Better Know a Badger: UNLV Transfer Guard Isaac Lindsey
Most of Wisconsin's 2021 class -- both for the football and men's basketball programs -- will be heading to Madison shortly, though Paul Chryst's team already welcomed seven players as mid-year enrollees in January.
BadgerBlitz.com has kicked off its annual "Better Know a Badger" series, where we check in with the incoming freshmen as they begin the transition from being prep standouts to college athletes. In 2021, we include some transfers as well.
Miss some? Check out the links below: Basketball: C Chris Vogt | Football: QB Deacon Hill | CB Ricardo Hallman | WR Skyler Bell | S Hunter Wohler | ILB Bryan Sanborn | OL Nolan Rucci | RB Antwan Roberts | OLB Ayo Adebogun | OLB Darryl Peterson |
Isaac Lindsey is no stranger to Wisconsin basketball, having played within state borders as a two-time, first-team all-state guard at Mineral Point. He decided to enter the transfer portal after a season at UNLV where he did not play due to injury. Now, he returns back to the Badger State as a preferred walk-on in Greg Gard's program -- which the school officially announced earlier this week -- and adds depth to a backcourt needing contributors to step up.
Lindsey spoke with BadgerBlitz.com on May 19 about a variety of topics as the days tick down before his arrival at Wisconsin. Questions and his answers have been edited for clarity.
Just how have the last maybe couple months been since you announced via social media that you were planning on transferring to Wisconsin?
IL: It's been been super exciting and super fun for me. Just getting a lot of love from Wisconsin people, just excited to have me back home. Makes me feel super excited and motivates me a lot, too, knowing I got a lot of people behind me wanting me to do well up there. Being from a small town in Mineral Point, I think everyone from Mineral Point's pretty happy I'm back, too. Having to be a pretty short drive to be able to come up and watch me and stuff and be a part of that, so I'm just super excited to be back in the area and be able to represent Mineral Point again and have people be able to come watch. So it's been all positive stuff and I'm super excited to play in front of this fan base.
Which players have you had a chance to talk to that are currently in the program, and which future teammates have you had the chance to speak with?
IL: Carter Gilmore and I used to play in high school together, so I've been talking to him all year. I mean, he's one of my best friends so I'm always talking to him. But then I've talked to [forward] Tyler Wahl quite a bit, too. Him and Carter are together quite often so I've gotten to meet Tyler Wahl over FaceTime and call and stuff like that. Then the two Davis twins, too, I'm pretty familiar with them just from high school stuff playing against them. I never got to play with them so I'm looking forward to finally being on the same team. But I do know those guys, I've talked to them a little bit. I'm excited to get up there with them.
And then [guard] Brad Davison. I'm actually going to be living with Brad this summer. Brad and Chris Vogt, the new guy coming in, the big seven-footer. So I'll be living with those two this summer so we got a little group chat going just with our room, and just talking about stuff like that. So those are the main guys that I've been talking to so far, but I'm looking forward to getting to meet everybody else.
I saw on your UW profile that you were a former high school quarterback. I know Brad Davison is a former high school quarterback along with Jonathan Davis. That has been noted several times on telecasts in this past year. Playing quarterback in football, how did that help you on the basketball court and now for that matter?
IL: I really enjoyed playing quarterback in high school. It was one of the things I really enjoyed about high school, playing a couple different sports. I really liked the quarterback position, and just being the quarterback on the team, you have to be a leader. You really don't have a choice. So I think doing that -- I played quarterback all four years of high school -- so having those four years of experience just leading a team, you have to know everything as a quarterback. So helping everybody with everything, it really developed your leadership skills. I think I've taken that to the basketball court with me, too, and just being able to help be a leader to guys and help people figure things out, I've always been able to figure things out pretty quick. So once I figure it out, I'm able to go and help some other guys do it, too. So I think that's that's the biggest thing I've taken away from being a quarterback.
I know you announced [your decision to transfer to UW] back in March. I know Wisconsin made it official just a couple of days ago ... but what led to the move to the transfer portal when you were at UNLV and which programs contacted you upon your entrance into the transfer portal?
IL: So right when the season ended, we kind of had our end-of-the-year meeting with coach out at UNLV and stuff, and actually our head coach left UNLV to go to Iowa State so that was the main reason for me entering the portal. Coach [T.J.] Otzleberger, who's at Iowa State now, was my main recruiter to go to UNLV, and he recruited me to South Dakota State, too. So he was the main reason I went out there. Then once he wasn't going to be there -- I like Coach [Kevin] Kruger a lot, he's really a good guy, and I wish him the best out there -- but it just seemed like a better fit for me just to go explore other options.
And I mean, going into the transfer portal, I was really hoping the Wisconsin thing was gonna work out, and I was fortunate to get in touch with them right away and kind of get the ball rolling with those guys. If that was gonna become an option and eventually it did, I knew I was gonna take that right away. So I was just really looking to come back home and play for the Badgers. It's my dream school, so getting the opportunity to do that was a no brainer for me.
But I had a couple of schools reach out to me right when I entered the portal. South Dakota State, who recruited me before, reached out. Milwaukee, Western Illinois, UMKC, those are just a couple that reached out. I had a couple more. I can't think of them off the top of my head, but those were a couple that reached out right away. But once that Wisconsin thing worked out, it was a no brainer for me to go there.
When did Wisconsin reach out to you? Who were your main contacts from the program that reached out and what did they sell you on?
