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Wisconsin Basketball Showing Interest in a 2024 Sharpshooter

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Wisconsin Basketball

Wisconsin basketball is the latest Power 5 school showing interest in 2024 three-star shooting guard Cole Certa out of Bloomington, Illinois.

Certa, who runs with the Illinois Wolves on the AAU circuit, currently holds offers from Bradley, Illinois State, Drake, Southern Illinois, Loyola Northwestern, Penn State, and Rice.

The 6-foot-4 shooting guard is also hearing from Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Oklahoma, Butler, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech as well.

“Coach [Dean] Oliver is recruiting me; he came to my game on Friday night,” Certa told BadgerNotes. “I’ve watched UW basketball all my life and love how they play. They [Wisconsin] play hard and do it the right way – I’ve seen them have a lot of success with guys who have a similar game to mine.”

According to 247Sports, Certa is the No. 36 SG in the country and the No. 7 player in Illinois.

Right now, things are still in the infant stages between Certa and the Wisconsin basketball program. Still, he plans to visit the school sometime this year, possibly within the next month, to become better acquainted and get to know the coaching staff.

Scouting Report

Certa, a standout at Central Catholic High School, is what I’d classify as a combo guard, and he’s quickly making a name for himself as one of the top shooters in the Midwest.

The Illinois native has also made significant strides as a passer/facilitator. Certa’s selfless style of play, coupled with his shooting stroke, make him a no-brainer for Wisconsin basketball to continue monitoring.

Where the Wisconsin Basketball 2024 Recruiting Class Stands

As it stands, Wisconsin basketball has one player committed (three-star wing Jack Robison) in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Greg Gard also has offers out to several high-priority targets, such as Daniel Freitag, Kon Knueppel, Jackson McAndrew, Nick Janowski, and several others. With Wisconsin basketball in wait-and-see mode, no new offers appear to be on the horizon – at least in the short-term.

However, it makes sense to begin casting a wider net and building a relationship with a player like Cole Certa. He’ll be an intriguing name to watch in the coming months.


Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

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Wisconsin Basketball Recruiting: 2019 Wisconsin Mr. Basketball Enters Transfer Portal

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Wisconsin basketball head coach Greg Gard must find added depth in the transfer portal

After a disappointing finish to the season, Wisconsin basketball head coach Greg Gard is tasked with improving his roster in the transfer portal. The Badgers lacked depth this season, particularly in the frontcourt. One of the latest players to enter the portal may be a great fit for UW.

Wisconsin Native Marcus Domask Enters Transfer Portal

Marcus Domask announced via Twitter that he is entering the transfer portal. The Waupun native spent four seasons at Southern Illinois and consistently performed as a top forward in the Missouri Valley Conference. The former three-star recruit earned All-MVC Second Team honors in 2020 and 2022 and was named to the First Team this season. Domask started the first ten games of the 2021 season before suffering a season-ending foot injury.

Wisconsin’s 2019 Mr. Basketball averaged 16.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 0.4 steals per game this season for the Salukis – leading his team in each category. The six-foot-six-inch, 215-pound forward can score from all three levels. He is able to score from the inside and get to the foul line. Domask shot 87.6% from the charity stripe this season – Connor Essegian and Markus Ilver were the only players on the Wisconsin basketball roster with a better FT% than Domask’s mark this season. Ilver, however, only had two attempts. The MVC star can shoot from long range too. Domask has a 35.9% three-point percentage on 4.3 attempts per game.

Wisconsin basketball did not offer Domask a scholarship out of high school, but will likely inquire about his interest in returning closer to home now. The former WIAA State Champion for Waupun High School will have one year of eligibility remaining. He is also pursuing the NBA Draft, but will retain his collegiate eligibility.

RELATED: Wisconsin Basketball Starter Enters Transfer Portal


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Wisconsin Basketball Showing Interest in Big Ten Transfer Guard

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Wisconsin basketball transfer target Jayden Epps.
Jan 28, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jayden Epps (3) calls out a play during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports

Madison, Wis. —  Greg Gard and the Wisconsin basketball coaching staff recently expressed interest in a transfer guard from within the Big Ten conference. 

On Wednesday, Andrew Slate of Cerebro sports reported that Wisconsin was one of the teams that touched base with Illinois guard Jayden Epps, who recently entered the transfer portal. 

Along with UW, Virginia, Georgetown, NC State, Minnesota, DePaul, Georgia, Pitt, Texas A&M, Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, and several other schools contacted Epps. 

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound combo guard averaged 9.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists this past season on 41.4% shooting from the field in just over 24 minutes per game for Brad Underwood. 

Epps started 11 of the 31 games he appeared in for the Illini during his freshman season and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Why Jayden Epps Makes Sense for Wisconsin Basketball 

Greg Gard and the Wisconsin basketball program have made no secret they intend to add another plug-and-play guard to their rotation for 2023-24, preferably one that can score the damn ball.

Jayden Epps enjoyed an excellent freshman season for the Illini, finishing with 102.8 ORTG and a 1.6 PRPG, per Barttorvik, which would have been tied for fifth on the Badgers this past season.

He’s a well-built combo guard with excellent strength and finishing ability around the rim. Epps is also a threat to score from all three levels.

Someone with his skillset will assuredly be in high demand, but he makes a ton of sense for Wisconsin. Epps is going to be a polished player for whatever program he lands at when his career is all said and done.

Not kicking the tires on one of the Big Ten’s best and brightest underclassmen would have been malpractice by Greg Gard and his staff had they opted not to reach out.


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Wisconsin Men’s Basketball Connected to ACC Transfer Big Man

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Wisconsin men's basketball transfer target Kadin Shedrick
Mar 9, 2023; Greensboro, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers forward Kadin Shedrick (21) scores in the second half of the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Madison, Wis. —  Greg Gard and the Wisconsin men’s basketball program recently expressed interest in a transfer center out of the Atlantic Coast Conference that the Badgers offered back in 2018. 

On Tuesday, National Recruiting expert Joe Tipton from On3Sports reported that Wisconsin was one of the teams that inquired about Virginia center Kadin Shedrick. 

Along with UW, Kansas, Georgetown, Butler, Rugters, Oklahoma, Wake Forest, Indiana, Cincinnati, Xavier, FSU, Texas, Iowa, Kansas State, Nebraska, and several other schools contacted Shedrick. 

The 6-foot-11, 216-pound center averaged 6.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks this past season on an efficient 64% shooting from the field in just over 17 minutes per game. 

Shedrick started 34 of the 76 games he appeared in for the Cavaliers during his three seasons at Virginia and will have up to two years of eligibility remaining.

Why Kadin Shedrick Makes Sense for Wisconsin Men’s Basketball 

Greg Gard knows Wisconsin is thin in the frontcourt behind Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl. That’s why the Badgers coaching staff is casting a wide net this offseason, hoping to land an impact big man UW can immediately slot into its rotation.

A center like Kadin Shedrick is a hot commodity because he is an accomplished defensive player with more than a 7-foot wingspan, and he’s known as one of the premier shot-blockers in the ACC.

Shedrick can run the floor, block shots, rebound well, and overall set the tone defensively for any team, which checks all of the boxes for the Wisconsin men’s basketball program.

Greg Gard and his coaching staff will have an uphill climb competing with the schools mentioned above. However, the preexisting relationship is a solid place to start, and it’s no secret that UW desperately needs to add an established big man.

Reaching out to Kadin Shedrick was a no-brainer.


Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

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