After weeks of silence in the transfer portal, the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program has landed two potential starters in 24 hours. Northern Illinois University forward Xavier Amos joins Camren Hunter in UW’s 2024 transfer class—beating out Kansas, Illinois and Texas, among many other high-level programs for Amos’s commitment.
Amos joins the Badgers with two years of eligibility left and is fresh off a breakout campaign in his second season at NIU— averaging 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 assists in 30.9 minutes per game.
He’s a threat from behind the 3-point line, where he hit on 38.5 percent of his 4.2 attempts per game, but can also punish defenders on the dribble drive. His impact extends to the defensive end, where his lanky 6-foot-8 frame allows him to fill passing lanes, poke away loose balls and impact shots from all over the floor.
Head coach Greg Gard gushed about Amos’s all-around game.
“His size and skillset are very versatile, and we are excited about what he can do both on the offensive end and the defensive end,” Gard said.
Amos’s addition opens up the possibility for the Badgers to have five shooters on the floor—something that wasn’t an option with now-graduated Tyler Wahl—creating driving lanes for the likes of Hunter, Max Klesmit and John Blackwell, among others.
Defensively, Amos can guard one through four—making the unit as a whole more switchable and giving Gard the opportunity to be more aggressive on that end.
During a game against Marquette in November, Amos was trusted with guarding former Big East Player of the Year Tyler Kolek, a two-time consensus All-American point guard.
While Kolek finished with 14 points in 26 minutes, Amos fared well against one of the best players in the country while guarding out of position.
Later in that month, Amos delivered a 26-point, seven-rebound performance against Northwestern—showcasing his ability to not only compete, but also excel at the highest level of college hoops.
Amos’s versatility and two-way game makes him the likely starting power forward for the 2024-25 Badgers, where he’s expected to work ahead of Carter Gilmore and Markus Ilver.
With Hunter and Amos signed from the transfer portal, along with Daniel Freitag and Jack Robison stepping on campus as true freshmen, Gard is left with one scholarship spot left to fill through the portal. That is, unless a scholarship player from 2023-24 had their scholarship revoked this offseason.