Minnesota-Native Tyler Wahl is Delivering for Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. – When poised with the question of who leads the University of Wisconsin in offensive rebounds, point guard D’Mitrik Trice played the guessing game.
Nate Reuvers? Wisconsin’s season-long post presence leads the team in total rebounds (128) but isn’t first in the desired category. Micah Potter? He leads UW in rebounds per game (6.1) but is off the pace after missing the first 10 games. Aleem Ford? He’s technically right, but this question was asked prior to Wisconsin’s road win at Michigan.
Finally stumped, Trice raised an eyebrow that the title holder at the time was true freshman Tyler Wahl and his 33 offensive rebounds, but he wasn’t really surprised.
“For what he does, he’s a guy who goes to the glass all the time,” Trice said. “He’s athletic. He’s long. He’s a hustle guy with a high motor who is always running the floor. As a freshman in the minutes he’s playing, you have to tip your hat to him.”
The only scholarship player in Wisconsin’s 2019 class, Wahl has exceeded expectations placed on him for his ability to rebound, pass, defend and chip in offensively. He’s become a reliable part of the rotation, even more so since Potter returned. After averaging 14.5 minutes through the first 10 games without Potter, Wahl is averaging 19.1 minutes per game next to Potter.
“With the depth, I don’t have to hold back,” Wahl said. “Micah is a great offensive player and he’s going to go in there and get his buckets. I am in there to do the things I usually do, which is bring energy to the team.”
That energy was evident during Wisconsin’s 81-74 victory at Michigan Thursday. Wahl played only 11 minutes but scored five points, had two rebounds and recorded an assist. On his first possession of the game after checking in, Wahl drove strong to the hoop baseline and converted a layup to put UW up 24-16.
In less than a minute in the second half, Wahl was responsible for finding an open Potter for three and hitting one of his own to put Wisconsin up 14.
“He’s done a little bit of everything for us,” assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft said. “Different games, he’s stepped up in different ways. He knows he’s got to get better in areas, just like everybody else, but we’ve played through him at times. He’s done a good job of facilitating in the post, he’s rebounded, he’s made good plays defensively. He’s just a player.”
The Badgers coaching staff have made it a habit of finding some pretty good players from the state of Minnesota, a long-running theme of them plucking some of the state’s best talent away from the Gophers. The list is long and distinguished and includes current juniors Brad Davison (Osseo) and Reuvers (Lakeville). That trend continued with Wahl and isn’t stopping, as four-star forward Ben Carlson (Woodbury) and three-star center Steven Crowl (Apple Valley) are signed for the 2020 class.
It's part of the reason why Wisconsin has finished above Minnesota in the Big Ten standings for 22 consecutive years.
Entering tonight’s tipoff at the Kohl Center, Wisconsin (18-10, 11-6 Big Ten) can move one game out of first place in the conference entering the final week of the season. The Gophers (13-14, 7-10) have dropped to 12th in the league after blowing a 17-point lead at home to Maryland Thursday. Since knocking off the Badgers, 70-52, in Minneapolis, the Gophers are 1-4. UW is 5-0.
“We’re just playing with a lot of fire and a lot of confidence,” Wahl said. “That’s basic basketball. When you’re playing with a lot of confidence, you just play better overall … At the end of the day, we’ve got to still buckle down. No home game is just given to us. We’ve got to lock in and play how we’ve been playing the last couple games.” There’s still plenty of room for Wahl to grow. His undersized frame often puts him at a disadvantage in the low post, his perimeter game is lacking and he’s the worst free throw shooter on the best free throw shooting team in the conference (38.9 percent). Those are all offseason goals for Wahl, who has found a formula that has fit in well with UW the second half of the year.
“He’s definitely surpassed my expectations of what he could bring to the table,” Trice said. “His toughness, his togetherness, the energy he brings when he’s the hustle play guy, finishing layups and playing in the post, as a freshman that’s really tough. He’s been thrown into the fire here and there, and he’s taken his bumps and bruises, but we’ve said all year he doesn’t play like a freshman. He’s matured in a lot of ways.”