BadgerMens BB Thread 2023/24

[TW]

The AD and alumni are clearly happy with WI being a middle of the road team in the Big Ten that can never do anything in the NCAA tourney. Proof in the pudding is extending Gard. With this style of offense you are not going to attract top tier talent or get them to stay long if you do as they will see this is not a offense that will get them drafted into the NBA. But UW does just enough to put butts in seats and keep some coin flowing into the coffers. Until that changes UW won't change it's coach.

I think the problem at this point has to be with available NIL money. Wisconsin isn't a school that has as many well-heeled alumni willing to put millions of dollars into the hands of athletes like we see with other schools. It's going to have a dramatic effect on who you can get, and keep, when it comes to talent. I refer to college players today as "hired guns." They're mercenaries. Forget the pep talks, and rallies. It's now all about business.

Even if Bill Self ended up coaching Wisconsin, he'd struggle in getting elite players on board. He might improve the team one or two games, but that's about it. Money talks. Nothing else matters.

I think that's part of the reason they extended Gard. Until they get people on board who are willing to put up the money needed to put winning teams on the court, being mediocre is about all you can ask.

Maybe, just maybe, Gard has learned that the game he was teaching no longer exists. It's as antiquated as the old Naismith 4 corner offense. That said, if the future does hold millions being available, rest assured the Badgers will have an upgrade at HC as well.

 

[GBP4EVER]

I think the problem at this point has to be with available NIL money. Wisconsin isn't a school that has as many well-heeled alumni willing to put millions of dollars into the hands of athletes like we see with other schools. It's going to have a dramatic effect on who you can get, and keep, when it comes to talent. I refer to college players today as "hired guns." They're mercenaries. Forget the pep talks, and rallies. It's now all about business.

Even if Bill Self ended up coaching Wisconsin, he'd struggle in getting elite players on board. He might improve the team one or two games, but that's about it. Money talks. Nothing else matters.

I think that's part of the reason they extended Gard. Until they get people on board who are willing to put up the money needed to put winning teams on the court, being mediocre is about all you can ask.

Maybe, just maybe, Gard has learned that the game he was teaching no longer exists. It's as antiquated as the old Naismith 4 corner offense. That said, if the future does hold millions being available, rest assured the Badgers will have an upgrade at HC as well.

NIL plays part but the elite guys the NIL money I don't think matters as much as they will still be the one and done going pro after they put a year in to satisfy the NBA rule.

 

[TW]

NIL plays part but the elite guys the NIL money I don't think matters as much as they will still be the one and done going pro after they put a year in to satisfy the NBA rule.

Considering most of these kids, including the one and done, hire agents who are out scouring the landscape to find the best NIL deals to go with the offers, I have to disagree. Most of them want to know that even if they decide to do a 2nd year in college, they are getting the money they want, to insure they can afford all the special help they need to advance their game. The days off off season jobs to make sure the refrigerator full is a thing of the past.

 

[57packer]

The Badgers have officially added John Tonje, a 6'6"-215# wing player via the portal. Most recently played at Mizzou but was limited last year due to injury. He's strong but not particularly explosive around the rim. He is however a good shooter with 3-pt range. Had a four really solid seasons at Colorado State before last season and he one year of eligibility left. He'll likely get most of AJ Storr's minutes next year if he stays healthy.

They are also getting an official visit from Noah Noyed, a 7'-240# big man from St. Lucia who was most recently commited to Baylor, via the JUCO route. Not much offense from the perimeter but likely a bench guy to help on defense in the paint.

 

[57packer]

Badgers have gotten a verbal commitment from Will Garlock, a 6'10" center from Middleton, WI. A solid recruit with offers from Marquette, Iowa, Penn St, and Va Tech. Is coming off an ankle injury. Doesn't really move the needle as there are better Wisconsin kids who the Badgers have offered but don't seem too likely to land.

 

[TW]

The Badgers have officially added John Tonje, a 6'6"-215# wing player via the portal. Most recently played at Mizzou but was limited last year due to injury. He's strong but not particularly explosive around the rim. He is however a good shooter with 3-pt range. Had a four really solid seasons at Colorado State before last season and he one year of eligibility left. He'll likely get most of AJ Storr's minutes next year if he stays healthy.

They are also getting an official visit from Noah Noyed, a 7'-240# big man from St. Lucia who was most recently commited to Baylor, via the JUCO route. Not much offense from the perimeter but likely a bench guy to help on defense in the paint.

I think Noyed changed his commit, and is no longer in the Baylor loop. I have a hunch he just might decide to go with the Badgers because of location. I think he was in a Juco in Nebraska? It might be a more comfortable fit for him in Madison, because it's a high profile school for international attendees. Obviously, Baylor sucks on that basis. Their idea of foreign nationals is someone from Arkansas or Oklahoma.

 

[57packer]

Nice recovery by the Badgers last night. After falling behind to Holy Cross early, they came back to get within one point at half-time and then just blew them out in the second half, going up by as many as 30 points and winning by 24 in the end. The player of the game was transfer forward John Tonje who scored 23 points in 27 minutes. He's a solid replacement for AJ Storr. Blackwell and Winter contributed 16 and 15 points respectively.

The rotation seems to be Tonje, Crowl and Winter on the front line with Klesmit and Blackwell at guard. Last night we got a big dose of Kamari McGee who was second in minutes. The other major players in the rotation were Gilmore, Xavier Amos, and Jack Janicki. Interestingly, Daniel Freitag, the highly touted freshman only played 3 minutes late in the game. Hopefully he's still working his way into the rotation and will be a bigger contributor as the season moves along.

Next game will tell us more about this team. Montana State was an NCAA tournament team last year and is expected to win their conference this year. Should be a solid test on Thursday.

Ooops - noticed I put this in the 2023-24 thread. Probably need a new thread for the new season.