IL: The main guy I talked to, I talked to him the night I entered the portal, was Coach [Joe] Krabbenhoft. I kind of texted him, and then we got hooked up over the phone that night and were able to talk. Then, I eventually got to talk to Coach [Greg] Gard, once we made things official a couple days after just to make things final. Just talking to Coach Krab, he was my recruiter in high school, too, at Wisconsin, so I've been able to develop a relationship with him. Just talking about their program and the way they do things and how they play, it seems like I can really fit that mold there and it just fits my game well, too.
And just being able to learn from a guy like Brad, having him come back and just learn the defensive aspect of things and just how you have to play hard in the Big Ten, and just a different level of things. And I think I'm a guy that's always been kind of a quick learner. So having him there and being able to learn from him, I really think I can help this program out in the future.
When was the moment that you realized that you wanted to transfer and take on that preferred walk-on opportunity from Wisconsin?
IL: Well, once Coach Otzelberger left, I kinda was thinking about the whole transfer thing and kinda thought it was gonna be an option. And then once the Wisconsin thing happened, I figured it was going to be a preferred walk-on offer, and I really don't have a problem with that. I'm excited to be able to go in there and prove myself and hopefully earn a scholarship after a year or so. I'm just excited for the opportunity to go in there and earn it for myself. I kind of got things open. I don't have a scholarship so I'm just going in there grinding and working to earn something. So I'm just looking forward to being in that position.
With so many players in the transfer portal, and it's been documented and reported upon a lot -- I know you said you hooked up with Wisconsin early -- but just how was the process of trying to find another program and even just hearing from other schools? How was the process of transferring and trying to find another program after being in the portal?
IL: I think this year was kind of scary for everybody entering the portal. I mean, there are so many names in there. Like, you never know, there's only a certain amount of spots on each program. So once you enter, you might have lost your spot, and you might not have anything open so it's a little nerve wracking I think right away, just going in there with so many different guys in the portal.
But just being able to talk to Coach Krab that night, and all the other schools that reached out, it made me feel good about where I was at, knowing I had plenty of options to go places. Just being able to talk to them and figure out which one felt the best for me, and Wisconsin happened to be that place, and I can't wait to get up there.
What do you feel that you'll be able to bring to Wisconsin, and how have the coaches discussed just using you potentially next season?
IL: I think everyone kind of knows me as a shooter, so I think that will be my main thing coming in, just being able to knock down shots for the Badgers. And then I really do think that just learning the offense and being able to do what the coaches need me to do, I'm a guy that can pick up on things quick, like I said earlier, and whatever they need me to do, I'll go out there and do it to the best of my ability. And I think that's kind of where I'll fit in, just a guy that can get the job done.
I was reading your profile on UWBadgers.com just how you didn't play last season because of injury. You only played five games as a senior in high school because of an injury. How much are you aching to play a full season of basketball right now?
IL: I can't wait, and I think that's one thing these past two years, I haven't really gotten the chance to play. I've had little spurts in and out of both surgeries that I've gotten [to be] able to be on the court, but I think a lot of people haven't really seen me in a while so they don't know what I can do. And that's one thing I'm super excited to finally get healthy and get out there and just show people that what I can do and how I can help the team.
I'm still going through rehab and stuff right now trying to get over a recent surgery, hip back to where it needs to be, but I'm ahead of schedule right now. We're on track and doing full workouts and everything to just trying to build that strength back in there. But just excited to continue that and finally get fully healthy and not have to worry about my hips anymore and just get to work.
I thought I had read, the injury that cost you [playing in just] five games your senior year in high school, was that from football?
IL: Yeah, it was an injury that happened in football. It was kind of a nagging injury all year with a groin pull, and then I just couldn't really shake it and didn't know what it was. I sat out a couple weeks before basketball season, and then I re-injured it the first game of my senior year of basketball, and finally went and got MRIs and got it checked out and realized that the issue was happening in the hip, and that I needed to get it repaired. Had to do what I had to do to get it right, but it's 100% recovery on both of these surgeries so I had the same thing done in both hips, and once I get back fully healthy, I should be good to go.
You're an in-state product, but just how much do you know about Madison in general and what are you looking forward to once you get up here?
IL: I mean I've been to Madison, I don't even know, I've been up there plenty of times ever since I've been a little kid. My parents, my grandparents, my uncle, we've all had season tickets since I've been a little baby so I've been at Badger games my whole life. I've been at Badger basketball camps. I've been at the Bo Ryan camp, the Greg Gard camp when I was in in elementary and middle school. I did the little Badger stuff, the little dribbling at halftime of Badger games so I've been up there. I've been up at Madison plenty of times, and I've been a Badger since I've been a baby so getting an opportunity to play for my dream school, I just I can't wait for it and can't wait to represent.
I know we talked about it before we started recording, but when are you moving up here and what are you looking forward to the most during this Madison summer?
IL: I think I'm moving up -- June 14 is the day we got to be there -- so I'm assuming I'll move up a couple days before that to get settled in with the guys.
I think this summer, I'm just looking forward to finally getting back to work and working out with the team again and really getting to know these guys and learn the Badger culture and be able to learn from these coaches. Get this summer under our belt and get some good conditioning in, good work and work on our bodies to get them where we need to be. And I think after the summer, we'll be able to gel. We got a lot of new guys coming in, so I think this summer is gonna be big learning about each other and being able to gel together. So I'm just looking forward to meeting all the guys and learn from the coaches.