Wisconsin Basketball Media Day Notebook: Thoughts & Takeaways

Greg Gard and the Wisconsin men’s basketball program welcomed reporters to the Kohl Center for local media day on Wednesday afternoon, and BadgerNotes.com writer Dillon Graff was in attendance.  

Here are a few of my key takeaways that came out of Badgers media day — and the practice session that followed — so let’s dive in. 

Wisconsin Basketball Thoughts, Observations, & Other Badgers Ramblings From Local Media Day. 

The first nugget worth mentioning is that the Wisconsin basketball team officials announced Steven Crowl, Max Klesmit, and Carter Gilmore were all being re-classified to juniors ahead of the 2023-24 season. That’s because the trio has already decided to exercise their COVID year and return for their extra season of eligibility.

Coach Gard acknowledged that he was thrilled to have all three players back in the fold but would “shove them out the door with both hands” if they become lottery picks.

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Gus Yalden returned to practice on Wednesday after being held out because of a scooter accident — and let me tell you, he is as advertised. Now down 42 pounds, the 6-foot-9 big man looked terrific in the low post.

Thought he looked comfortable establishing his position, remaining patient, and winning on the low block with footwork. It’s too early to tell how rotations will shake out — but Yalden looked the part of someone who could provide frontcourt minutes from day one.

“I’m going to do whatever the team needs me to do, 20 minutes a game, 0 minutes a game, redshirt, whatever the coaching staff needs me to do, Yalden told BadgerNotes. “I’m going to step up and play whatever role coach Gard needs of me to the best of my ability.”

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During the practice session open to the media, I thought Wisconsin basketball freshman combo guard John Blackwell really popped. The 6-foot-4 Michigan native has a suddenness and subtle confidence that looks more like someone who has been in the program for several years.

“They’ve been throwing me at the 1-3 and telling me to go out there and compete,” Blackwell told BadgerNotes. “I knew coming in that there was nothing promised, but I definitely feel like I can be out there and play…I just want to help the team.”

His playmaking ability and defensive motor were on full display — and I’m very confident in projecting that Blackwell will be a core member of the Badgers rotation this upcoming season. There are some Michael Flowers-like traits when watching him play — and I don’t say that lightly.

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Connor Esseigan was a revelation for an offensively challenged Badgers team last season — averaging 11.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He played in all 35 games, starting the final 19 — and became the eighth Wisconsin basketball player to earn Big Ten All-Freshman team honors.

The 6-foot-4 sharpshooter also broke the freshman three-point record previously held by Brad Davison but knew he needed to use the offseason to put on some weight, get stronger, and improve his overall game.

“I took the weight room and my speed & footwork a lot more seriously this offseason,” Essegian told BadgerNotes. “It’s definitely showing already, and there’s plenty of work to be done, but that’s something I really wanted to make a point of emphasis.

“I’ve also worked on my ball handling and being able to create more than just straight catch and shoot and get to the rim in a straight line.”

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Fifth-year senior Tyler Wahl returning to the Wisconsin basketball program was a massive shot in the arm for the Badgers frontcourt. During the offseason, the Minnesota native focused on improving his strength and three-point shooting after connecting on just 29.4% of his attempts a year ago.

“It’s the last thing I really needed to get better at to complete my game,” Wahl told BadgerNotes. “So I’ve spent a lot of time in the gym with my coaches here, the trainers, and outside the facility trying to improve.”

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During Greg Gard’s half-hour session with the media, he made it clear that even though Wisconsin basketball returns the most production in the Big Ten in 2023-24, “It’s open season on minutes.”

“I have my list that I keep to myself of my observations and evaluations from each day.. and there’s movement in that list every day, Coach Gard told reporters. “We’ve got competition in practice at all positions, and when you have that competition around you, you can’t get complacent, or somebody is going to pass you…and they embrace it.”

While the coaching staff may not explicitly state it, they faced depth challenges last year. With the recent addition of AJ Storr and a highly anticipated freshman class, the competition for playing time will be much more fierce than a year ago and something to monitor as the staff explores different lineup possibilities.

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Wisconsin basketball point guard Chucky Hepburn took a big step forward from his freshman to sophomore year. The Nebraska native improved his assist rate from 14.1 to 19.8, and his turnover rate went down from 14.8 to 12.1 — illustrating a maturity that Greg Gard values.

Even though Hepburn was UW’s leading scorer a year ago — there was one glaring weakness in his game — lack of confidence taking the ball to the rack. According to HoopMath, he only took 22.3% of his shots at the rim — and saw a decline in 2-point percentage from 42.1% as a freshman to 35.7% in 2022-23.

That said, Hepburn knew Wisconsin had plenty of returning talent, and as the straw that stirs the Badgers drink, used the offseason to improve in a few different areas.

“I just knew I wanted to be quicker and be able to defend faster guards,” Hepburn told BaderNotes when asked about dropping weight in the offseason. “I wanted to work on my body — and another thing I really focused on was my ability to finish inside.”

Some Wisconsin Badgers Housekeeping: 

• Carter Gilmore has added 20 pounds of good weight this offseason. 
• Nolan Winter showed some impressive flashes at practice — and the staff hasn’t ruled out the prospect of finding minutes for him. 
• AJ Storr is the best athlete I’ve seen in the Wisconsin basketball program since Khalil Iverson — and the way he moves on the court/finishes around the rim is … special. The upside is immense. Call me crazy, but I think there’s a good chance he’ll be the program’s next NBA player. 

Wisconsin #Badgers big man Steven Crowl on St. John’s transfer AJ Storr: pic.twitter.com/R8IENvQ3Sl

— Dillon Graff (@DillonGraff) October 4, 2023

• The roster’s overall competition level and depth are considerably better than a year ago. 

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