Wisconsin Basketball Linked to Oklahoma Center in the Portal

The Wisconsin basketball team continues to be in contact with players in the transfer portal, specifically frontcourt players.

They recently had Frankie Fidler, a dynamic scorer at the wing position and former high school teammate of Chucky Hepburn, on campus. They’ve also been linked to other forwards like Carey Booth, Malik Dia, Pharrel Payne, and others.

Recently, The Portal Report noted that Greg Gard and the Wisconsin basketball staff have recently been in contact with Oklahoma big man, John Hugley IV.

As a recruit in the 2020 class, the Ohio native was a 4-star prospect. He was the no. 19 center and 99th overall in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite. He spent his first three seasons with Pittsburgh, where he averaged 12.2 points per game in 47 games. He also added 6.6 rebounds per game while at Pitt.

He transferred to Oklahoma last season. In his lone year as a Sooner, he played in 24 games, starting one. He averaged 8.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

The 6-9, 240-pound big man will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Hugley could be a suitable replacement for Tyler Wahl. While his offensive production was down in Oklahoma, his time at Pitt shows he could be productive on offense for the Wisconsin basketball team.

When you watch his transfer portal highlights, one of the first things that stands out to me is his ability to finish through contact at the hoop. It’s no secret that the Wisconsin basketball team struggled to finish at the basket this season, with or without contact. He is a big-bodied player who would bring some physicality to a team that some would argue is relatively weak and/or not overall aggressive.

He wouldn’t bring a whole lot as far as three-point shooting, with a career shooting percentage of 29%. He did, however, hit 39% from deep last season at Oklahoma on 1.4 three-point attempts per game.

Until the Wisconsin basketball team starts getting players to commit from the transfer portal, you will continue to see them in the conversation with frontcourt players to add some depth at the position heading into next season.

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