IOWA CITY, Iowa – John Tonje’s phone had been working overtime.

Experience matters in college basketball, so Tonje looking for a new home as a sixth-year made him an attractive addition to many college programs out of the portal. It didn’t hurt either that he was a 6-6 wing with positional size, strength, and the ability to shoot the three, score off the bounce and get to the free-throw line.

One message still stands out to him.

When and where he received it is irrelevant compared to Tonje's reaction when he looked down at his phone and saw a familiar name on the ID: Wisconsin guard Max Klesmit.

“He was texting me to commit,” Tonje recalled. “Relentless.”

Tonje couldn’t close the deal when he hosted Klesmit at Colorado State three years before, and Klesmit wasn’t willing to let Tonje escape to somewhere else knowing how impactful his presence could be.

It was a text that has turned into a hugely beneficial moment for all parties involved: Tonje is having a career season and has been talked about on the national radar, Klesmit has evolved his game to be impactful in areas other than scoring, and Wisconsin is in the mix for a Big Ten championship with a month remaining in the regular season.

“He's helped us out a lot this year,” Klesmit said of Tonje. “You talk about a guy who has put everything into it (for) his teammates and team his first year here. Very mature, very knowledgeable about the game, very hardworking. I'm super grateful I ran into John Tonje in my life.”

Those sentiments are shared by many. Sitting at No.21 in the AP poll and, more importantly, No.15 in the NCAA NET rankings, Wisconsin (18-5, 8-4 Big Ten) had seen Tonje carry them through important stretches.

He posted two 30-point games in Quad-1 November wins, scoring 41 points (21-for-22 FTs) against No.9 Arizona and 33 points in the Greenbrier Tip-Off championship against West Virginia.

Over the last five games, since going scoreless at USC on Jan.18, Tonje is averaging 25.3 ppg, the second-highest scoring average in the nation. He has also hit 21 threes, tied for most in the NCAA over that span.

“He’s played really well, and he’s done it in a pretty efficient way,” head coach Greg Gard said of Tonje, who enters tomorrow’s road game at Iowa (13-9, 4-7) leading UW in scoring at 18.5 ppg. “He’s been pretty consistent. He’s been a delight to coach. Coming in as a sixth year, you could be coming in with all the answers. He’s completely the opposite. He’s been really good to coach, fun to be around, asks really good questions, doesn’t have all the answers, very coachable. It’s very refreshing.”

Klesmit didn’t know Tonje was in the transfer portal until Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft asked if he knew him. Fate would have it that the two players exchanged numbers when Klesmit was in the portal, and Klesmit wasted no time sending a message.

“I jumped on that, tried to get in contact with him literally as quick as I can,” Klesmit recalled. “It was after some summer workout, and I immediately went to my phone.”

Tonje doesn’t know why he was chosen to show Klesmit around campus that spring. Perhaps it was a decision made by Colorado State coach Niko Medved because of their Midwest backgrounds (Tonje from North Omaha, Nebraska, Klesmit from Neenah) or Tonje’s age entering his fourth season in the program. Maybe it was to help Tonje move forward from a poor showing in the NCAA Tournament, scoring two points on 1-for-9 shooting in a first-round loss to Michigan.

Tonje didn’t remember many details of the visit, only that he and Klesmit forged a quick kinship.

“We had a great time,” Tonje recalled. “He was super chill.”

That decision led Tonje to get that text from Klesmit, which Klesmit recalled saying, “How much of a blessing it is if you are able to come to the University of Wisconsin.”

Klesmit urged Tonje to jump on the presented opportunity. Although committing to New Mexico, the text message and how aggressively Klesmit and the staff were pursuing him resonated with Tonje.

After Klesmit committed to the Badgers following his Colorado State visit, Tonje rebounded to have career-bests in points (14.6), field goal percentage (47.3), rebounds (4.7), and assists (1.3). With one remaining year of eligibility, Tonje wanted to test himself against power competition.

His planned final season at Missouri was limited to eight games because of a knee injury, leaving his desire unfilled. Since he didn’t meet the minimum requirement of games, he could still take advantage of his unused redshirt season and COVID waiver.

Wisconsin had begun modernizing its offense with ball screen actions, spacing, and volume three-point shooting. It allowed players to be aggressive and creative in a program with a winning history. The message resonated.

“I told him I wanted to play with him,” Klesmit said. “He was a guy who was about the right things. I could tell that during my visit, and I knew he would be a fun dude to play with and be a friend of.”

Tonje’s successes have taken some pressure off Klesmit as he works through a challenging season. After hitting double figures in four of his first five games, Klesmit needed 16 games to have four more double-figure games. His 34.0 shooting percentage and 28.5 three-point percentage is the lowest of his career and the lowest of the starting rotation.

In last Saturday’s game at Northwestern, Klesmit entered the under-12 media timeout having played half the game but hadn’t attempted a shot. That drew the ire of Gard.

“I just yelled at him, ‘Shoot the mmhmm ball,’” said Gard, censoring himself. “He was turning them down. Why are you turning it down? Shoot it.”

The words resonated with Klesmit. He took the first shot out of the timeout and became more aggressive hunting his shot, even if the ball didn’t go in for the rest of the half. The misses didn’t last, as Klesmit had 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting after halftime in UW’s 75-69 win.

“I need to hear that,” Klesmit said of Gard’s comments. “It was something that I needed to hear. Coach Gard has his way of pulling the best out of me, and he understands. We’re kind of cut from the same cloth. We’re both Wisconsin guys. He knows how to get me going, knows how to get the other guys going.”

Klesmit wasn’t perfect in Tuesday’s 76-64 win over Indiana. He forced some shots but wasn’t being tentative. His 13 points (4-for-10) were the first time he reached double figures in consecutive Big Ten games all season, and he set a season-high for Big Ten play with six assists, three steals, and no turnovers.

“I try to stay as even-keeled as possible, but there are some nights like, dang, there was about two or three of those that could have went,” Klesmit said. “I want to give so much credit to the people we have in the program keeping my confidence up, keeping each other’s confidence up, and speaking belief. That can go a long way, especially on the road. I couldn’t be more appreciative for who I’ve got in my corner … They’ve been with me the whole entire way.”

Wisconsin has built better consistency, chemistry, and success than in recent seasons with a roster that turned over eight spots following last season. Call it the Klesmit-Tonje effect of setting a standard for how to push forward in the transfer portal era, all thanks to a chance encounter and a saved phone number.

“That’s my guy,” Tonje said of Klesmit. “I’ve only here a couple months, but I feel like I’ve known him for years. We spend a lot of time together, and we’re always talking, doing everything we can to benefit each other to try and make this team the best we can.”

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