How Wisconsin basketball walk-on Jack Janicki forced his way into the rotation
Wisconsin basketball walk-on Jack Janicki has emerged as a key rotation player, proving he's much more than just a bench piece for Greg Gard.
When Jack Janicki joined the Wisconsin basketball program, he was a promising but seemingly overlooked walk-on—just another name in the Badgers' promising 2023 recruiting class in the eyes of many.
With a handful of scholarship offers on the table from teams like Wake Forest, Vermont, Colorado State, Loyola, Santa Clara, Harvard, and St. Thomas, Janicki chose to bet on himself, knowing it would take time and plenty of hard work to carve out a role at Wisconsin.
After redshirting last season, that patience and dedication paid off in a major way when the redshirt freshman delivered the best performance of his young career in Wisconsin’s 94-84 road win over Purdue.
Forced into extended minutes after Kamari McGee was ejected on a controversial flagrant-2 call while fighting through a screen, Janicki stepped up in one of the toughest environments in all of college basketball.
He scored a career-high 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting from deep, dished out two assists, and blocked a shot in 17 minutes of action while seeing extended time at point guard—all without committing a turnover against Matt Painter’s Boilermakers.
"Boy, as a freshman, first time ever here to come in and do that. On the court, I thought he responded in a way and had production and impacted the game in what we've seen him do in practice," Greg Gard said. "It just hasn't come out because he hasn't been in that situation.
"When Kam had to leave, he played point a lot and handled pressure."
It was a moment that might’ve seemed improbable just months ago.
From redshirt to reliable rotation piece
Before the season, Janicki was hardly in the rotation conversation.
Wisconsin had added veteran guards John Tonje and Camren Hunter through the transfer portal and brought in Daniel Freitag, the highest-rated point guard recruit of the Gard era. Not to mention, the Badgers already had an experienced backcourt returning.
But behind the scenes, Janicki was putting in the work to ensure that when his opportunity came, he’d be ready.
“I think for me, the time in the weight room, just having another summer to work with Coach [Jim] Schneider, has helped my body evolve and sort of help me out on a Big Ten-type court,” Janicki told Badgernotes at local media day.
“The staff has been helping me with things I need to work on, like shooting, playing within our offense, making decisions, and having confidence.”
That confidence has only grown as the season has progressed.
Janicki’s performance against Purdue wasn’t an outlier. Earlier this season, he scored nine points, with two rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes against No. 9 Arizona, proving Janicki could step up in big moments when his number is called.
But this latest effort at Mackey Arena—under immense pressure in a critical game against an elite Big Ten opponent—showcased just how far he’s come.
Thus far, Janicki has appeared in all 25 games for Wisconsin, averaging 2.0 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists while shooting 40.8% from the field and 35.3% from three in 10 minutes per game.
Since the moment Janicki stepped on the court, he has played with confidence—moving well without the ball, keeping the ball moving on offense, defending with effort, and providing much-needed energy off the bench, all while proving himself as a reliable shooter from beyond the arc.
Finding his fit in Wisconsin’s offense
Part of Janicki’s emergence stems from how well he fits within Wisconsin’s free-flowing offensive system.
“I fit in really well because the coaches have put in sort of a continuous offense that relies on everyone being decision-makers and playmakers,” Janicki said before the season began.
“And I think that our system has allowed me to get comfortable with some of my teammates and build chemistry.”
That chemistry was evident against Purdue, where the Minnesota native knocked down a massive corner three to extend Wisconsin’s lead to 71-60 in the second half off a pass from John Tonje. It was the kind of moment that validated all the work he’d put in behind the scenes.
From defensive liability to holding his own
If there was one area where Janicki had to prove himself, it was on the defensive end. He admitted as much before the season.
“Well, if you were to ask me last year, I would say defense is not a very big part of my game,” Janicki said candidly.
But he took the challenge head-on, spending his redshirt season defending Wisconsin’s starters in practice and improving his technique.
“Just having to guard the first team last year and work on some of the defensive principles that we have in place here… the coaching staff has just demanded a lot out of me defensively,” Janicki said.
“I think coming into practice every day and just naturally working hard and doing the things they’ve told me, I think I’ve just progressed as a defender.”
That work paid off against Purdue, where Janicki held his own defensively despite being thrown into the fire against one of the nation’s top teams—and one of the Big Ten's best point guards in Braden Smith.
Just getting started
Before the season even began, Janicki had the right mindset—one that would prove to be crucial as his role expanded.
“For me personally, I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help this team win, and that could look very different game by game, week by week,” Janicki explained.
“It’s hard for me to make set-in-stone personal goals, but I’ll know if things are going well based on how the scoreboard looks and how I feel out there with my teammates and how we play together.”
So far, things are going pretty well.
Janicki may have started this season as a walk-on fighting for minutes, but the 6-foot-5 guard from White Bear Lake has proven that he’s much more than just a bench piece for head coach Greg Gard. His ability to step up in big games has given Wisconsin yet another weapon in an already deep rotation.
And if the early returns are any indication, Janicki is just getting started.
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The grin after that big 3 he canned from the corner was PRICELESS! I love this young man! Look forward to every opportunity we can get to watch him play.
The future is so bright from this young man. Love watching him play. He resembles so many stories of walk-ons who became scholarship over the years. Thinking about what Jack passed up in scholarship to be a Badger, is what you would hope future recruits might see and feel when considering this program!