Wisconsin could be looking to add one more player to their new-look roster via the transfer portal.
The Wisconsin Badgers had an eventful week, landing commitments from guard Camren Hunter, forward Xavier Amos, and wing John Tonje in the transfer portal to round out their scholarships.
It has been an eventful offseason for Wisconsin, who lost A.J. Storr and Chucky Hepburn to the transfer portal, prompting the team to have to fill those spots with transfers, which was an extensive process that worked itself out this week.
Now, the Badgers are up to 13 scholarship players, but are they done adding talent, or could we see another transfer join the team?
Current Scholarship Distribution
Here’s how the Badgers currently line up.
Seniors (6): Steven Crowl, Max Klesmit, Kamari McGee, Markus Illver, Carter Gilmore, John Tonje
Juniors (3): Camren Hunter, Chris Hodges, Xavier Amos
Sophomores (2): John Blackwell, Nolan Winter
Freshmen (2): Daniel Freitag, Jack Robison
At the moment, Wisconsin has 13 players on their roster, with six seniors leading the charge, as Crowl, Klesmit, and Gilmore are all using their COVID year of eligibility.
Two of the Badgers’ transfers, Camren Hunter and Xavier Amos, have two years of eligibility remaining, providing some year-to-year stability for the Badgers.
As it stands, here’s what the projected roster looks like.
Guards (5): Daniel Freitag, John Blackwell, Camren Hunter, Max Klesmit, Kamari McGee
Wings (2): John Tonje, Jack Robison
Forwards (6): Steven Crowl, Markus Illver, Carter Gilmore, Chris Hodges, Nolan Winter, Xavier Amos
Another addition?
The Badgers are set with guards, as all five of their players at the position should earn meaningful minutes in 2023, with Wisconsin potentially even rolling out three-guard sets to put their best players on the court.
The wing/small forward spot is where Wisconsin has been lacking in recent years, hence the addition of Tonje, who provides some good size and flexibility for Wisconsin to run certain lineups.
At the forward spot, Wisconsin has a lot of bodies, but how many meaningful contributors do they currently have?
Crowl and Amos are guaranteed to play significant minutes, but behind them, the waters get murky. Gilmore and Illver were the backup power forwards last season, but were both in and out of the lineup as head coach Greg Gard tried to find the best matchups when Tyler Wahl wasn’t on the court.
Nolan Winter showed progress as a true freshman, but seems better suited to play power forward, given his leaner frame, even though he stands at 6’11. Chris Hodges has yet to see much playing time during his career at Wisconsin as well.
That leads us back to the question: could Wisconsin make another addition in the transfer portal?
If they do, the logical spot to add talent would be at the backup center spot, as the Badgers could look to find a true big man to play behind Steven Crowl.
The move would allow Winter to play a hybrid role as a backup power forward or center, depending on matchups, while giving Wisconsin some more size.
The Badgers have already shown interest in a few big men in the transfer portal, and that could be their next move, if they elect to use another scholarship.
Now, should the Badgers get another transfer portal addition, that could require them to take one of their current players off scholarship, although that hasn’t been a concern in the past with the involvement of NIL.
Wisconsin could also use another bigger wing, but it appears they’re content enough with their backcourt that the top remaining need is a backup center.
Will they ultimately land one?