard said at Big Ten Media Days. “How do you build your team? It’s typically from the top down.

“You have to know who your real horses are going to be and where your needs are, then build from there. If you get too young, you’re going to find yourself at the bottom of the ladder looking up really fast.”

This staff has increasingly shifted toward building rosters from the top down, investing heavily in players they believe can immediately impact winning at the highest level. That said, Wisconsin also isn’t afraid to invest in younger prospects they believe can eventually grow into that mold.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

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For a lot of Wisconsin men’s basketball fans, Sam Dekker will always be remembered as the hometown hero who helped carry the Badgers to back-to-back Final Fours and a national championship appearance.

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Now, more than a decade after arriving in Madison as one of the most decorated recruits in state history, Dekker is returning to the college basketball scene not as a player using a final year of unused eligibility, but as an assistant coach in the SEC under Lamont Paris at South Carolina.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of Gamecock Basketball. I’m so grateful to Coach Paris for trusting me with this role, and I take it very seriously,” Dekker said. “The decision to transition from player to coach is not one I took lightly, but joining Coach Paris and this program was a dream opportunity. I am thrilled to return to the college game and compete at such a high level in the SEC. My 11 years as a pro have provided so many experiences with amazing players, coaches, and styles.

“Some of my best memories as a player were competing in two Final Fours with Coach Paris, and I look forward to doing that with him again. My goal is to win in March and give our players the best opportunity for success on and off the court.”

In a lot of ways, the move feels fitting.

Paris was a longtime assistant coach on Bo Ryan’s staff during Dekker’s entire career at Wisconsin, helping recruit and develop the former five-star prospect from Sheboygan Lutheran High School into one of the faces of one of the greatest stretches in modern program history.

And few players embodied Wisconsin basketball quite like Dekker did during that era.

Across three seasons from 2012-15, Dekker appeared in 113 games with 81 starts for the Badgers while scoring 1,363 career points, which still ranks 15th in program history. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 12.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for his career while steadily developing into one of the Big Ten’s most dangerous and versatile forwards.

By his junior season, Dekker, who earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors after averaging 13.9 points and 5.5 rebounds, had become one of the driving forces behind Wisconsin’s run to the 2015 national championship game alongside National Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky and a supporting cast that included Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig, Josh Gasser, Duje Dukan, Traevon Jackson, and Zak Showalter, among others.

That NCAA Tournament performance remains part of Badgers lore.

Dekker averaged 19.2 points per game during Wisconsin’s Final Four run, including a memorable 27-point performance against Arizona in the Elite Eight featuring the now-iconic dagger three-pointer. He earned West Region Most Outstanding Player honors during that tournament run. He finished his college basketball career as a two-time second-team All-Big Ten selection after also making the conference’s All-Freshman Team.

From there, basketball took him all over the world.

Dekker left school with one year of eligibility remaining, opting to enter the 2015 NBA Draft when his stock was arguably at its highest point following Wisconsin’s run to the national championship game against Duke. He was selected 18th overall by the Houston Rockets and spent parts of five seasons in the NBA with the Rockets, Clippers, Cavaliers, Wizards, and Raptors. Injuries prevented him from ever fully settling into a long-term NBA role, but his professional career hardly stopped there.

Overseas, Dekker carved out a highly successful second chapter.

He became one of the more accomplished American-born forwards playing internationally, earning All-EuroCup honors while helping lead the London Lions to multiple championships and individual MVP awards across Europe and the British Basketball League.

Now, the next chapter begins on the sideline.

Paris pointed directly to Dekker’s winning background, professional experience, and ability to help develop players as reasons for the hire.

And from Dekker’s perspective, returning to the college game alongside someone he already won with at the highest level made the transition feel natural. He’s also stepping into a program led by Paris, who earned SEC Coach of the Year honors in 2024 after leading one of the conference’s biggest turnarounds. However, South Carolina has struggled to maintain that momentum over the past two seasons and is looking to right the ship.

Dekker will also have the chance to coach former Wisconsin forward Aleksas Bieliauskas, who signed with South Carolina this offseason.

“Development of each player’s individual abilities is as important now as it has ever been in college basketball,” Paris said. “Sam’s unique experiences and skill set will allow him to have a tremendous impact on our players and program immediately. He is a winner through and through, and I am thrilled to add him to our staff as an assistant coach.”

For Wisconsin fans, though, it’s another reminder of just how special that era of Badgers basketball truly was — and how many of the figures from those teams continue finding success both on and off the court.

Dekker has spoken about feeling like he stepped away from the game before the game left him, and now he’ll be positioned to make a major impact in a college basketball landscape where leadership, experience, and the ability to connect with players may matter more than ever.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

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With the Wisconsin men’s basketball team’s roster now largely in place, the offseason conversation shifts from who’s coming in to what this group can actually become once they begin preparation for next season.

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So, I’ve got a new set of mailbag questions to dig into, and this one leans into how the Badgers roster is built heading into the 2026–27 season.

We’ll get into whether or not the Badgers have enough top-end talent to compete at the top of the Big Ten, how important Owen Foxwell is to making this whole thing work, and where the biggest remaining need sits with one roster spot still open. We’ll also touch on the bigger-picture question of how Wisconsin is navigating the current NIL landscape.

Let’s dive in.

Q: Now that Wisconsin’s roster is mostly in place, what’s your biggest question mark or concern about how this team is built heading into 2026-27?

