Does Markus Ilver Have the Highest Ceiling on the Badgers?
There's arguably no greater mystery on the Wisconsin Badgers roster than sophomore forward Markus Ilver:
Madison, Wis. – In 2021-22, I’d argue there was no greater mystery on the Wisconsin Badgers roster than freshman forward Markus Ilver. And after his first season in Madison, fans are no closer to knowing what they have in the Estonian-born hooper.
Per the 247Sports Composite, Ilver was the No. 151 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, the No. 28 PF in the country, and the No. 3 player in Ohio.
When the 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward from Western Reserve Academy committed to UW over the likes of Xavier, St. Bonaventure, Nebraska, and George Mason - he was viewed as a high-upside lottery ticket prospect for Greg Gard and company.
After curiously deciding not to red-shirt last season, the freshman forward appeared in eight games, mostly during garbage time – averaging 0.6 points and 0.5 rebounds in roughly three minutes a game.
He logged a career-high 11 minutes against UW-Green Bay, where he scored three points and secured four rebounds. Essentially, Badger fans learned nothing about UW's Estonian-born mystery.
Ilver has gained valuable experience playing with Estonia's U20 team in the Euro Championship this summer and has averaged 10.5 points and 6.8 rebounds on 36% shooting from the floor.
So, who exactly is Markus Ilver? BadgerNotes unpacks what little we know about the sophomore forward and why he’s such an intriguing prospect for Wisconsin:
Scouting Report:
When reviewing Ilver's available film, a few things stood out. First, he's a long, toolsy forward with a projectable frame and above-average athletic ability.
Second, he's a good spot-up shooter with a quick, repeatable release from beyond the arc. Right now, this is Ilver's bread and butter on offense. Beyond his shooting, he doesn't offer much secondary playmaking ability other than his ability to attack closeouts - still very much a work in progress.
In limited action last season, he appeared to be fluid and moved his feet well on defense. In the clip below, Ilver does a nice job in drop coverage, switching onto Kamari McGee while Hepburn chases and Crowl tags the roller, Cade Meyer. This forces UW-Green Bay to kick it out and reset.
With Ilver still defending McGee out on the wing, he gets in position, shows his hands, and then utilizes his footspeed and wingspan to force Kamri to give the ball up. This kind of defensive versatility cannot be understated.
Also, with his ability to run the floor, the former three-star recruit could be a real asset in transition. He's someone you can outlet the ball to, put it on the deck once, and explode to the rim.