2023-24 Wisconsin Basketball season thread

[LouisEly]

With so many transfers in CBB it's hard to tell what will happen.  I think they'll be better than last year as all of their top scorers are back, plus the transfer in of Storr, hopefully a year of development from Hodges and Ilver, and two really good freshmen coming in (Winter, Yalden).  Wahl took his COVID year and came back.  Hepburn lost 15 lbs and looks to be in better shape, Essegian gained 15 lbs.

If they can stay relatively healthy they can be a 22-9 team and around #20 overall.  But they have a fairly tough non-conference schedule in Tennessee, @ Providence, Virginia (N), Marquette, and @ Arizona.  Injuries are always the X-factor.

[RedStickBrew]

There is a lot of positive news coming out of fall practice and the red white scrimmage.  This is a deeper team than last year. Hepburn, Klesmit, Wahl and Crowl appear to be locks to start with one of Essegian or Storr.  Some positive news about the development of players like Lindsey, McGee and Winter as probable contributors as well. Can't wait to see how they match up with some of those tough teams early.

[Underachiever]

I have really high hopes for John Blackwell. Just have a feeling about him. I don't think that Hodges nor Ilver will be factors. Need Winter and Yalden to step in. 

Very excited about the team. The non-con schedule is great. OP didn't even mention Marquette or the SMU/West Va games in Ft Myers. I think they got a little unlucky with the B10 schedule. Northwestern, Penn State and Minnesota as three of your single-play teams is not ideal. But getting MD and Illinois at home only is good. 

Final regular-season game is at Mackey. Will it be for the Big 10 title? (Probably not. Badgers will have it locked up by then)

[yourout]

They will be better but still not add any hardware to the trophy case.

[Jim French Stepstool]

This team reminds me of some of the better squads they've had in the last 25 years, in that they have a solid amount of game/minutes coming back & potentially 4 or 5 people around 10-13 PPG with another 2 around 8-9 per game. And anyone of the top 5-6 can realistically give you 20 on a given night. The new talent also seems to have an idea on the defensive end as well.

My observations re individuals:

Blackwell fits the program really well. How McGee settles into his role--and how often they feel the need to go smaller--should dictate how much time he gets this season. But again, a really nice fit.

I'm sure there are a lot of people who feel that Carter Gilmores' minutes will shrink to mop-up status now that Yalden & Winter are here. I doubt that. His scoring limitations have been well-documented, but he brings enough other things to the party that Gard appreciates--and that others didn't bring--that he'll still have a role. Having said that, I don't expect him to get the minutes he did last season. Yalden has been a little behind in early workouts but has a unique skillset for a freshman, and Winter has hit the ground running (double-digit rebounds, even though it was an intrasquad scrimmage, really opened some eyes). 

Good kids I'm sure, but I was surprised both Ilver & Hodges are still here. I have zero problem with it, maybe they're both actually taking academics into account while making a decision. But save for a monumental injury epidemic minutes will probably be scarce.

A healthy Wahl is almost certainly one of the top 12-15 players in the league minimum. If Crowl builds on last seasons' finish he may join him.

Looking forward to seeing what the slimmed-down version of Hepburn brings. In a perfect world should be more of a facillitator, but one you can't sag off of.

My guess is Storr starts, and either Klesmit or Essegian comes off the bench. I do think Klesmit would be excellent at starting a game at Gards' shoulder, observing/talking about what's going on early, then being the 1st sub to enter. But it's a tough call.

[Jim French Stepstool]

7 hours ago, Underachiever said:

I have really high hopes for John Blackwell. Just have a feeling about him. 

There have been so many examples of Gard, or Ryan before him, seeing something in a kid as a 9th or 10th grader, before other schools show interest. That was the case with Blackwell. Although his recruitment never "blew up" he's a very nice fit for the UW program.

[BrewerFan]

5 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

My guess is Storr starts, and either Klesmit or Essegian comes off the bench. I do think Klesmit would be excellent at starting a game at Gards' shoulder, observing/talking about what's going on early, then being the 1st sub to enter. But it's a tough call.

I don't follow Badgers BB like other sports, but it seems to me like Essegian HAS to be one of the 5 best players, right? Storr looks like a big get, a great shooter as well, but ideally you'd go with Chuckie and those. That seems like a nice starting 5 to me and a lot of energy coming off the bench.

[LouisEly]

14 hours ago, BrewerFan said:

I don't follow Badgers BB like other sports, but it seems to me like Essegian HAS to be one of the 5 best players, right? Storr looks like a big get, a great shooter as well, but ideally you'd go with Chuckie and those. That seems like a nice starting 5 to me and a lot of energy coming off the bench.

All good teams have a scorer that comes off the bench.  In 2014-15 and 2013-14 it was Koenig (who started a lot of games in 14-15 due to Jackson's injury) and to a lesser extent Dukan.  Koenig was probably a top-5 player in 14-15 but Gasser was a better defender and Jackson a better floor general.  Similar to this year where Essegian is a better scorer, but Klesmit a better defender and better all-around game.

