Wisconsin Men’s Basketball in Contact With Lehigh Transfer Wing

Madison, Wis. — Greg Gard and the Wisconsin men’s basketball program have a clear need at small forward heading into the off-season, given their lack of size on the wing, and even though their season isn’t over — they’re already exploring potential additions in the transfer portal. 

On Friday afternoon, Joe Tipton of On3Sports reported that Wisconsin was among a lengthy list of teams that reached out to Lehigh wing Evan Taylor. 

Along with UW, Taylor has also heard from Loyola Chicago, DePaul, Georgia, Virginia Tech, Tulane, Santa Clara, Indiana St, Illinois St, UTEP, Richmond, LMU, GCU, Drake, William and Mary, La Salle, and Oregon St.

The 6-foot-6, 205-pound senior was a second-team All-Patriot League member this past season, averaging 14.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting 43% from beyond the arc on 4.3 attempts per game. 

SMOOTH!! Evan Taylor spins around his defender to sink the basket and draw the foul! Lehigh is up 26-18 with 3:56 to play in the first half! #GoLehigh

Watch on @PatriotLeagueTV and @ESPN – https://t.co/1rkyqzEEjV pic.twitter.com/jbbrIZDf0r

— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) January 6, 2023

Taylor, an Illinois native with 88 career starts under his belt, scored 18 points in Lehigh’s matchup against Wisconsin men’s basketball this past season and has one year of eligibility remaining.

Why Evan Taylor Makes Sense for Wisconsin Men’s Basketball 

Dating back to the last offseason, Wisconsin men’s basketball had a clear need out on the wing (more specifically, the “3”) following the early departure of Big Ten Player of the Year Johnny Davis (NBA draft).

However, coach Gard and his staff never found the right fit in the transfer portal, resulting in walk-on Isaac Lindsey earning UW’s vacant scholarship for the 2022-23 season.

Thankfully freshman shooting guard Connor Essegian emerged and eventually earned a spot in the starting lineup because Jordan Davis struggled with inconsistencies all season.

A prototypical small forward who could stretch the floor would have gone a long way on both ends of the court for the Badgers. Now, it’s clear that UW has plans to fill that void this off-season.

Evan Taylor is a big guard who is a 40% three-point shooter for his career but also can take defenders off the dribble, create for himself, and finish over the top of defenders with his impressive length. He’s also been a productive rebounder over his collegiate career, averaging 5.6 over four seasons.

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