As this season of basketball starts, some new players have joined the Wisconsin men’s basketball team.
The new crop of players is filled with promising talent, with each asset bringing their own unique skill set to the team. As Wisconsin men’s basketball gears up for another season, the new players are poised to make an impact on the Badgers’ quest for success.
John Blackwell
Blackwell is a 6’4, 185 pound guard from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. His father Glynn Blackwell played for Illinois from 1984-88 as a shooting guard. As a junior at Brother Rice High School Blackwell averaged 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. He also shot 49% from behind the three point line.
The three star guard had offers from Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Eastern Michigan, Loyola Chicago, Northern Illinois, Oakland, Rhode Island, Toledo and Virginia Commonwealth University before he chose Wisconsin.
“While evaluating him the staff and I quickly identified him for his physicality, feel for the game and basketball IQ,” head coach Greg Gard said in a press release.
This year Blackwell will play a vital role in the system with his elite shooting ability, and he will be used for his skills on defense.
Nolan Winter
Nolan Winter, a 6 '11 190 pound guard, is from Lakeville North High School where current forward Tyler Wahl and former center Nate Reuvers also went. Winter, like Blackwell, also had parents who played sports at the collegiate level. His father Trevor played basketball at the University of Minnesota from 1993-97, and his mother Heidi played volleyball for Minnesota as well.
As a junior in high school, he averaged 17.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 49.8% from the floor. As a stretch big man he will be able to rebound and block like other big men, but he will also shoot three pointers if needed.
Gus Yalden
Gus Yalden is a four star big man originally from Appleton, Wisconsin. He is a 6 '9 240 pound forward who spent his senior year at La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana, but went to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida and The Asheville School in Asheville, North Carolina. Yalden ultimately chose Wisconsin over his other three finalists: Nebraska, College of Charleston and Rutgers.
As a player, Yalden is a big power forward who is powerful at the rim with a guard-like feel around the three-point line as well. Overall he is a very versatile player and fits into the Wisconsin system well.
Jack Janicki
Jack Janicki is a walk-on, 6’5 180 pound shooting guard from White Bear Lake, Minnesota. His mother Stacy was an All-American basketball player at Notre Dame. As a walk-on, he passed up multiple scholarship offers from Wake Forest, Colorado State, Harvard, Loyola Chicago, Rice, Vermont and Santa Clara. For White Bear Lake High School Janicki averaged 22 points, six rebounds and four assists.
“Jack has natural leadership intangibles as a combo guard and understands the importance of the game’s fundamentals,” Gard said. “His defensive mindset and willingness to do whatever his team needs make him a great fit in our locker room.”