-Dave in Janesville

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There’s a business side to roster building in college athletics now, and for the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program, much of what shapes a team happens behind the scenes long before the games begin.

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Retaining players. Managing revenue share. Structuring NIL deals. Navigating agents. Evaluating transfer portal fits. Allocating resources. Determining which players are worth building around and which additions actually complement the roster enough to help impact the bottom line.

That’s all part of the job now.

And as Wisconsin’s staff retooled its roster for the upcoming 2026-27 season, Greg Gard made it clear there has been far more involved in the Badgers process than simply evaluating film and recruiting talent.

The modern portal landscape has often felt like “amateur hour” behind the scenes, with inconsistent rules, varying levels of agent experience, and constant conversations centered around contract structure, revenue sharing, third-party NIL, and payment schedules. Gard acknowledged there are still very few true guardrails in place nationally, which has forced programs like Wisconsin to spend just as much time navigating the business and educational side of roster building as the basketball side.

“There are agents who are really good, who understand this space, are fair and very professional in how they operate,” Gard said on Butchie’s Den. “And then there’s the other side — what I refer to as amateur hour.

“People have jumped into this, and there are no guardrails. We really have no rules in place, and anyone can be involved, so you get a wide variety of experiences. Some just don’t understand how the college NIL landscape works and needs to work in terms of how you can legally pay an athlete.”

That reality is part of why Wisconsin expanded its staff last offseason to more closely resemble a professional front-office model, leaning heavily on general manager Marc VandeWettering throughout the process.

“That’s where Mark has really stepped in, and honestly, it’s been built on the fly,” Gard said while praising VandeWettering’s ability to navigate and communicate through the constantly changing realities of the modern college basketball landscape. “You hate to build an airplane as it’s running down the runway, but that’s kind of what we’ve been doing. He’s done a phenomenal job. I don’t get around the other sports much, but if he’s not the best GM and understanding of it on our campus, I don’t know who is.

“He’s really, really sharp in terms of understanding this new world.”

Wisconsin entered the offseason understanding the challenge ahead.

Yes, the Badgers increased their overall NIL resources from a season ago. But so did much of the conference around them. And while Wisconsin believes it can compete financially, the reality is the program still operates with a budget that sits somewhere in the bottom third of the Big Ten.

That reality has forced Wisconsin to become extremely disciplined in how it approaches roster construction.

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For as much roster turnover as Greg Gard and the Wisconsin men’s basketball program faced this offseason, the staff never viewed the situation they were building for 2026-27 as starting from scratch.

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Not after retaining Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp. And not after watching how heavily those two factored into Wisconsin’s portal recruiting efforts.

As the Badgers worked through another offseason shaped by roster movement, NIL realities, and the transfer portal, Gard’s staff prioritized building around a returning frontcourt that they believed could anchor the next version of Wisconsin basketball. The result was a portal class centered around experience, shooting, athleticism, and defensive upside.

Now that much of the offseason dust has settled, Gard believes Wisconsin has assembled a roster that fits what the staff envisioned, and that optimism begins with the players the Badgers managed to keep.

Winter and Rapp returning gave the Badgers both continuity and flexibility as they reconstructed the roster around them after losing their entire starting backcourt. Leading scorer Nick Boyd exhausted his eligibility, while John Blackwell ultimately transferred to Duke after entering both the NBA Draft and portal process to gauge his value on the open market.

But internally, Wisconsin believed it still had something worth selling.

Gard and Joe Krabbenhoft have noted that multiple portal additions specifically asked about Winter and Rapp during the recruiting process because they wanted to play alongside them. The hope is that they can form one of the best shooting frontcourts in the country, which reflects how much value skilled big men now carry in modern roster construction.

And Wisconsin built outward from there.

That process has become far more complicated in today’s college basketball landscape, where a program’s roster construction is just as much about allocation strategy as it is talent evaluation. Wisconsin’s staff has openly acknowledged that building a complete team now requires balancing experience, retention, portal additions, and overall roster depth without tying too much of the budget into one or two players.

“You can’t allocate too large a percentage to one individual or even two individuals,” Gard said on Butchie’s Den. “Because then what you have left to build a team around them becomes very minimal. I think the simplest way to look at this is to view it as a triangle. So we’re building from the top down.

“We’re not building from the bottom up. We want to make sure our primary players — our studs, so to speak — are focused on first, and then you build from your best players down. As you retain players and get a good idea of who’s coming back, then you start building around them.

“Do you want to have a really highly paid player or two and have average pieces around them, or do you want to build the best team possible? Quite frankly, my job is to win games. How do you win games? You get the best team possible on the court. And how that comes together changes from year to year.”

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The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program’s decision-makers knew that replacing Nick Boyd wouldn’t be simple.

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Not because the Badgers needed another all-Big Ten caliber volume scorer running the show. And not because they were trying to find somebody who played exactly like him. What Wisconsin’s staff needed was someone capable of organizing an offense, handling pressure, and bringing experience to a roster undergoing significant changes.

That’s why the addition of Owen Foxwell quickly became one of the most important moves of Wisconsin’s offseason.

“With the retention pieces, we had a pretty good idea what was going to be in place,” head coach Greg Gard said. “We were able to get involved with Owen Foxwell. Really — we didn’t think we had a chance. He was committed to LSU, but then that kind of unraveled there with the coaching change, and we were able to really get in the game quickly.

