The Wisconsin Badgers were set to have a tough offseason this year. Following the season, they were faced with tough financial decisions regarding their stars John Blackwell and Nolan Winter, which ultimately led to the former’s departure.
They also had to replace departing seniors Nick Boyd, Andrew Rohde, and Braeden Carrington, while it proved to be too difficult to financially retain freshman forward Aleksas Bieliauskas as well.
So, head coach Greg Gard and his staff had quite the task, as they had to evaluate and identify good fits for their team that fit within their budget. Well, after the first week, Wisconsin did exactly that. They first landed George Washington transfer Trey Autry, who can slide into the shooting guard role. Then came the team’s top target: Miami (OH) wing Eian Elmer, which was followed by Hofstra center Victory Onuetu.
Speaking to reporters earlier this month, Gard gave his thoughts on the team’s roster, which was put together very intentionally.
“It came together really very intentionally and probably about as good as we could have scripted with how it all played out,” Gard said about the roster.
A big goal for the Badgers this offseason was improving the team’s defense. Wisconsin added point guard Owen Foxwell, an experienced lead guard known for his defense and playmaking ability. That should provide some stability in the backcourt. But they also added good size and length on the wing, while Onuetu is a proven shot-blocker and rim-protector in the frontcourt.
Of course, the Badgers will have to replace a ton of scoring with Blackwell and Boyd leaving, but Wisconsin will have several scoring threats next year. Autry and Elmer should add to that, while Austin Rapp is seen as the player to take that next step in 2026-27 alongside Nolan Winter.
Wisconsin was also able to retain a ton of its younger talent and depth, with Jack Janicki, Zach Kinziger, Hayden Jones, and Will Garlock all returning next season. Gard believes that the level of retention will help the team’s defense improve next season, in addition to the incoming players.
“Retention is always the best way to improve your defense,” Gard said. “Get guys back through the system again, get them another year older, another year more experience. So that’s the best way to take jumps defensively. It’s easy to snap together an instant offensive team. It takes time to grow a defensive team.
“And to have those guys back, that I mentioned that are returning, and then like I mentioned, you add [Eian] Elmer at 6’7″, you add [Trey] Autry, who’s played in a successful program at GW, and then the shot blocking of Victory [Onuetu] was something that really stood out on film. And in a small usage rate too, he was really effective. And his size, I mean, we’ve had him here in person. He’s got arms that go forever, and he runs like a deer. And you watch him in that game against Alabama in the NCAA tournament, he fit, he belonged.“
So, the process was very intentional for the Badgers this offseason, and it landed them a pretty quality team when considering their circumstances. Wisconsin is projected to have Foxwell, Autry, and Elmer join Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp in the team’s starting lineup, while Kinziger, Jones, Janicki, Onuetu, and Garlock make up the team’s top depth.
