Balancing player development, recruitment and signing transfers in this new age of NIL and the explosion of the transfer portal is, to say the least, not an easy task. Wisconsin men’s basketball head coach Greg Gard has nearly perfected it.
Developing players
After the 2023-24 season, more than 1,800 men’s college basketball players used the transfer portal and that number is only expected to grow.
Therefore, it is extremely difficult to keep and develop players. Gard hasn’t had this problem.
Senior forward Carter Gilmore is a prime example of that. Gilmore hasn’t seen the court much throughout his time as a Badger, but he continues to earn his minutes and has established himself as a quality player in Wisconsin’s rotation. Shooting .400 pct from deep and scoring a career-high 15 points last week to aid his team in their win against Northwestern, Gilmore has earned his minutes.
Steven Crowl is another great example of a developed player. He has spent his entire collegiate career at Wisconsin. Crowl didn’t see the floor much in his freshman year, only playing three minutes per game and totalling one block and nine rebounds on the season. As a graduate student, however, Crowl averages 24.1 minutes per game. And as for blocks and rebounds? He leads the team in both statistical categories.
This maturing of players also applies to sophomore guard John Blackwell, who has started every game this season after having only made one start last season. Blackwell has nearly doubled his average points per game between seasons, growing his 8.0 PPG to 15.5.
Even redshirt freshman guard Jack Janicki has seen time on the court. Janicki made his debut this season and now averages 10 minutes per game. He’s earned his minutes in the Badger rotation.
With the influx of portal usage, Gard’s ability to keep and develop these players has been crucial.
Recruiting
Freshman guard and four-star prospect Daniel Freitag’s commitment to Wisconsin sparked chatter from fans. Likewise, the freshman forward Ricardo Greppi, who boasts professional experience playing in Italy, also generated excitement.
But recently, fans have voiced frustrations with Freitag and Greppi’s lack of playing time.
While their talent is undeniable, those in front of them have earned their way. Gard has built an experienced team of depth. Freitag and Greppi didn’t have collegiate experience until this season.
With newly established NIL and transfer portal rules, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that developing players is how sports programs have traditionally operated. Gard develops each individual player, and it's simply impossible to find room in the rotation for Freitag and Greppi.
Remember, Blackwell wasn’t a starter last season — this season, he leads his team in playing time.
Their times will come. Stay excited.
Signing transfers
“Well, what about John Tonje?”
You can reason that my arguments are nothing but nonsense because the star and leading scorer on the Badgers team transferred in this season. To that, I ask that you allow me to explain why Tonje’s circumstances are different and somewhat unique.
It is important to acknowledge that transferring is becoming the new normal. While Gard has done a great job reducing the effects it has had on his team, there is no possible way to evade this new reality entirely. Quite frankly, Gard has done the best that he possibly could in keeping playings in the program. And as for adapting to this new and difficult-to-navigate era of NIL, he was right on the money with Tonje.
Tonje has the experience. He played in 130 career games before transferring to Wisconsin. While it is not ideal that his prime stages of growth weren’t at Wisconsin, coming into the season he played more total games at the Division I level than any of his Badgers teammates.
I’ll leave you with this. Next time that you are watching Wisconsin basketball and practically begging Gard from your living room couch to put in your favorite player, consider this last note:
Gard knows what he’s doing. Trust him.