“That was a major centerpiece, to be able to have a point guard of that experience, of that talent. That maturity at 22 years old, and where he’s played and who he’s played against. That was a big piece for us. I don’t know if we could have found a better point guard than what didn’t have NBA written on them in the States.”

That last part says a lot.

When you evaluate what Wisconsin has tried to do this offseason, the emphasis has clearly been on finding experienced players who fit a very specific brand of basketball. Foxwell checks a lot of those boxes.

The 6-foot-2 guard is set to join the program after spending five seasons playing professionally in Australia’s NBL for the South East Melbourne Phoenix in one of the more physical and respected international leagues.

Last season, Foxwell averaged 11.1 points, 4.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 41.1% from the field, 35.2% from beyond the arc, and 80% at the free-throw line. He also posted a strong 125-to-43 assist-to-turnover ratio. Over the course of his professional career, he’s consistently hovered around 36% from three-point range.

But part of what makes that progression notable is that it didn’t happen overnight. Foxwell had to gradually earn a larger role over time, finding ways to impact games defensively and play within structure before growing into a full-time starting point guard at the professional level.

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At a certain point in the offseason, it’s not about who you can add — it’s about whether what you’ve built makes sense. For the Wisconsin men’s basketball program, this offseason has revealed a very intentional vision.

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And if you listen closely to how the staff talks about it, the approach wasn’t reactionary. It was planned well before the portal ever opened.

Wisconsin was slower to land a portal commitment than most power-conference programs this offseason. Still, part of that came from understanding how quickly the market escalated and staying disciplined enough to trust its evaluation process rather than chasing everyone else.

“Obviously, to get the guys back — starting with the incoming freshmen, Jackson Ball and LaTrevion Fenderson — those are tremendous additions we were able to make over a year ago through evaluations and connections,” assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft said on Butchie’s Den.

“As the retention process started, those talks began before the season even started last year — with our staff, with our GM Mark [VandeWettering], with their representation, and even their families. We haven’t forgotten about the human element of all of this.

“That’s the difference between what we experienced as professional players and this landscape now, which is kind of a hybrid of both. Specifically at Wisconsin, we haven’t forgotten about the human element.”

That part matters more than it used to.

In an era where roster building is constant and decisions are often driven by short-term opportunity, Wisconsin has tried to strike a balance between the business side of the sport and the relationships that still define it. And nowhere was that more evident than with Nolan Winter.

“The big one, obviously, was Nolan Winter,” Krabbenhoft said of retaining Winter this offseason. “That goes back six, seven, eight years ago, when we first saw him… he’s been a huge piece of this program — a pillar — and is going to continue to improve and have a tremendous senior year.

“We wouldn’t be able to get Nolan Winter — his production, stability, the kind of person he is — out of the portal. So for him to want to be here and make that clear played such an instrumental part in other guys returning.”

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For the Wisconsin men’s basketball program, John Blackwell’s departure represents more than just losing one of the Big Ten’s most productive guards.

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It’s also another reminder of how dramatically the landscape around college athletics and player development has changed.

Blackwell announced that he would enter both the 2026 NBA Draft and the transfer portal before ultimately landing at Duke, ending a three-year run in Madison that saw him develop from an under-recruited prospect into one of the most accomplished guards in recent program history.

And from Greg Gard’s perspective, that development still matters — even if the ending looks different than it once did.

“When you’re in this position, you’re always trying to help people,” Gard said during an appearance on ESPN Milwaukee. “Elevate their lives, right? And become better than when they arrived. John arrived with only one high major offer. Everything else was in the MAC and at lower levels.

“And he’s able to be in a position where he has a chance to go better himself, better his future, better his livelihood from a financial standpoint. Whether he was, or someone gets drafted in the first round of the NBA draft, or they land a job with a Fortune 500 company, and they’re able to financially be in a very good place. They’re better than when they arrived.

“Although it’s different than how it was back then, that better than when you arrived has taken a different twist and a different turn. I don’t fault John at all, just like I didn’t fault Chucky Hepburn for putting themselves in a position where they had options to be able to better themselves. I sleep just fine.”

That quote says as much about the current state of college basketball as it does Blackwell himself. Gard understands that the financial side now carries significant weight in these decisions. And while that reality may not be ideal for coaches, he’s also shown a willingness to accept it and support players who are chasing what they believe is best for their future.

Because when Blackwell arrived on campus, Wisconsin was his lone high-major opportunity. He chose the Badgers over offers from Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Cleveland State, and several other mid-major programs. Three years later, the Michigan native leaves as one of the most productive guards in program history, having developed under Gard and his coaching staff into an All-Big Ten-caliber player.

This past season marked the most complete version of his game.

Across 34 games, Blackwell averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 38.9% from beyond the arc en route to third-team All-Big Ten honors. He finished ninth in the Big Ten in scoring, produced five 30-point games, and became one of only 10 Wisconsin players since 1990 to average at least 18 points per game in a season.

That list puts him in rather elite company alongside names like Michael Finley, Devin Harris, Alando Tucker, Frank Kaminsky, Johnny Davis, John Tonje, Jon Leuer, Jordan Taylor, and Nick Boyd — essentially a collection of some of the program’s best offensive players of the modern era.

Blackwell’s consistency over time also mattered.

