Wisconsin Men’s Basketball: Yalden Will Be Missed During Early Season Absence

MADISON — The next man up mentality will need to be adopted early on for the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team in 2023.

Head coach Greg Gard announced Wednesday that freshman center Gus Yalden will be taking a “temporary leave of absence due to a personal family matter”.

The announcement came just a few hours before an exhibition tip-off with UW-Stevens Point at the Kohl Center. A game many would have expected to see Yalden potentially get significant minutes in.

According to the social media post, Gard said “We are in full support of Gus and will always be here for him and his family.”

No date for his return is currently know or was announced in the social media post from Wisconsin men’s basketball.

Gus Yalden will take a temporary leave of absence to address a personal family matter, head coach Greg Gard announced Wednesday.

“We are in full support of Gus and will always be here for him and his family"https://t.co/qYp8bhGU09

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) November 1, 2023

Who Will Step Up For Wisconsin Men’s Basketball?

The 6-foot-9 big man from Appleton is ranked the 17th best freshman center in the country, and was expected to have a large bench role. The exhibition against UW-Stevens Point would have been a good tune up for the highly regarded big man. But, Badger fans will have to be patient.

On the court, Yalden’s absence could have a rather large impact on the early season rotation. 6-foot-11 Freshman Nolan Winter may see significantly more minutes and have an even larger role than expected early on. Gard has been impressed with Winter this offseason. In a recent interview, he told Jon Rothstein that he currently sits within the top-8 in his rotation.

The absence could also mean more minutes in the rotation for Wisconsin men’s basketball reserves like Markus Ilver and Chris Hodges. The two bench players have seen limited time over the past two seasons and may have an opportunity to show they belong in the early season rotation.

What Wisconsin Badgers Men’s Basketball Will Miss

Despite his leave of absence, Yalden remains extremely highly regarded around the program. He will be a crucial piece to a team that is looking to get back to the NCAA tournament after a disappointing finish in 2022-2023. The freshman noticeably dropped 35 pounds over the offseason and looks to be in fantastic shape ahead of the season.

The four star recruit had an opportunity to be the first man off the bench when starter Steven Crowl needed a breather. A luxury the team didn’t have in past seasons.

It goes without saying that now others will need to step up for Wisconsin men’s basketball in the early going. But thanks to additional depth this season, the temporary loss of Yalden may not sting too badly. However, Gard and company will need to tap into Yalden’s skillset by the time Big 10 play rolls around.

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