MADISON, Wis. – Of all the Christmases he experienced growing up, A.J. Storr believes the one seven years ago stands out the most. Why? He unwrapped the best gift of his childhood.

“It was Madden NFL 16,” Storr said. “I got a video game for Christmas. That was the best.”

Storr is channeling that memory with his latest community outreach event on Saturday. Partnering with his organization, The Corner Storr, he is hosting his first annual Holiday Toy Drive to help children and families in need during the holiday season.

Taking place at Sun Prairie’s Pizza Ranch FunZone Arcade, Storr will collect new, unwrapped toys, sign autographs. and take pictures from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The idea for the toy drive came from Storr’s mother, who he said made it a point when he was growing up to give back to the less fortunate kids in and around his Rockford, Ill., neighborhood.

“Giving back to kids is always something I’ve done, my mom’s done,” Storr said. “Not everybody has a good Christmas with gifts under the tree.”

Storr recalled doing some volunteer work during his freshman season at St. John’s, but that mostly involved interacting with kids visiting the campus and the players putting on youth camps. He found out quickly there were many avenues to those who wanted to make a difference in Madison.

Wisconsin Athletics founded the “Badgers Give Back” initiative in 2012 to increase community involvement with its student-athletes. The program’s motto is to use the “unifying power of sport to uplift our community.” Storr experienced that shortly after he arrived when he went with others to a Madison-area children’s hospital. Their reaction struck a chord.

“Playing basketball at the University of Wisconsin is a blessing, so showing the youth you can achieve what you want to achieve,” he said. “Giving back and giving them hope, I’m just doing all that I can.”

The way Storr has taken to his new community is in lockstep with how he’s found his footing with his new program.

He’s the team’s leading scorer with 11 games at 13.7 points. He is shooting only 27.8 percent from the perimeter, down significantly from the 40.4 percent he shot last season, but has grown his game to impact UW’s low-post game, a significant struggle area a year ago.

Storr was a good player at St. John’s last season, starting the final 17 games of his freshman season and averaging 11.8 points per game on that stretch.

He earned a spot in the UW starting lineup with his performance throughout fall practices, scrimmages, and exhibitions. His 15 points against Arkansas State was the most by a non-freshman in his UW debut since at least 2000, and he was the first Badger to score in double figures in his three games since Devin Harris did it 22 years ago.

While the production was there, the efficiency wasn’t, especially around the rim. Storr was 5-for-13 on two-point shots in UW’s loss to Tennessee and 5-for-11 in that same area at Providence. The Badgers were 16-for-38 on layup attempts in those two games, seemingly giving away points at the rim.

Like he’s done with past transfer portal additions, head coach Greg Gard viewed Storr as a freshman with all the new concepts they must learn, especially when it comes to the attention to detail UW requires on the defensive end, and the old habits they need to break.

One of those habits for Storr? Not playing off two feet around the basket, causing him to go off-balance on his aggressive drives to the rim.

“Offensively he can get (to the rim),” Gard said last month. “Let’s get to the free throw line. He’s at the basket and we can make life a little easier for ourselves playing off two feet, getting contact, and maybe not taking as high of degree of difficulty of shots.”

The growth has been quick. Gard’s film reviews have shown him more examples of Storr playing off two feet, using his pivot foot, and showing patience on the offensive end, as well as putting himself in the right position defensively to give him the chance to make the right play.

“I think that’s all it taken for him is to get reps to understand how we teach it, and why we do what we do,” Gard said before the Marquette game. “As he continues to figure it out, it’s just going to continue to grow his career by leaps and bounds … Sometimes it’s not always about how fast you go. It’s about the efficiency within your movements. For him, the more efficient he can be he’ll be that much more effective. He does a lot of things you can’t teach. Now if you can add some of those other pieces to his game, he can help himself and help his team.”

Storr put everything together in the best game of his season in the conference opener at Michigan State, scoring a season-high 22 pts on 8-for-11 shooting (4-for-6 3-points). He added five rebounds in the victory.

Gard – an admittedly tough grader – pointed to one poor three-point attempt and three turnovers caused by getting sped up and driving loaded gaps. But in the same breath, Gard said Storr’s ability to make the big play is an asset UW needs.

“He has grown probably as much as anybody,” Gard said in East Lansing. “He’s that tailback that’s a home-run hitter. He’s one-yard, one-yard, one-yard, and then all of sudden, bam, he’s loose for 70. He adds an element to us, adds a dynamic that we obviously need and appreciate.

Through 11 games, Storr ranks third in the Big Ten shooting 91.2 percent (31 of 34) at the free throw line, which is up from his mark last season of 75.0 percent (42 of 56). He also is averaging a rebound more per game and shooting 47.6 percent on two-point shots.

“It’s the process of learning,” Storr said. “The repetition of everything. Keep doing something over and over again, I’m going to pick it up.”

Storr wasted little time in getting involved with his new home. He hosted around 50 kids for a youth basketball camp in August, insisting it was free to anyone who wished to participate, and hopes it becomes an annual event.

A day after UW’s win against Western Illinois, Storr paired with forward Steven Crowl to be celebrity coaches for fifth graders at halftime of a DeForest-Waunakee boys basketball game, signing autographs and raising money for the United Way of Dane County.

Storr hopes his presence within the community is as impactful as the jolt he’s given the Wisconsin basketball team.

“The goal is really just to see kids smile,” he said. “I want to give them as much toys as I can give them. Hopefully, I make their day with that.”

When: Saturday, December 16th

Where: FunZone Arcade inside Pizza Ranch, 682 South Grand Ave in Sun Prairie.

What: Storr’s first annual toy drive, collecting donations of new, unwrapped toys that will be distributed to underprivileged children in the local community.

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