Across 107 career appearances and 74 starts for the Badgers, Blackwell scored 1,505 career points, climbing all the way to 11th on Wisconsin’s all-time scoring list despite spending just three seasons in the program.

And yet, that production no longer guarantees a traditional ending.

Instead, Blackwell will now go through the NBA Draft process, gather feedback from scouts and decision-makers, and then head to Duke for his senior season — a move that reflects both the realities of modern college basketball and the ambitions of a player looking to compete at the highest level possible. For Blackwell, the next step is to push his game as far as it can go, play against elite competition, take on more responsibility with the ball in his hands, and give himself the best chance at the NBA.

For Wisconsin, though, the equation looks different.

In the NIL era, roster construction often comes down to difficult business decisions and finite financial resources. Programs have to constantly evaluate where to invest, how to balance retention with portal additions, and what combination of players gives them the best chance to compete in the Big Ten.

Simply put, replacing Blackwell won’t be easy.

Players with that level of production and shot-making ability are difficult to replicate, especially when they developed within the program and became part of the foundation for one of the most efficient offensive teams Wisconsin has produced. Instead, the Badgers will have to try to replace Blackwell in the aggregate, leaning on a combination of returning players, portal additions, and internal development to help fill the void.

From Gard’s perspective, though, the mission remains largely the same.

Develop players while you have them. Help them grow as people. Put them in a position to have options, even if those options now sometimes lead somewhere else. That may not always make roster retention easy in today’s college basketball landscape. But, in Blackwell’s case, it’s also hard to argue Wisconsin didn’t accomplish exactly what it set out to do.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

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The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program has added another player from Australia to its roster for next season.

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Forward Isaac Riddle officially signed with the Badgers, giving Greg Gard and his staff another international piece as they continue to reshape the roster with a mix of experience, development, and long-term upside.

“Isaac comes in as one of the best young prospects in Australia with terrific potential as he goes down the path of development,” Gard said. “For our program, it’s a very good time to bring in a budding star from their national team and help Isaac with the next steps in his career.

“His length and athleticism are obvious, but his desire to grow and expand his game is impressive. We’re looking forward to getting to work with him in June.”

Riddle, a 6-foot-8 forward from Golden Grove, Australia, is coming to Madison with a résumé built on international competition and efficiency around the rim. At the 2025 FIBA Under-17 Oceania Cup, he averaged 14.0 points per game while shooting 67.4% from the field, a mark that ranked among the best in the tournament. Riddle also helped lead Australia to a gold medal at the 2023 FIBA Under-16 Asia Championship, further building a track record of winning on the international stage.

That profile fits with how Wisconsin has rounded out its roster this offseason, pairing a group of experienced players expected to carry the scoring load with a younger layer of pieces who make sense from a long-term and roster-balance standpoint and have room to develop.

“Honored to join & be part of the Wisconsin Badgers program,” Ruddle said. “Grateful for the opportunity to develop, compete, and represent such a proud basketball tradition. Thank you to everyone who helped along the journey so far. Looking forward to getting to work in Madison.”

Riddle is currently playing for the Center of Excellence in Australia’s NBL1 East league, a developmental league that has produced a few notable prospects but isn’t the highest level of competition. The early returns point to a player who brings good length, thrives off finishing plays at the rim, running the floor, and impacting the game with his athleticism and motor — even as there’s still plenty of room to refine his overall skill set.

He’s not being brought in to contribute right away.

What Riddle is, at least right now, is a developing forward with tools. Someone who can score efficiently inside the arc, rebound his position, and bring energy on both ends. As Riddle transitions to the college level, the focus will be on adding strength, expanding his offensive skill set, and continuing to round out his game, particularly on the perimeter.

When you look at the roster he’s joining, that timeline makes sense.

Wisconsin’s frontcourt is expected to feature experienced options like Nolan Winter, Austin Rapp, and Will Garlock, along with portal addition Victory Onuetu. That kind of depth gives the staff flexibility to bring Riddle along at the right pace, allowing him to develop without the pressure of immediate production. His energy on the scout team and reps against Big Ten-caliber frontcourt players should help everyone improve.

He becomes part of a larger group of newcomers that includes Trey Autry, Eian Elmer, Owen Foxwell, LaTrevion Fenderson, Josh Manchester, and Jackson Ball, as the Badgers continue to build out a roster designed with hopes to compete now while also sustaining success in the future.

Riddle fits into the latter part of that equation.

He’s a long-term play. A player with the physical tools and international background that give him a foundation to build on, even if the finished product is still a ways away. It’s a low-risk addition, and the truth is, anyone who says they know exactly what he’ll become at this stage is guessing. But if the development hits, there’s a world where he grows into someone who can give you meaningful minutes over time. Time will tell.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

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The Wisconsin men’s basketball program has added another in-state talent to its roster for next season.

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Mount Horeb standout guard Josh Manchester announced his commitment to the Wisconsin Badgers, giving Greg Gard and his staff a high-scoring backcourt piece to develop for the future as they continue to reshape the roster and build toward the next phase of the program.

“We’re excited to have Josh join our program,” Gard said. “As we continue to intentionally build out our roster, it’s vital to have players in a variety of roles. Josh appreciates and understands the work and development that his role will require. He’s got a competitor’s mindset paired with a knack for scoring, as witnessed by him being amongst the top 10 scorers in Wisconsin high school history. He comes from an excellently coached high school program and a basketball family.

