Wednesday, Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard is set to officially add three scholarship players to his future roster during college basketball's early singing period.
The Badgers' 2023 recruiting class, which currently ranks No. 39 in the country, includes combo guard John Blackwell, forward Nolan Winter and center Gus Yalden. Wing Jack Janicki, who turned down multiple offers to walk on at Wisconsin, is also part of this class.
Following is a rundown of all three scholarship prospects before Gard is able to officially comment on each player during his expected media availability Wednesday afternoon.
COMBO GUARD JOHN BLACKWELL
COMMITMENT DATE: 4/15/2022
OTHER OFFERS: Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Eastern Michigan, Loyola (IL), Northern Illinois, Oakland, Rhode Island, Toledo and Virginia Commonwealth
RANKING: N/A
STORY: John Blackwell, who averaged 13 points, five rebounds and four assists per game as junior, was commit No. 1 for head coach Greg Gard in the 2023 class. Assistant Sharif Chambliss served as the lead contact for the 6-foot-4, 185-pound shooting guard from Brother Rice High School in Michigan.
QUOTE: "They are getting a highly competitive combo guard," Brother Rice head coach Rick Palmer told BadgerBlitz.com. "He’s 6-foot-4, 190 pounds and he and can do it all. He’s athletic enough to finish over the rim, makes the right reads and shot over 50 percent from three-point range for our team the last two years. Off the court, Johnathan is a great teammate, easy to coach and will be a great addition in Madison.
"Johnathan is a gym rat and he lives 100 yards away from the gym. Johnathan has spent many hours in our gym getting to work. He shoots with a ton of confidence and he is almost as good shooting off the dribble as he is on the catch and shoot."
FOWARD NOLAN WINTER
COMMITMENT DATE: 9/23/2022
OTHER OFFERS: Oregon State, St. Thomas, Stanford, Wake Forest and Xavier
RANKING: N/A
STORY: Wisconsin and Minnesota were believed to be atop Nolan Winter's list of potential schools for well over a year. The Badgers offered after a strong performance at their advanced camp in June of 2021 and battled for Winter's services until his commitment in September of 2022. The three-star prospect is from the same high school that produced Nathan Reuvers and Tyler Wahl, as well as current commit Jack Robison in the 2024 class.
QUOTE: "He's a great shooter - like a really, really great shooter," John Oxton, the head basketball coach at Lakeville North High School, told BadgerBlitz.com. "He's got great offensive skills for a kid his size and it's one of those deals where he just needs to gain some muscle and some weight. He needs to turn from a young kid into a man, just like you saw happen with Nathan Reuvers and Tyler Wahl. Nolan really is a highly-skilled kid who is 6-foot-11 right now. He has tons of potential to be a great Big Ten player. All of his best basketball is in front of him.
"He could go both ways in terms developing as a post player. I definitely see him as a stretch-4 right now. He's actually kind of late growing into the size that he is right now. As a little kid he was always on the perimeter, and I think that has been good for him to have that skillset. The only piece that he needs right now, in my opinion, is to get stronger. That takes a little longer for big guys, but when it comes he's going to be a very good player."
CENTER GUS YALDEN
COMMITMENT DATE: 5/17/2022
RANKING: No. 104
OTHER OFFERS: Arkansas, Auburn, Cal State Northridge, Charleston, Florida State, Howard, Iowa, Louisville, Marquette, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rutgers, Stanford, Utah, West Virginia, Winthrop and Xavier
STORY: Gus Yalden, who grew up in Appleton, was the first prospect Wisconsin offered in the 2023 class. During the course of his recruitment, the four-star big racked up 20-plus offers but trimmed his list to four schools: Wisconsin, College of Charleston, Rutgers and Nebraska. The Rivals150 standout took an official visit to Madison in May and committed days after.
QUOTE: "The Wisconsin staff set their sights on Yalden early in the recruiting process, and with good reason," wrote National Basketball Recruiting Analyst Travis Graf. "The four-star forward’s style of play transitions very well into the Big Ten, and he brings versatility to the floor every time he steps foot on one. Yalden knows what he is. He’s not an elite athlete, and doesn’t have the quickest of feet, but he plays to his strengths as well as any forward in the country.
"He understands angles and has an array of post moves and counter moves that he uses depending on the defender. Yalden also brings playmaking to the table as a forward, being very comfortable passing out of the post, on the perimeter, and from the top of the key. His vision, combined with his ability to stretch the floor, gives him a unique skill set compared to the other forwards in 2023. The four-star makes winning plays, has contagious energy, and should be a fan favorite in Madison."
OTHER PROSPECTS OFFERED BY WISCONSIN IN THE 2023 CLASS
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