Wisconsin men's basketball local media day reflections and key takeaways

Here are some of my key takeaways from the Wisconsin basketball team's local media day.

Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers basketball program welcomed reporters to the Kohl Center earlier this week for a local media day.

After losing core contributors such as Chucky Hepburn and AJ Storr to the transfer portal, along with reserves Connor Essegian and Gus Yalden, the coaching staff responded by bringing in a handful of experienced players with diverse skill sets from lower levels to offset their departures.

"I don't think I would call it difficult," Gard said in regards to finding the right players in the portal. "I think we had to be very specific and very intentional in the positions that we had to address... then finding the fit and obviously the person behind the fit & how they fit into the culture.

"I think they all are good fits, and I think the staff did a really good job of evaluating and being very intentional. I think that's one thing you have to do in today's era you have to be really really specific and really intentional on who you're going after, and that it's not just throwing something against the wall and hope they fit... There was a direct intentionality with those three guys, specifically at those three positions."

The Badgers staff was focused on building depth this offseason, aiming to be 'two-deep at every position,' leading to intense competition for spots in the rotation. With the battle for minutes still up in the air, which includes a starting five coach Gard made clear hasn't been finalized, Wisconsin has plenty of decisions to make before the 2024-25 season tips off.

Here are a few of my key takeaways from Badgers Media Day and the conversations with the coaches, so let’s dive in. 

Wisconsin is counting on a 'dominant' season from Steven Crowl

Steven Crowl has been a rock-solid contributor to the Wisconsin men's basketball team since he entered the starting lineup four years ago. The senior center has played in 116 career games and averaged double-digits in scoring each of the last two seasons. He has also shot a commendable 52.1% from the floor and 34.5% from beyond the arc during his career.

Not too shabby. But this season, the Badgers are going to need more.

Consistency has often been seen as an issue for the seven-footer from Eagan, Minnesota, who has yet to earn All-Conference honors. Crowl's hot and cold play appears to stem from his inability to dominate against big men of equal or greater size who specialize in rim protection.

As the team's most tenured player, Crowl is someone coach Gard is now expecting to shoulder the offensive load more consistently this season.

"I think the biggest thing for him is he has to demand the ball, and he needs to have it, if not every time down the floor," Gard told reporters. "We can't go two or three possessions in a row without him having some type of touch in the paint. I think the next step for him is just to make that over a 28 to 32-minute segment of a game. He has to become dominant and consistently dominant because we've seen it in flashes.

"I've seen it in practice where he's he's unguardable, but it's a matter of his mindset of wanting that all the time," Gard continued. "They [his teammates] have to force-feed him the ball at times. He needs to have touches because he makes so many good things happen. He needs to be consistently aggressive and consistently dominant.

"I think his next step, his final step here in this last year, is to make himself into an all-league big guy like I think he can be."

Fortunately for Wisconsin, there are more options on the roster capable of giving Crowl an extended breather this season, whether that comes from Nolan Winter or freshman Riccardo Greppi. Perhaps the addition of Xavier Amos—a stretch four—can also help give Crowl more room to work.

The Badgers could take a less conventional approach at point guard

One of my biggest questions for this Wisconsin team heading into the season is who will start at point guard. On the bright side, coach Gard appears to have several viable options to choose from, and truth be told, I'm not particularly sure that it will matter when it's all said and done.

Central Arkansas transfer Camren Hunter felt like the most logical option, considering he was an All-Atlantic Sun conference selection two seasons ago and was a priority pickup in the portal. However, senior Kamari McGee has been a dependable backup and defensive spark plug for the Badgers over the last two years and will also see the floor. And let's not forget Daniel Freitag, the highest-rated point guard recruit in the Gard era, who arguably has the highest upside of the bunch.

Then there’s John Blackwell, who is probably best suited to play an off-ball role on the wing like last season but has taken a major step forward (we'll get to that later) and has experience as a primary ball handler.

With all these options, Gard has some flexibility in shaping his backcourt, giving Wisconsin a chance to determine who their starting five will be.

"Kamari McGee has been steady, just really consistent, really vocal, and done an awesome job leading. He's understood what he can do and understood what he can't do," Gard said. "The previous two years, he didn't have a clear grasp of that. He knows when to step on the gas, he knows when not to. He avoids trouble a lot, which was sometimes a fault of his. He's done a really good job of just the command he's taken.

"I think Cam Hunter...he is different. It's a little bit like having two different styles of running backs with how quick McGee plays and how Hunter is more of a bruising force and plays way more physical, because he can. He's becoming more and more comfortable. 

"Freitag, nobody has probably had a better week of practice than him. I think the game has, I don't want to say, slowed down, but mentally he has slowed down a little bit. He's still playing as aggressive, but I think his decision-making, he has some things physically you can't teach with his burst. He brings an electricity to us on both ends of the floor. Electricity also gets him in trouble at times, but the consistency that he is starting to develop is good to see. He's definitely trending in the right direction.

"Then you throw Blackwell in, who I think is ultra-comfortable with the ball in his hands. He may have the ball in his hands and not be the point guard per se, but he's in such command of the ball and so confident." 

How the rotation shakes out at this point is anyone's guess, but it's looking like all the players mentioned above are getting a fair shot at earning the starting nod for Wisconsin and will see the court in some capacity. In the wake of losing a three-year starter, the Badgers staff might be tinkering with a point guard by committee approach.

John Blackwell came back with a Johnny Davis-like mindset

When Greg Gard spoke to the media, Wisconsin's head basketball coach was very careful with his word choice when articulating the so-called 'jump' that sophomore guard John Blackwell made during the offseason.

Presumably, not wanting to place unreasonable expectations on the 6-foot-4 Michigan native, coach Gard couldn't help but draw comparisons to some of the characteristics that Blackwell came back to campus with mirroring that of Johnny Davis, who made one of the most extraordinary leaps from freshman to sophomore year in recent Badgers history.

Like Davis, Blackwell earned All-Freshman Big Ten honors after averaging 8.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game while connecting on an impressive 45.5% of his shots from beyond the arc in 18.5 minutes a night.

Blackwell emerged as one of Wisconsin's most reliable bench pieces last season, consistently delivering solid performances without the pressure of needing to shoulder the scoring load. That said, we could see a shift in that dynamic as Blackwell appears to have stepped into a more prominent role and asserted himself as 'the guy' for the Badgers.

"He came back in June and I felt he knew he was the best player on the floor," Gard stated. "He wanted to be the best player on the floor. He wanted to dominate. I don't like to compare to the past, but Johnny came back with that same type of mentality as a sophomore.

"They're completely different players. But the mindset and approach to the game, the maturity level, and the want to be the best is pretty evident. I saw that with Johnny and I see that with John as well.

"I'm not saying he's going to be a lottery pick. Don't put words in my mouth. It's just a competitive mindset to be the best on the floor. That was a difference maker for Johnny, and I think it will make a difference for John as well."

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