“Josh is really fired up to be a Badger. We can’t wait for him to arrive on campus this summer and get to work preparing for the coming season. We’re looking forward to helping Josh launch his college career!”

Manchester, a 6-foot-3 combo guard, brings one of the most decorated scoring resumes in the state. He averaged 30.1 points per game as a senior, according to UW’s press release, and was a finalist for the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association’s Mr. Basketball award. In the process, Manchester finished with 2,534 career points, becoming the all-time leading scorer at Mount Horeb and the 10th-most in state history.

That kind of production doesn’t happen by accident.

Manchester has been on Wisconsin’s radar for multiple years, making visits to Madison and building familiarity with the program. He also competed on the Nike EYBL circuit with Team Herro, giving the staff another extended look at his game against high-level competition. But when the offer finally came, the fit was already there, and things moved quickly.

He chose Wisconsin over offers from programs such as East Tennessee State, Northern Illinois, Siena, and UW-Green Bay, as well as late interest from several high-major programs. For an in-state prospect who has long envisioned himself playing for the Badgers, the decision made sense.

And from Wisconsin’s perspective, it aligns with what this staff has been trying to do.

The Badgers are in the middle of rebuilding their roster, balancing retention, portal additions, and high school recruiting as they reshape the roster. Adding Manchester gives them a developmental guard that works hard, can shoot, and has a proven track record of carrying an offense.

He’ll join a 2026 class that already includes in-state forward LaTrevion Fenderson, a familiar name to Manchester from their time together on the AAU circuit. That continuity matters, especially as Wisconsin continues to emphasize fit and culture alongside talent. The Badgers have also added international backcourt pieces in New Zealand guard Jackson Ball and Australia’s Owen Foxwell, who, at 22 years old, is expected to arrive with a more experienced profile and likely won’t have four years of eligibility.

Beyond the high school and international additions, the roster is coming together, with a mix of returning players such as Nolan Winter, Austin Rapp, Jack Janicki, Hayden Jones, Zach Kinziger, and Will Garlock, as well as portal pickups Eian Elmer, Trey Autry, and Victory Onuetu.

Manchester adds another layer to that build.

He’s a volume scorer by nature, but there’s more to his game than just putting the ball in the basket. Manchester is a high-IQ guard with deep range from beyond the arc who can play on or off the ball, attack closeouts, and finish through contact when the opportunity is there. At the next level, the focus will shift to adding strength and refining his game as he adjusts to a different type of role and finds ways to make an impact.

But the foundation is there.

From a roster-building standpoint, this matters, too. Bringing in an in-state player who takes pride in representing where he’s from not only helps balance resources as programs manage the realities of today’s landscape, but also gives the staff a player they’ve evaluated closely and can develop over time. In a sport defined by constant turnover, those types of culture pieces tend to carry more value than they’re often given credit for.

For a coaching staff focused on building the right way and honoring the program’s history, while also operating within the realities of the current college basketball landscape, adding an in-state player with production, familiarity with Wisconsin, and shooting upside simply makes sense.

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The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program officially retained its top priority in the frontcourt this offseason.

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Nolan Winter announced that he is returning to Madison for the 2026–27 season, giving Greg Gard a cornerstone piece to build around as Wisconsin reshapes the roster. Winter’s decision to remain a Badger for life carries more weight than anything else they’ve done thus far.

“BADGER NATION, I’M BACK,” Winter wrote. “At the end of the day, I couldn’t picture myself anywhere other than with the Wisconsin Badgers. From the moment I stepped on campus, this program has pushed me to grow not only as a player, but as a person. The coaching staff believes in me, my teammates have become family, and the fans show up every night.

“There’s a standard here, a pride in wearing “Wisconsin” across your chest, and that means everything to me. I’m grateful for this place and excited to keep building, keep competing, and give everything I have for this team and city.”

In an era where loyalty is often defined by doing what’s best for you and your family financially, Winter took a slightly different path, staying the course for all four years at Wisconsin while steadily developing his game. It’s a reflection of a program and player who’ve invested in one another.

That context makes what Wisconsin is navigating this offseason worth paying attention to, especially with Winter positioned to provide continuity in the locker room and help carry the program’s culture forward.

The Badgers entered the offseason with plenty of turnover to navigate, starting with the graduation of senior starters Nick Boyd, an All-Big Ten selection, Andrew Rohde, and Braeden Carrington, who served as an important piece off the bench. From there, star combo guard John Blackwell chose to go through the NBA Draft process, enter the transfer portal, and ultimately signed with Duke, further reshaping the roster.

If the Wisconsin Badgers had lost Winter too, they wouldn’t have been building around much of anything. They would have been starting from scratch. Instead, the 7-foot big man stands as the lone returning starter from a team that earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

That said, Winter didn’t just take a step forward last season. He became one of the most efficient frontcourt players in the Big Ten, and the progression didn’t happen overnight. As a freshman, his PRPG sat at 0.6 before climbing to 3.5 as a sophomore and 4.6 as a junior, according to BartTorvik, reflecting a steady rise in Winter’s impact and usage within the Badgers offense.

The production followed that same trajectory. After averaging 9.4 points and 5.8 rebounds as a sophomore on 56.3% shooting from the field and 35.8% from beyond the arc, the Minnesota native jumped to 13.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks while shooting 56.9% from the field across 31 appearances, cementing himself as a dependable frontcourt presence.