I think the initial starting five is Crowl, Wahl, Storr, Klesmit, Hepburn.  Backups are Winter, Gilmore, Ilver, Essegian, and McGee, with Essegian the first off the bench at either SG or SF.  Wouldn't be surprised to see Yalden, Blackwell, or Haertle assert themselves into the rotation as the season goes on. 

Was hoping to see Hodges take a step forward; remember, he didn't play his senior year of HS because of COVID, then redshirted his freshman year, so last year was his first game action since 2019-2020. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

15 hours ago, BrewerFan said:

I don't follow Badgers BB like other sports, but it seems to me like Essegian HAS to be one of the 5 best players, right? Storr looks like a big get, a great shooter as well, but ideally you'd go with Chuckie and those. That seems like a nice starting 5 to me and a lot of energy coming off the bench.

I think he is. But like the old adage, it's often more important who's on the floor at the end. Essegian IMO improved defensively by the end of last season but still has more road to travel in that regard. There's a lot that goes into it including, unfortunately, who was promised what regarding transferring in, or keeping someone from transferring OUT. Unsavory to think about, but a factor.

Bottom line, barring the unforseen the starting five will come from a group of six, all of whom will get a lot of minutes.

[BrewerFan]

10 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

I think he is. But like the old adage, it's often more important who's on the floor at the end. Essegian IMO improved defensively by the end of last season but still has more road to travel in that regard. There's a lot that goes into it including, unfortunately, who was promised what regarding transferring in, or keeping someone from transferring OUT. Unsavory to think about, but a factor.

Bottom line, barring the unforseen the starting five will come from a group of six, all of whom will get a lot of minutes.

I get that, but as we're not privy to that information and just guessing what the best starting 5 would be...you'd think Essegian would actually be the priority. He could easily be looking at leaving for the NBA after this year with his quick shot and how good of a shooter he is. 

He was just smothered last year. Kinda reminded me of old school BB(which...I guess is obvious with UW) but the back screens and multiple screens, the off-ball movement just so he could catch and shoot on a tough shot where he was doing that JJ Reddick, leaving the floor before he actually got the ball thing curling around that screen.

If he's given any space this year, I expect him to be a 40+% 3 point shooter. And he was a Freshmen. So I could see why you'd want to promise a starting spot, but I think he'd be one of the guys you'd want to ensure doesn't transfer out upon losing his starting spot.

11 hours ago, LouisEly said:

All good teams have a scorer that comes off the bench. 

Yeah, I get that, but Essegian in particular is such a good shooter and given their struggles last year, he was forced to take so many bad shots(or maybe tough shots would be a better way to put it) because he was clearly the guy they were trying to get it to, you're just putting yourself in a similar situation again.

Klesmit can be the guy who comes in and scores. He was an efficient shooter.

The Elite 8 team and the team '14-15 team was a little different. They were full of guys with a lot of starting experience. In the year they lost in the Finals, they had I think 5 or 6 Srs on that team who'd gotten a lot of PT.

IDK, feels like Klesmit is a better fit coming off the bench and then staggering Storr and Essegian's minutes...but we'll see. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

On 10/18/2023 at 4:02 AM, BrewerFan said:

 

IDK, feels like Klesmit is a better fit coming off the bench and then staggering Storr and Essegian's minutes...but we'll see. 

My gut tells me the same thing. I don't know enough about Essegian or especially Storr to have an opinion as to how they would react to coming off the bench. But I'm really confident Klesmit would handle it just fine if asked to. And as I alluded to earlier, part of that role is being alert & paying attention to what's going on in the opening minutes and then reacting to it once entering. I think Klesmit would be terrific at that.

[LouisEly]

Yalden apparently showing very high basketball IQ in practice, looking very comfortable with the ball, controlling the offense from the top of the key, and passing.  Might be getting significant minutes sooner rather than later.

[Jim French Stepstool]

4 hours ago, LouisEly said:

Yalden apparently showing very high basketball IQ in practice, looking very comfortable with the ball, controlling the offense from the top of the key, and passing.  Might be getting significant minutes sooner rather than later.

As is the case with Winter, he has very good perimeter skills for a big. Also reminds me a bit of Ethan Happ & Tyler Wahl regarding his craftiness around the bucket.

I actually expected him to be the 1st "big" off the bench, but he's had to deal with being a little behind on conditioning due to a minor ding or two, and both Winter & Carter Gilmore have been very impressive. It's turning into a real competitive situation for frontcourt bench minutes.

[CheezWizHed]

I'm curious what you guys are watching to know those insights? Have there been open practices?  Or just the red v white game?

[Jim French Stepstool]

8 hours ago, CheezWizHed said:

I'm curious what you guys are watching to know those insights? Have there been open practices?  Or just the red v white game?

I don't know of any open practices, but I saw some of the red-white & gobble up everything I can from press conferences & interviews, and I hear a lot of stuff 2nd or 3rd hand that originates from those who have team access. I'll repeat things I hear if it's from a source I trust. There's always stuff on twitter or X or whatever they call it now, but that's where you really have to be discriminating w/regards to the source.

Most of all I like to trust what I see myself, which is why I'm looking forward to November 1 & the start of the season.

