Wisconsin Freshman Gus Yalden Quietly Grows His Game

MADISON, Wis. – A recent University of Wisconsin men’s basketball practice had barely ended before those in attendance scattered in all different directions.

Max Klesmit had to run to class, Steven Crowl, Chucky Hepburn, and Tyler Wahl waited to be interviewed by reporters, A.J. Storr ran to the locker room, and several others milled about or headed for the training room.

On the far end of the court, true freshman Gus Yalden remained in full practice mode, working up a sweat with his shot and a UW manager provided rebounding and assistance.

Life on the scout team is unrecognized, but Yalden has taken his role seriously as he works quietly behind the scenes to prepare himself and his Badgers teammates for the days and months to come.

“He’s improved,” assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft said of Yalden. “He’s going to continue to work and get better. He loves the game. He’s hungry to get better. He eats it up. His IQ is really good, so he’s at a high level of understanding of what he needs to get better at when it comes to the game of basketball. I think he’ll continue to grow throughout the course of his time.”

Many thought that time would have happened by now. Yalden was ranked as Rivals’ No.114 overall prospect in the 2023 class, a prospect with 6-9 size and versatility to add depth to a UW frontcourt that was exposed last season for a lack of depth.

The problem has been that the player fans have coined “The Gus Bus” hasn’t been out of the garage. He’s kept a low profile, having declined interview requests since speaking at UW’s media day in early October, reportedly wanting to focus solely on his game.

It comes after a rough transition at the onset of the fall semester. He suffered a scooter accident on campus in late September, which was sandwiched between a misdemeanor citation in September for underage drinking and another in late October for possession of marijuana. On November 1, UW announced he was taking a leave of absence from the team in early November to deal with a “personal family matter.”

He returned to the team a week later and was at the scorer’s table late in the second half of Wisconsin’s win over Western Illinois on November 27 before ultimately returning to the bench.

UW hasn’t officially announced Yalden is redshirting but it seems likely, barring injury, that he'll retain a year of eligibility with the season past the halfway point.

While fans haven’t seen him, players and coaches rave about him. The first prospect Wisconsin offered in the 2023 class, Yalden played for IMG Academy in Florida, the Asheville Scott in North Carolina, and La Lumiere School in Indiana but grew up in Appleton as an invested fan of the program. He racked up 20-plus offers but committed to the Badgers over a final four that included the College of Charleston, Nebraska, and Rutgers.

That intimate knowledge has allowed him to quickly grasp Wisconsin’s philosophy for its bigs. Yalden caught the coaching staff’s attention before high school for the energy he plays with, his on-court intelligence, his competitiveness, and his comfort as a passer out of the post and the perimeter, all of which have made him a challenging cover on UW’s scout team.

“He’s been doing a great job,” Crowl said. “Ever since he came in the summer, just learning. I think the big thing is the physicality you got to play with the Big Ten. It may not come right away, it usually doesn’t for big men, but it’s going to come. He’s got all the moves, all the footwork, he can shoot it. He’s doing a great job learning of how to become a good big.”

The best training for Yalden has been his daily matchups against Crowl and Wahl, an invaluable polish to his game. It’s the same maturation that they experienced as young players going against Micah Potter and Nathan Reuvers, the latter getting better going against Ethan Happ, who cut his teeth working against Frank Kaminsky, and so on.

“It’s how you get better,” said Krabbenhoft, who battled as a freshman against Brian Butch and Jason Chappel. “Iron sharpens iron. They push each other. That’s a recipe for success.”

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