Efficiency wasn’t just a part of his game. It defined it.

He posted a 133.4 offensive rating, per T-rank. The Lakeville North standout finished with 12 double-doubles, the third-most by a Wisconsin player since 2000. And then there’s the number that really makes you pause.

Winter shot 70.1% on two-point attempts. In a league like the Big Ten, where a lot of possessions feel like they’re being played in a phone booth, that kind of efficiency is almost unheard of. In fact, no qualifying Big Ten player had hit that mark inside the arc since the 1986–87 season.

That’s not just productive. That’s remarkably efficient. And in Gard’s offense, which is built around pace, high-percentage looks at the rim, and floor spacing, it’s hard to imagine a better fit. He can run the floor, finish inside, and has already proven he can stretch the defense when needed.

So when you talk about roster construction, you’re not just talking about bringing back a high-quality starter. You’re talking about keeping a foundational piece — especially at a time when proven big men are commanding a premium on the open market.

Winter is a player that Gard can point to when recruiting in the transfer portal as someone to build around and an example of the program’s player development.

Which is exactly what they’ve done.

The Badgers had no choice but to be aggressive in the portal, and it’s not hard to see why. There’s a significant amount of production walking out the door, with as many as four starting spots being replaced heading into next season. That kind of turnover forced their hand. The frontcourt still needs another plug-and-play option following the departures of Aleksas Bieliauskas, Riccardo Greppi, and Jack Robison, all of whom transferred.

But the cupboards aren’t bare.

With Winter back in the fold, along with Austin Rapp — who has already announced his return — and Will Garlock, Wisconsin is expected to retain three rotational forwards. When you factor in the expected return of Jack Janicki, Hayden Jones, and Zach Kinziger on the perimeter and add in two incoming freshmen in the 2026 class, Jackson Ball and in-state forward LaTrevion Fenderson, along with international point guard Owen Foxwell, you can start to see the vision for next season’s team coming together.

From there, the staff has worked to supplement that group through the portal to fill gaps, adding Hofstra big man Victory Onuetu, Miami (OH) wing Eian Elmer, and George Washington guard Trey Autry to round out the roster and provide experienced depth across multiple spots.

It’s not a finished product. Not even close. But it’s a good start. And in today’s college basketball landscape, Winter’s retention might be the difference between simply reworking the roster with a few targeted players who fit your system and having to tear it down and start over.

Keeping Winter doesn’t solve everything. It doesn’t replace all of the production the Badgers lost. But it keeps Wisconsin from drifting into uncertainty without a compass. As the saying goes, sometimes the most important additions you make in the offseason are the players you keep.

Winter’s decision to spend his entire career in one place is becoming increasingly rare. It’s a reminder of what college basketball used to look like — and a chance to appreciate a player and a program that chose to see it through together.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

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If you want to understand why Wisconsin men’s basketball targeted Eian Elmer, you have to start with how this offense is built to function.

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Because not all spacing is created equal.

That’s where Elmer separates himself from a typical transfer portal addition. This signing wasn’t just a move to add a perimeter option. This was a targeted addition that aligns with what this staff values offensively and what they believe translates to winning games in their system.

Start with what you already know.

Elmer averaged 12.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game last season at Miami (OH), doing it on 49.8% shooting from the field and 42.9% from three on volume. He attempted 285 shots, with 168 of them coming from three, meaning nearly 59% of his looks came from behind the arc.

That’s a clear identity.

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At some point, building a roster for Wisconsin basketball stops being about adding more skill and starts being about filling in what’s missing.

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That’s where Victory Onuetu comes into the picture.

This isn’t about Wisconsin expanding the offensive arsenal or finding another player to stretch the floor. It’s about balance. It’s about having a frontcourt piece who can do the things that don’t always show up in the box score but tend to matter over the course of a Big Ten season.

And that’s where Onuetu’s value starts to come into focus as he enters his final year of eligibility.

Start with the baseline. At 6-foot-11, 235 pounds with a long wingspan, Onuetu brings a physical presence that Wisconsin hasn’t consistently had down low, and historically hasn’t prioritized, in its frontcourt.

In 35 appearances at Hofstra, Onuetu averaged 4.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in just under 18 minutes per game while shooting 56.6% from the field, doing all of his work around the rim. According to Barttorvik, he also posted a 0.8 PRPG with a 109.8 offensive rating.

The production is modest. The impact isn’t. Because when you dig into Onuetu’s advanced data, the on-court identity becomes clear.

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The Wisconsin men’s basketball program has added some size and an important piece from the transfer portal.

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Miami (OH) wing Eian Elmer committed to the Badgers coming off his official visit to Madison, giving Greg Gard and his staff a player who checks a lot of boxes in terms of fit, production, and overall skill set.

“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” Gard said in a press release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. He played on one of the country’s most successful teams at Miami (Ohio) that won 32 games. A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.

“We can’t wait to get Eian to Madison in June to join all his teammates as preparation begins for what appears to be another exciting Badger team.”

Elmer becomes the third transfer addition for Wisconsin this offseason, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and Hofstra big man Victory Onuetu as the Badgers continue to shape their roster.

At 6-foot-7, Elmer brings the kind of size on the wing that Wisconsin has been looking to add, but it’s not just about the frame. It’s how he plays within it.