[LouisEly]

On 10/24/2023 at 3:52 PM, CheezWizHed said:

I'm curious what you guys are watching to know those insights? Have there been open practices?  Or just the red v white game?

https://badgerswire.usatoday.com/

https://badgernotes.com/

Jeff Potrykus on X/Journal Sentinel.

There's a message board specifically for Badgers sports that's a lot like this site.  There are some insiders on there including Potrykus, other media members, W Club execs, etc.

[Oxy]

Well, they could easily go undefeated and win the natty if they dropped to D-III.

Seriously, though, great start.  The news about Yalden taking some time off is disconcerting and a little odd, but the performance of Winter and Ilver as well as the reports of Gilmore's improvement take the sting out of Gus' absence.

Blackwell and Storr seem to provide exactly what last years team was missing.  Long, strong, athletic wings who seem to be kind of jack-of-all-trade type of players (which as Frosh/Soph means they could end up as Masters of a few trades with no weaknesses as upperclassmen).  They should take the pressure off Hepburn and Ess3gian and let those two let the game come to them rather than have to force things like they had to do last year.

I'm optimistic.

[Jim French Stepstool]

The game served the purpose of what you sked these exhibitions for. Nice lid-lifter.

Focusing on the new guys......I'm not saying Storr is at a Johnny Davis level, but he fills that spot on the floor really well. Can score in a lot of ways, looked quite at home getting out on the floor in break opportunities, but also very comfortable in the half court. Decent on the defensive end too.

Really liked what I saw from Winter & Blackwell. Winter will certainly have situations where lack of strength & bulk makes it challenging for him but the talent is undeniable. And he DOES stick his nose in there pretty well already. Blackwell does not defend like a first-year guy. And other than 2-3 times where he tried to do a little too much he was mostly in control & making good decisions on the offensive end, too. I don't know if he'll play a ton but I do see him getting some quality minutes.

Looks like a real up-in-the-air battle for backup PG. As long as there are scorers at the other 4 spots I think McGee is OK, but Isaac Lindsay saw some time there, and they can always slide Klesmit over.

Not sure how it translates once they get into the meat of the schedule, But Markus Ilver looks like a little better version of what we saw last year.

From what I understand, Yalden is still in school. I'm also led to believe that his being behind a few other guys for frontcourt bench minutes has nothing to do with the leave of absence. Not sure I buy that, but we'll see I guess.

On our way out, we walked through most/all of the Point team, standing around in the concourse meeting with family & friends. Up close, It's shocking to see how slight-of-build those kids are compared to D-I players. Makes it hard to compete for 40 minutes. Still, I'm all for these games, especially after seeing too many of their forerunners over the years--games vs third-rate foreign squads or "club teams" that aren't much more than pickup teams.

[Oxy]

On 10/16/2023 at 12:57 PM, yourout said:

They will be better but still not add any hardware to the trophy case.

Not exactly sure about the tone of this post, but UW has won 2 B1G championships in the last 4 years, so "still" is a bit of an odd choice.  Also, I'd say that at this point in the season this team looks more complete with better odds of a Championship than either of those Championship squads at this point in those seasons.

[stoutdude04]

On 11/1/2023 at 10:35 PM, Oxy said:

Well, they could easily go undefeated and win the natty if they dropped to D-III.

Seriously, though, great start.  The news about Yalden taking some time off is disconcerting and a little odd, but the performance of Winter and Ilver as well as the reports of Gilmore's improvement take the sting out of Gus' absence.

Blackwell and Storr seem to provide exactly what last years team was missing.  Long, strong, athletic wings who seem to be kind of jack-of-all-trade type of players (which as Frosh/Soph means they could end up as Masters of a few trades with no weaknesses as upperclassmen).  They should take the pressure off Hepburn and Ess3gian and let those two let the game come to them rather than have to force things like they had to do last year.

I'm optimistic.

He posted that he cant wait to be in front of Badger nation, so it doesn't seem like its him leaving or homesickness.  

Rumors I've heard is that he may have had some trouble with the law(weed).  

[owbc]

2 hours ago, stoutdude04 said:

He posted that he cant wait to be in front of Badger nation, so it doesn't seem like its him leaving or homesickness.  

Rumors I've heard is that he may have had some trouble with the law(weed).  

That is still a thing???

[homer]

7 minutes ago, owbc said:

That is still a thing???

It is in this state.

[Jim French Stepstool]

We're talking about Madison. He might be cited for NOT having a stash😛.

Seriously though, if that happens to be the issue (and I think at this point it's appropriate to underline "if" about five times) it could be more of a team training rules thing, rather than anything involving legal authorities. What the statutes are, and if there are age limitations involved, I have no idea.

15 minutes ago, owbc said:

That is still a thing???

EDIT: Didn't see Homers' contribution. In that case it would certainly add another layer to it.

[stoutdude04]

For sure - again, just rumors that I have heard from friends around/on campus.  I have no real inside information or anything.

[Jim French Stepstool]

Gus just released a tweet that dispensed no real hard info (understandable) but left the impression that he has no intention of pulling up stakes or anything like that & is looking forward to rejoining the team. Sounds like his support network is really strong, which is great to hear.