Wisconsin Basketball Coach Breaks Silence on Star’s Transfer Decision

Upon returning to Madison after the Wisconsin basketball program’s NCAA Tournament loss to James Madison in the Round of 64, Greg Gard took the opportunity to address his team once more about the offseason plans. Interestingly, his focus had nothing to do with on-court matters.

“I addressed the white elephant of the portal,” Gard said on a radio appearance with 97.3 The Game. “I said, ‘Hey, some of you guys might have other opportunities, some of you may want to test the NBA waters and get feedback, some of you may want to jump two feet into it, referring to AJ [Storr]. And then also knowing that other opportunities are going to come out there.

“Poaching is real. We don’t need to duck it. I addressed all those things.”

Wisconsin Basketball Coach Understands Its a Business

After a 22-14 season that resulted in a 5-seed, Wisconsin basketball has seen five transfers move on from the Badgers, including sophomore guards AJ Storr and Connor Essegian, true freshman forward Gus Yalden, and a pair of walk-ons, Luke Haertle and Ross Calendino.

The most significant departure among that group is Storr, who garnered second-team All-Big Ten honors after leading the Badgers in scoring with 16.8 points per game on a 29.7% usage rating.

While making a run at the NBA is Storr’s primary objective, he also entered the transfer portal, likely diminishing any possibility of returning for a second season with Wisconsin basketball.

Reports suggest that the Rockford native sought $1 million from Kansas to return to school for his junior year season, which is somewhat similar to the numbers we’ve heard thrown around.

The 6-foot-7 wing has a crystal ball prediction to land with the Illinois Fighting Illini — whom he briefly committed to out of high school. However, there is no shortage of teams pursuing him, namely Kentucky, Oregon, Kansas, and Ole Miss. There are undoubtedly others in the mix as well.

When asked by former Wisconsin basketball big man Brian Butch about some of the figures being mentioned around NIL offers on the open market, the Badgers head coach didn’t explicitly refute the market for his star guard.

“I think every case is different, Gard said. “Every player is different. …For AJ, it was a business decision, which I’m completely supportive of. He wants to chase NBA dreams. I want players who want to chase the NBA dreams. He’s going to test that water and run as far as he can.

“Then there’s also business decisions to make in the portal. For him, he’s in a category where those numbers are real. That’s just the business we’re in right now. For him, he’s gotta decide what’s the best option for him, and the business part of that weighs into it more than it did three years ago, let alone 5-10 years ago.”

The Wisconsin basketball program’s NIL situation is undoubtedly better today than when the floodgates opened. Still, it would be malpractice for all parties involved not to see what options are available to make the most informed decision.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. For more Wisconsin Badgers Athletics and Big Ten content, follow us on Twitter & Facebook. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher @DillonGraff at Dillon.T.Graff@gmail.com. 

Also, be sure to check out our shop, subscribe to our newsletter, and listen to the BadgerNotes After Dark podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. Because of your support, we have become one of the fastest-growing independent media outlets focused on giving a voice to the fans!