Wisconsin Basketball News: Badgers Land Transfer, Wahl Returning, More

It’s been a busy week for the Wisconsin basketball program, ladies and gents, but fear not because BadgerNotes can help get you back up to speed with a roundup of some important news you may have missed.

Wisconsin Badgers Land Guard From the Transfer Portal 

Wisconsin basketball received its first offseason commitment from transfer guard Noah Reynolds earlier this week. The pledge comes just one week after he visited Madison.

#Committed 🦡❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/6MP01m0qMo

— Noah Reynolds (@noahreynolds21) April 6, 2023

A Peoria, Illinois native, Reynolds is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound, lefty combo guard. He is a terrific pick & roll ball handler and very good at finishing around the rim (70th percentile in the country in both areas, per Synergy). This past season he averaged 14.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 48.1% shooting from the field in 25 minutes per game.

Reynolds, who has two years of eligibility remaining, gives UW a scoring guard with size and playmaking ability to spell Hepburn and the other guards without sacrificing offense. He is also a solid shooter, excels slashing and playing out the pick & roll, and, more importantly, is a proven scorer that should see his efficiency numbers rise with a lesser role.

Wisconsin gets an experienced scoring option off the bench (presumably) and some much-needed depth, which plagued the Badgers this past season.

Wisconsin Basketball Returns Tyler Wahl For Fifth Season in Madison

Entering one of the most critical offseasons for the Wisconsin basketball program in recent memory, Greg Gard and the Badgers started it off by getting some pretty damn good news.

Senior forward Tyler Wahl announced that he’d be taking advantage of his COVID year and returning for a fifth and final season in Madison.

One last ride 🔴⚪️🦡 #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/jRZU8w8rmU

— Tyler Wahl (@tjwahl01) April 4, 2023

In 2022-23, Wahl averaged 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 42.3% shooting from the field.

“We’re really excited to have Tyler back for another season,” Gard said. “He’s an important piece of our team and represents everything our program stands for, on and off the court. Tyler has been a part of a lot of success, but he knows there is more out there for this team. Wisconsin Basketball means a lot to him, and I know he and his teammates are already eager to get to work on next season.”

The 6-foot-9 Minnesota native has appeared in 126 games during his career at Wisconsin, starting 85. His experience, leadership, and versatility will be invaluable for the Badgers as they look to right the ship next season.

Other Wisconsin Basketball News

Last season’s Big Ten Player of the Year, Johnny Davis, was selected 10th overall by the Washinton Wizards after a breakout sophomore campaign. In doing so, he became the first NBA draft pick of the Greg Gard era.

However, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses to begin his NBA career.

The 6-foot-5 wing struggled to adapt to the physicality and speed of the game and needed time to continue his development. The Wizards subsequently assigned Davis to their G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go.

He appeared in 18 games, averaging 12.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 40.4% shooting from the floor while making strides offensively.

Then the Wisconsin native earned a promotion to the association and hasn’t looked back since.

During March, Davis became a rotation regular for Washington, registering 6.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 18 minutes per game. But it wasn’t until April that the La Crosse native burst onto the scene.

Since getting elevated into the Wizards’ starting lineup, Davis is averaging 18.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals a game.

JOHNNY DAVIS OVER JRUE HOLIDAY 😱 pic.twitter.com/JVkuGnELVn

— Wizards Nation (@WizardsNationCP) April 4, 2023

After his most recent performance, he joined some elite company, becoming the first rookie since Lamar Odom to record back-to-back games of 20+ points, 3+ assists, 2+ steals, and 2+ blocks.

Anyone foolish enough to write off Johnny Davis clearly doesn’t understand his drive or work ethic. He’s far from a finished product, but his play as of late should have Wizards fans feeling optimistic about his future projection.

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