Ever since Greg Gard took the reins at Wisconsin over a decade ago it’s still been business as usual in Madison, However, the highs for the Badgers haven’t quite been as high as they were in the past and the recent results show that. Wisconsin has had some impressive players these last few seasons but this past March as upset by a double-digit seed in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.
Key losses for Wisconsin
That major success of this past year was largely at the hands of John Blackwell and Nick Boyd, but both of them will not return, with Blackwell spurning the Badgers to transfer to Duke. There are a few other notable departures, though the list of returning talent is far from empty. Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp both return and anchor a now-veteran frontcourt while rising players like Hayden Jones and Jack Janicki will hope for more time this season.
There’s new talent as well, and that was certainly needed to replace a few of those major holes in the lineup. The backcourt gained some depth with a crew of freshmen additions, while the Badgers also grabbed three names from the transfer portal. Trey Autry was at George Washington last season and becomes important in the backcourt while Victory Onuetu showed great potential as a freshman at Hofstra and stands 6-10.
Elmer be the glue?
The third and most important of those new pieces is Eian Elmer, a 6-6 forward originally out of Cincinnati. He began his collegiate career in his home state, playing his first three years for Miami-Ohio. Elmer has always been a reliable shooter and solid scorer and played a massive role in the Redhawks’ successful 31-0 start to the season. He averaged 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds, earning All-MAC honors while knocking down 43% of his 3-point attempts.
Recent offseasons have seen the Badgers nab talented players like Boyd and John Tonje and turn them into even more impressive scorers. Elmer fits a clear need at the wing for this Badgers squad and has every opportunity to become as potent a scorer as we’ve seen from these newcomers in recent years. We’re not saying he’ll suddenly jump to 20 points a game as a senior in the Big Ten, but it’s hard to argue against Wisconsin’s track record letting these mid-major stars take on a big role.
The biggest excitement among next year’s roster rests in Rapp and Winter as the returning forwards and it’s why Elmer is an even more important asset. A big chunk of Wisconsin’s scoring and potential walked out the door and there’s no returning players or freshmen who scream instant star. Gard and his staff are really depending on Elmer and these transfers stepping comfortably into leadership roles.
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