Can Greg Gard retain Wisconsin's key players and use the portal to bolster the roster?

NEW YORK – Wisconsin returned to the NCAA Tournament this season by retaining the foundational pieces of the team from the previous season and then adding a trio of contributors, including transfer AJ Storr.

After seeing his team go one-and-out in the tournament, thanks to a 72-61 loss to James Madison on Friday night, coach Greg Gard must identify the move needed to enhance UW for the 2024-25 season.

Forward Tyler Wahl leaves after five seasons with two Big Ten title rings.

AJ Storr dreams of playing in the NBA. Does he think he is ready to make that jump?

Storr noted before facing James Madison that his dream is to play in the NBA. Does he believe he is ready to make that jump now?

“I don’t know,” Storr said. “Right now, I’m still thinking about the loss.”

Will freshmen John Blackwell and Nolan Winter and sophomore Connor Essegian develop into better players next season?

Blackwell averaged 8.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game and shot 45.5% from three-point range (30 of 66). However, after suffering an ankle injury early in the Big Ten quarterfinals against Northwestern, Blackwell hit just 1 of his last 18 shots.

“I know I’ve got to step up,” Blackwell said. “I need to be more of a leader and be more consistent and not have this feeling again, getting knocked out in the first round.”

Winter needs to spend quality time in the weight room.

“Everyone knows for me it is just my strength,” he said. “When I get stronger it is going to open up so much for me both defensively and offensively. Getting downhill and showing my true potential.

“I’m going to be in the weight room every day, getting on a diet plan. That is all I’m going to be doing all summer.

“We’re going to use this fuel this whole offseason. A first-round exit is never fun.

“This obviously sucks, but we’re already looking forward to next season.”

Essegian, who did not play in UW’s final three games and saw his overall playing time dip from his freshman season, was asked to articulate his offseason goals.

“I’ve just got to get bigger, faster and stronger,” he said. “I’ll just leave it at that.”

Chucky Hepburn, Max Klesmit and Steven Crowl know they will be asked to provide leadership

Guards Chucky Hepburn and Max Klesmit and center Steven Crowl were better players this season than they were in 2022-23, when UW was relegated to the NIT.

As that trio sat in a quiet locker room after the loss to James Madison, each offered the same message.

They would have to lead the way.

“I have to make sure everyone is getting better,” Hepburn said. “We have to get in the weight room and get stronger. We’ve got to get better, take our game to the next step.”

Crowl’s goal: “Just pushing the younger guys and pushing ourselves to know we want to get back to this position.”

Klesmit, perhaps the most in-your-face player on the roster, insisted the veterans wouldn’t have to tax themselves in getting the younger players to follow.

“I don’t think it takes a lot to get this group motivated,” he said. “I would just say everyone needs to focus on what they need to work on in the offseason.

“I know how everybody feels in this locker room and where they stand with the program and how much this hurts and how much it means to them. I’m not really concerned with the mindset we’re going to have this offseason.”

UW signed two freshmen in November – guard Daniel Freitag and forward Jack Robison.

Freitag can play either guard spot and is probably more ready to contribute immediately than Robison. He could earn playing time as Blackwell did this season, at 18.5 minutes per game.

Can players such as Kamari McGee, Markus Ilver and Carter Gilmore become more consistent?

Storr bolstered UW’s scoring ability this season and led the team at 16.8 points per game. He was at his best attacking the rim, but he finished at just 32.0% from three-point range and 43.4% overall.

His numbers in the loss to James Madison revealed that for all the progress he made this season, which was considerable, he hasn’t come close to reaching his ceiling.

He missed all three of his three-point attempts, hit just 5 of 14 shots overall and had four turnovers. He finished the season with 32 assists and 57 turnovers.

If Storr sees the potential for growth with another season in college and returns to UW, he could be a first-round pick in 2025. If he leaves after this season, he could go undrafted.

The call will be his.

Greg Gard will try to retain the team's key pieces and add talent via the transfer portal

UW’s staff is already evaluating players in the transfer portal, which opened last Monday.

“We see the world we’re in,” Gard said, referring to the ability of players to transfer whenever they choose without having to sit out at their new school. “We’ll have conversations. A lot of guys, all but Tyler, have an option to come back, and there will be other options.

“If guys want to test the waters in the draft or get feedback. We haven't had those conversations yet. We’re so raw after the end of the game.

“And like I said, you just look at the landscape, that's the environment we are in. So, you have to deal with it and prepare. It could go 100 different ways. But this core is really good. They are really tight.

“That locker room, it’s pretty emotional right now and that tells me – it's not the first time I’ve seen an emotional locker room – that tells me they are here for the right reasons.”