Wisconsin Basketball News: Gard Returning, Storr’s Portaling, More

Wisconsin Badgers basketball, like many programs, is in the middle of uncertainty. The Greg Gard led Badgers fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament despite a promising Big Ten tournament run. This led to a wave of uncertainty thanks to the transfer portal.

Greg Gard Will Remain with Wisconsin Basketball Despite Early Exit

Wisconsin Badgers athletic director Chris McIntosh confirmed Greg Gard would continue as head coach on Wednesday afternoon per Jim Polzin at Badgerextra.

Gard led the Badgers to a 22-14 record and a fifth place finish in the Big Ten. After the season ended, the transfer portal reared its’ head. Rotation mainstay Tyler Wahl will no longer be there to offer continuity, and the responsibility will fall to seniors Steven Crowl, Chucky Hepburn, and Max Klesmit.

Gard has largely been hit or miss with recruiting. He brought in a good recruiting class last year that featured Nolan Winter and John Blackwell who each found themselves in the rotation. The upcoming class however ranks 13th in the Big Ten per 247sports and features just two three star recruits. This comes after missing out on highly recruited Wisconsin native Kon Knueppel and other recruits.

Overall, Wisconsin Basketball decided keeping Greg Gard was the right decision during this wave of uncertainty.

Star Guard AJ Storr Enters the Transfer Portal

Wisconsin Badgers guard AJ Storr entered the transfer portal while continuing the NBA draft process earlier this week. While many Badgers fans were hoping the door was still open to his return, the door has seemingly closed.

The transfer guard came in last season from St. John’s, and immediately made an impact. The Illinois native was a second team All-Big Ten selection in a year where he scored 16.3 points per game.

While Storr will be going through the draft process, he has also been linked to several big name programs. With Storr already receiving a 247sports crystal ball to Illinois, it seems unlikely that he returns to Madison.

Wisconsin Basketball Freshman Goes Portaling

Former four-star recruit Gus Yalden was supposed to be the centerpiece of Greg Gard’s recruiting class last year. Instead, the freshman never found his role with the Badgers.

Yalden didn’t travel with the Badgers to the Big Ten or NCAA tournament. This comes after a season marred with legal problems and odd interactions. Yalden has dealt with an underage drinking citation, as well as a now dismissed marijuana possession charge. This comes during the same season in which Yalden checked in during a non-conference matchup for garbage time, but returned to the bench to save his red shirt.

Yalden will be leaving Madison with all four years of eligibility left.

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