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Wisconsin Men’s Basketball Lands Commitment From St. Johns Transfer AJ Storr

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Wisconsin basketball forward AJ Storr
Feb 4, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. John's Red Storm guard AJ Storr (2) shoots against the Xavier Musketeers in the first half at Cintas Center. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin Men’s Basketball Lands Commitment From St. Johns Transfer AJ Storr

Madison, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball head coach Greg Gard dipped back into the transfer portal to make a significant addition to the program for next season. 

On Thursday evening, the Badgers received their second offseason commitment from St. Johns transfer forward AJ Storr. The pledge comes shortly after taking a visit to Madison.

“I committed to Wisconsin because their coaching staff was most involved with me,” Storr told On3Sports. “Coach Gard was always involved, which is important to know the head coach is invested in you. I already know about the Badger Nation, and their fan base is crazy.”

A Rockford, Illinois native, Storr made the Big East All-Freshman team after averaging 8.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists on an impressive 40.4% shooting from beyond the arc in just over 21 minutes per game for the Red Storm. 

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound wing and former top-100 recruit chose UW despite receiving interest from schools like Uconn, Bulter, Flordia, Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, San Diego State, Miami, Auburn, Memphis, Gonzaga, Creighton, and Xavier.

Storr started 17 of the 33 games he appeared in for St. John’s during his freshman season and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

What AJ Storr Brings to the Wisconsin Badgers

I’ll keep this one short and sweet: AJ Storr is everything Greg Gard and the Wisconsin men’s basketball program were missing last season. 

When UW lost former Big Ten Player of the Year Johnny Davis to the NBA after just two seasons, the Badgers no longer had a true “3” with plus length defensively that could slash/finish around the basket + create for himself, and get out and run in transition. 

Adding a player like Storr checks all of those boxes. 

According to HoopMath, the former four-star recruit took 34.2% of his shots at the rim (55.4% finisher), 27.2% mid-range jumpers (31.8 FG%), and 38.7% from beyond the arc last season (40.4% shooter).

Some areas where Storr could make a noticeable impact for Wisconsin men’s basketball would be: 

  • In transition, he averages 1.31 points per possession, ranking in the 88th percentile per Synergy. 
  • In Isolation, he averages 1.08 points per possession, ranking in the 89th percentile. 
  • As a jump shooter, he averages 1.06 points per possession, ranking in the 78th percentile (1.54 PPP when unguarded, placing him in the 94th percentile). 

Last season, Storr finished with a 104.8 ORTG and a 1.4 PRPG, per Barttorvik, which would have been fifth and sixth on the Badgers in 2022-23, respectively.

He’s a lanky wing with well above-average athleticism that can slash/finish around the rim. Storr can also step out and knockdown three’s at an impressive clip, plus get you a bucket playing iso-ball when the shot clock is winding down.

Wings standing at 6-foot-6 that can score from all three levels don’t exactly grow on trees, so Wisconsin men’s basketball got a damn good one.

Why AJ Storr’s Addition to the Wisconsin Men’s Basketball Program Makes Sense

AJ Storr

Feb 22, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; St. John’s Red Storm guard AJ Storr (2) dribbles against the Georgetown Hoyas during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin men’s basketball is only one season removed from winning a Big Ten regulars season championship. That year the Badgers finished No. 215 in adjusted tempo, according to KenPom, which is must faster than the norm under Greg Gard.

That noticeable change in pace was because the roster warranted it. Now that AJ Storr is in the fold, UW will undoubtedly pick up the pace again because coach Gard has shown a willingness to adjust his approach to accentuate the strengths of his personnel.

Having players like Hepburn to push the ball up the court, a mobile big man like Wahl to run the floor, plus spot-up shooters like Essegian, Klesmit, Reynolds, and now Storr gives Wisconsin myriad options that could help them capitalize in transition.

Another thing is abundantly clear; Coach Gard aggressively pursued talent upgrades for this roster and made sure to seal the deal. Storr will likely be an immediate starter on the wing, presumably shifting Max Klesmit to the bench (talk about a luxury for UW).

Wisconsin men’s basketball just added a high-pedigree wing talent with three years of eligibility and a very high ceiling. Be excited, Badgers fans; this one is big.

Like Ryan Harrings of Locked on Badgers said, if you can’t give Gard credit for landing AJ Storr, then you’ve already written him off, and nothing outside of winning a title would change that.


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Dillon Graff is a Substack Newsletter Best Selling Author and the Owner of BadgerNotes.com, your go-to source for in-depth coverage of the Wisconsin Badgers. His work has been featured in top media publications like USA Today, Bleacher Report, Verbal Commits, B5Q, Saturday Blitz, and Fansided.

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