MADISON, Wis. – Signing days come and go at the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball office with little suspense but plenty of reasons for jubilation. This year, in particular, Greg Gard and his staff can cheer a little louder considering the Badgers have started to reload their frontcourt depth.

On the first day of the early signing period, Wisconsin announced the signings of three prospects – guard John Blackwell and forwards Nolan Winter and Gus Yalden – who will join the program for the 2023-24 season.

Adding two forwards was critical to Wisconsin after its frontcourt saw forwards Ben Carlson (Utah) and Matthew Mors (South Dakota State) transfer from the program. UW added only one scholarship player last fall in guard Connor Essegian and failed to add any depth this offseason in the transfer portal, leaving the Badgers with only five listed forwards on this year's roster.

The addition of Yalden was a big deal for Wisconsin. The four-star big grew up in Appleton, was the first prospect Wisconsin offered in the 2023 class, and is ranked the 104th overall prospect in this year’s class.

“He grew up idolizing many former Badgers, he understands what it means to wear the Cardinal and White and takes pride in that,” Gard said of Yalden, who had Power-Five offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Iowa, Louisville, Marquette, Maryland, Oklahoma, Rutgers, Stanford, and others.

“He is well traveled and has challenged himself both academically and athletically in high school so that he is well prepared to thrive here at Wisconsin. Gus plays the game with a lot of enthusiasm and passion and our fans will absolutely love watching him compete in a Badger uniform. He has the size and strength to be a force around the rim, while combining that with a point-guard like feel on the perimeter to make him a very unique and talented player.”

Winter received his Wisconsin offer in Summer 2021 and became the latest Minnesota native to choose the Badgers over the home-state Gophers. He joins a lineage of Lakeville North big men (Nate Reuvers and Tyler Wahl) who have joined the UW frontcourt. During his junior season, he averaged 17.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, shooting 49.8 percent from the floor.

“Nolan has been on our radar for several years, which has allowed our staff to watch him grow and develop as a player,” Gard said. “He has a tremendously high basketball IQ and a versatile skillset that will allow him to be effective in the post, off the dribble, and a terrific shooter from the perimeter. His game is a perfect match for who we are and where the game of basketball is going, which requires multi-dimensional players with diverse skill sets. Nolan has developed a championship mindset from his parents, who were also student-athletes (at Minnesota), and from a tremendous high school program.”

The depth and youth at Wisconsin's guard position (Jahcobi Neath is the lone scholarship senior guard and Jordan Davis and Max Klesmit are juniors) allowed the staff to be selective at the position. UW reportedly offered four guard prospects in the 2023 class and got an early commitment from Blackwell, who was the first commit of the class after averaging 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists his junior season, shooting 49 percent from three-point range.

“John brings a versatile skillset that will translate to the college level almost seamlessly,” Gard said. “While evaluating him, the staff and I quickly identified him for his physicality, feel for the game and basketball IQ. John has the ability with his skillset to play both with the ball in his hand and off of the ball. One of his greatest traits is the way he competes on the defensive end of the floor, and we feel he has the ability to be a great defensive player here at Wisconsin.”

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