During his junior season at Miami (OH), Elmer averaged 12.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while logging over 30 minutes a night and starting every contest for a team that went 32-2 and earned an NCAA Tournament berth. He did it efficiently, shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from three on volume. That combination alone makes it valuable.

But there’s more to it than just shooting.

The shooting profile is real, too. During his junior season, 168 of his 285 shot attempts came from beyond the arc, meaning 58.9% of his shots were threes. For his career, that number sits at 51.2%, with 375 of his 732 total attempts coming from deep, where he’s connected at a 41.3% clip.

Elmer is the type of player who impacts the game without needing the ball to stick. He rebounds his position pretty well, defends with length, and understands how to play within a team-centric offensive system.

And that’s not by accident.

“He rebounds, he defends, he can score, he can shoot, he can do a lot of things well,” Miami (OH) head coach Travis Steele said of Elmer. “Eian impacts the game in every way possible.”

According to Barttorvik, he posted a 2.3 PRPG along with a 120.5 offensive rating, reinforcing just how effective he was in his role. Elmer did it with a 17.4% usage rate and a 64.2% true shooting percentage, a mark that would have ranked second among Wisconsin’s rotation players last season behind only Nolan Winter, which gives you a good sense of the efficiency he brings to the table and how effective he was at Miami (OH).

And that’s where the fit starts to come into focus.

Wisconsin isn’t asking Elmer to come in and be the guy the same way transfers like AJ Storr, John Tonje, or Nick Boyd carried that kind of scoring load. With Winter and Austin Rapp anchoring a frontcourt that can both stretch the floor and create space, and with Australian point guard Owen Foxwell arriving from the NBL to help orchestrate the offense and get others involved, the need shifts to players who can complement that structure.

Elmer fits that mold to a T, and there’s still reason to believe there could be more to unlock offensively within a more defined role.

He’s a connective piece. Someone who can knock down open shots, keep the offense moving, and provide defensive versatility on the wing. In a system that relies heavily on ball screens and spacing, having five players who can shoot and make quick decisions is critical, and Elmer fits that.

There’s a role here, and it’s a meaningful one.

Elmer projects as someone who can step into the starting lineup immediately, provide stability, and give Wisconsin another reliable option on the perimeter. Every team in college basketball is looking for players with his combination of size and shooting ability, which only adds to the appeal.

He’s already proven capable of handling significant minutes at a winning program, and with this being his final year of eligibility, Elmer profiles as someone who will step into a starting role while providing the staff with a dependable presence on the wing as they look to build a roster that can both develop as the season goes along and compete right away.

In a transfer portal cycle where fit and NIL resource allocation matter just as much as talent, this is the kind of addition that feels like a home run. And more often than not, those are the ones that end up mattering most.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

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The Wisconsin men’s basketball program has added another piece to its frontcourt, one that looks a little different than what’s already in place.

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That signing comes in the form of Hofstra transfer Victory Onuetu, who committed to the Badgers following a visit to campus as Greg Gard and his staff continue to round out the roster heading into next season.

Onuetu becomes the second transfer addition for Wisconsin this cycle, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry.

“Having Victory coming to our program is a terrific addition to our team,” Gard said in a press release. “He’s an extremely talented, athletic front line player that gives us excellent rim pressure in transition, lob threats in the half court, shot blocking capability and relentless rebounding.

“In addition to complimenting our roster plan very well, he is an extraordinary person who Badger fans are going to love getting to know. We can’t wait until we can begin working with him when he arrives in June.”

At 22 years old, the 6-foot-11 big man arrives in Madison after taking a unique path to playing college basketball. A native of Málaga, Spain, he didn’t go through the traditional recruiting process. Instead, he developed through Spain’s national system and competed on the international stage before landing at Hofstra for his first college season. During Onuetu’s time in Spain, he also played alongside Brad Davison, now an assistant coach at Wisconsin.

The numbers from Onuetu’s lone season at Hofstra don’t jump off the page at first glance, but the role tells the story.

In 35 appearances, including 17 starts, Onuetu averaged 4.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in just under 18 minutes per game. He shot 56.6% from the field, doing all of his work around the rim, and finished as one of Hofstra’s top rebounders while anchoring the interior defensively.

That’s the appeal.

And when you dig into the advanced numbers, that profile becomes even clearer. According to Barttorvik, Onuetu posted a 0.8 PRPG with a 109.8 offensive rating, but it’s the underlying rates that really stand out. He recorded a 17.0% offensive rebounding rate, a 24.7% defensive rebounding rate, and a 6.7% block percentage, numbers that help paint a much clearer picture of what he’s coming to Wisconsin to do.

Onuetu isn’t being brought in to stretch the floor or carry any kind of offensive load. He attempted zero three-pointers last season and shot under 50% from the free-throw line. That part of his game is what it is. But what he does bring is size, physicality, and a willingness to do the dirty work that every roster needs, especially in a league like the Big Ten.

With Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp expected back in the fold, Wisconsin already has frontcourt pieces who can stretch the floor and play within its spacing-based system. The staff also retained Middleton native Will Garlock, who still has intriguing upside but remains a work in progress.

That’s part of what makes Onuetu’s addition make sense.

It gives Wisconsin another frontcourt piece who can compete for minutes, raise the floor of the room, and push that group forward collectively. Because while the Badgers have pieces in place, what they didn’t necessarily have was a true interior presence who could come in, rebound, protect the rim, and change the tone physically in short bursts.

That’s where Onuetu fits.

