Badgers Flip Mountain West Commit in Transfer Portal
Wisconsin basketball has landed an impact wing from the transfer portal.
Greg Gard and the Wisconsin basketball program have successfully flipped the commitment of an impact wing from the transfer portal.
Former Colorado State and Missouri guard John Tonje, who initially verbally committed to play for New Mexico under former Gophers head coach Richard Pitino, will not play for the Lobos next season. Instead, he has flipped his commitment to the Wisconsin Badgers.
The 6-foot-6 Nebraska native also fielded interest from Virginia, Louisville, Iowa State, Iowa, DePaul, and Arizona State, among others.
Due to an injury, Tonje appeared in just eight games for Missouri last season. In 2022-2023 with the Rams, he averaged 14.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on an impressive 38.9% shooting from beyond the arc.
Synergy data shows that during Tonje's final season at Colorado State, he averaged 1.058 points per possession on all shot attempts, which placed him in the 90th percentile. Tonje also excelled as a spot-up shooter, averaging 1.240 points per possession (95th-percentile).
"We are thrilled to add John Tonje to our team for next season," Gard said in a press release. "His five years of experience and production at a high level will be extremely valuable to our program. John has good positional size, strength, and the ability to help impact our team immediately on both ends of the floor. He is a multidimensional wing with the ability to shoot the 3, score off the bounce and get to the free throw line. Everything about John as a person, student and player is in line with who we want in our locker room. His presence will be noticeable on our team from day one."
Tonje has played 130 games with 50 starts and will have one season of eligibility remaining with the Wisconsin basketball program.