MADISON, Wis. – The last two times the University of Wisconsin added transfer forwards to its roster, the Badgers lifted a Big Ten championship trophy at the end of the season.

Head coach Greg Gard is hopeful that can be the case again in 2023-24.

While forwards Steven Crowl and Carter Gilmore are expected to return for their senior seasons, and the program is hopeful Tyler Wahl will take advantage of his COVID year and play for a fifth season, UW’s lack of frontcourt depth this year means the Badgers will be on the hunt for experienced forwards in the transfer portal following the season.

“I think we have to add depth regardless (of player’s development),” Gard said this week. “I’m not naïve. We have to get bigger, more experienced, stronger, more athletic, whatever you want to throw out there.”

Wisconsin hasn’t been shy about bringing in transfers in past seasons. The Badgers brought Micah Potter from Ohio State and the junior averaged 10.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in UW’s 2020 title run. Last season, the addition of Chris Vogt from Cincinnati adds key depth and size to UW’s low post to help the program win a share of last year’s regular-season title.

The Badgers wanted to add a Potter/Vogt type in the spring and were unable to but not for a lack of trying. UW reportedly offered two former in-state prospects – Grant Basile (Pewaukee) and Ben Vander Plas (Ripon) – but missed. Basile is averaging 16.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists for Virginia Tech, while Vander Plas is averaging 7.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists for Virginia.

Without any reinforcements, UW (15-10, 7-8 Big Ten) has relied heavily on Gilmore, who has earned the trust of Gard and the staff for his ability to defend but averages just 3.1 points per game. Sophomore Markus Ilver and redshirt freshman Chris Hodges - UW’s other two forwards on the roster – haven’t been consistent enough to get steady minutes.

“There’s a lot of things right now for those two that they got to continue to work on,” assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft said of Hodges and Ilver. “That’s not a knock on them. That’s young players. I was in their shoes one day. It’s a lot. The game is fast, strong, physical, (and) every possession matters on both ends of the floor. The stakes are heightened.”

Entering Saturday’s contest against Rutgers (16-10, 8-7), Hodges and Ilver haven’t appeared in the last five games, as the return of Wahl to the lineup has pushed both players out of the rotation. Ilver has averaged 1.7 points in 16 appearances and played 11+ minutes in the three games Wahl didn’t start. Of the 27 minutes, 38 seconds Hodges has logged this season, 10:10 came in those same three games against Illinois, Michigan State, and Indiana.

Unlike guards, centers and forwards rarely have a straight line with their transition from high school to college because of the size increase needed to succeed at the low post. In Hodges' case, it becomes even harder when a forward doesn’t play competitive basketball in over two years.

His development was partially derailed by him sitting out his senior season at Schaumberg (Ill.) High due to unknowns surrounding COVID-19 and the health and safety protocols put in place for Illinois state basketball.

The UW staff supported the decision but a year away meant Hodges was destined to redshirt when he arrived. He played as much as he could before arriving, as well as worked on keeping his conditioning on point, but the rust was evident as Hodges worked on the scout team.

“The redshirt year helped a lot to compete every day against these guys in practice,” he said. “To be able to bring it every day, iron sharpens iron. I’ve had to keep pushing, keep believing. It’s about getting better all around. If it’s the weight room, if it’s on the court, film, basketball IQ, it’s Division-1 basketball in the Big Ten, so you have to bring it every day.”

Ilver’s role has grown after appearing in only eight games last season and has been a willing shooter and rebounder when he was asked to step into the rotation but has lacked the consistency to earn a larger role.

“Markus Ilver had really good days playing on the scout team,” Gard said. “(Playing with the starters), some days has been good, other days hasn’t been able to translate that. The biggest thing is the defense and the rebounding in Markus’ case, and just playing with more of an edge.”

Hodges got extensive minutes during the program’s foreign trip to France last August. He averaged around 3.2 points in four games, including six points and seven rebounds in the opener, but better opponents during the season have caused him to be caught guessing, decision making that has caused him to lose positioning and adjusting to the speed of the game.

“Being out there, learning, being able to compete with my team in games really helped me,” Hodges said. “It’s definitely better than watching someone else on film … For me, there’s always room for improvement,” Hodges said. “I’m always looking to get better. Whether it’s a little thing or something big, I’m always going to put the time in and work on that.”

After losing two forwards on last year’s roster to the transfer portal (Ben Carlson to Utah and Matthew Mors to South Dakota State), the Badgers will add Lakeville (MN) North three-star Nolan Winter and La Porte (IN) La Lumiere four-star Gus Yalden in the summer.

UW already has a commitment from Lakeville (MN) North small forward Jack Robison in 2024 and has known offers out to four other uncommitted forwards: four-star Raleigh Burgess (Cincinnati), four-star Royce Parham (Pittsburgh), three-star Jesse McCulloch (Cleveland), and unranked Jackson McAndrew (Plymouth, MN).

But with at least two open scholarships available, the Badgers are going to be buyers on the open market to strengthen a roster that could return a lot of experienced pieces.

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