He gives the Badgers a different look. Someone who can battle on the glass, contest shots at the rim, and provide depth behind a group that leaned heavily on versatility a season ago. Following the departures of bigs like Aleksas Bieliauskas and Riccardo Greppi to the transfer portal, there was a clear need to add another couple of bodies to the rotation.

Not every addition is about upside or expanding the offense. Sometimes it’s about rounding out the roster. Onuetu projects as a depth piece, someone who can step in and push for a limited rotation role and give you physical minutes when needed. If everything clicks, there’s a path for him to carve out a consistent role as a rebounder and rim protector. And even if that role remains situational, there’s still value in what he brings.

Having an older player like Onuetu, with international experience, who understands how to play hard, defend, and compete without needing the ball, matters. It shows up in practice. It shows up in preparation. And over the course of a long season, it tends to matter more than people think.

This isn’t a move that defines a roster on its own. But it’s one that can help stabilize things in Wisconsin’s frontcourt and raise the floor over time.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

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There’s a difference between adding production and adding purpose. For the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program, the addition of George Washington transfer guard Trey Autry feels a lot more like the latter.

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This isn’t a move where you’re projecting a player into a role and hoping it sticks. The role is already defined. The question is how efficiently he can execute it. And historically, that’s where Autry has been at his best.

Start with the surface-level numbers. Autry averaged 11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game last season while starting all 34 contests and logging just under 29 minutes a night. He shot 43.5% from the field and 38.5% from three on more than six attempts per game.

That’s a solid baseline.

But the deeper you dig, the clearer the picture becomes.

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The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program has added a transfer portal guard from the mid-major ranks.

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The Badgers landed a commitment from former George Washington guard Trey Autry. This move gives Greg Gard and his staff another experienced perimeter piece who understands how to play within a role. The news was first reported by Matt Zenitz and confirmed by BadgerNotes.

“We are very excited to have Trey coming to Wisconsin,” Gard said . “He brings some size, physicality, and experience to our backcourt. As a son of a coach, his basketball IQ is high and his ability to stretch defenses from 3 is a great asset to our offensive balance.

“We are looking forward to beginning preparation for next season when he gets to Madison this summer.”

Autry, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard, comes to Madison after appearing in 100 career games with 68 starts across three seasons at George Washington. This past year, he started all 34 games, averaging 11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in just under 29 minutes per game.

The production is solid. The efficiency is what stands out.

Autry shot 43.5% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc on high volume, attempting more than six threes per game. He finished fifth in the Atlantic 10 in total made threes with 84, despite taking the second-most attempts in the conference. And the consistency for Autry was there, too, knocking down at least one 3-pointer in 31 of 34 games last season.

This is a player who knows exactly what he is.

"His shot-making numbers are incredible,” George Washington coach Chris Caputo said of Autry. “He’s just not a mistake player, rarely a guy who does something outside of himself, and because of that, just incredibly efficient.”

More than 75% of Autry’s field goal attempts across his college career have come from 3-point range (498 attempts), and he’s converted at a 37.6% clip over that span. Autry is a perimeter-oriented guard who thrives as a spot-up option and has developed into a reliable scoring threat.

According to Barttorvik, Autry posted a 2.8 PRPG with a 125.4 offensive rating while operating at a modest 15.3% usage rate. That combination reinforces what the eye test shows. He’s efficient, he plays within himself, and he doesn’t need the ball to impact winning.

So where does he fit?

There’s a clear parallel to what Wisconsin got from senior guard Braeden Carrington a season ago. An experienced player stepping into a defined role, bringing shooting and stability off the bench, and understanding how to complement the pieces around him. And when you look at George Washington’s roster makeup, with eight players averaging 8.0 points or more per game, it suggests Autry comes from a culture that encouraged operating within a team-first structure rather than isolation basketball.

With players like Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp expected back to anchor Wisconsin’s frontcourt, along with Australian point guard Owen Foxwell facilitating and creating looks, the value of another perimeter shooter becomes obvious. Autry gives the Badgers coaching staff the ability to keep spacing intact and maintain the offensive flow when rotations shift.

He also adds another veteran presence who can lead by example and create more competition for minutes in the backcourt with returning options like Jack Janicki, Hayden Jones, and Zach Kinziger, as well as incoming freshmen LaTrevion Fenderson and Jackson Ball.

And that’s where this addition starts to matter more than it might seem.

In a system that continues to lean into pace, spacing, and shot creation through a European-influenced ball-screen continuity offense, having multiple shooting threats on the floor at all times is critical. Wisconsin finished 10th in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency last season, and if the goal is to maintain that standard, additions like this make a lot of sense.

Autry projects as someone who can come off the bench, provide instant offense, and keep defenses honest without disrupting the group’s rhythm. There’s also value in the experience piece. With over 100 Division I games under his belt, Autry fits what this staff has clearly prioritized: keeping the roster older and more reliable. The less projection involved, the better.

He’s not being brought in to take over games. He’s being brought in to fill a defined role and help finish them. And in an offense that continues to lean more and more into the three-point shot, that role carries real value.

Wisconsin averaged 32 three-point attempts per game last season, ranking seventh nationally, so having another high-volume shooter who can step in and let it fly fits exactly with where this system is headed.

For a roster that’s still taking shape, that kind of addition makes a lot of sense.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

You can also follow Site Publisher Dillon Graff at @DillonGraff on X.