The Wisconsin Badgers underwent a major transformation this offseason after the departures of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, hitting both the overseas pool and the transfer portal to add experience to the roster.
The first domino fell when Australian point guard Owen Foxwell committed to the program, giving Wisconsin a 22-year-old guard with starting experience in the NBL.
Then, Wisconsin followed that up with the additions of guard Trey Autry, wing Eian Elmer, and forward Victory Onuetu, who should
all be keys in the rotation this year. That group of newcomers has head coach Greg Gard very excited for what his team could look like this upcoming season.
“On paper, I love it,” Gard said about his new-look roster to reporters earlier this month. “We’re going to see what it looks like in real life together, but I think, you know, you start with a point guard that is tremendous in Owen Foxwell. To have somebody of that maturity and that size and that experience, that age, to be able to come in and be a seasoned, grizzled veteran point guard that’s played against exceptional talent in Australia, comes highly, highly recommended from our sources in Australia.
“And then the 3 older portal players with Victory and Trey and Eian, I think you add experience, you add size, you add shooting, you add shot blocking, you add athleticism. I was what we wanted to address in terms of our additions. And then, most importantly, the retention. I think being able to have Aussie (Austin Rapp) and Nolan return, and Jack Janicki and Hayden Jones and Zach Kinzinger and Garlock, I think that when you can have that core foundation return, and then you add the exciting pieces that have experience coming in around them, and then I haven’t even gotten to the freshmen coming in yet. So, it’s an exciting group, I think, as we put it together.”
With Gard’s words and how the roster is constructed, it’s clear that the Badgers envision a big role for Foxwell, who is more of a pass-first point guard than Nick Boyd was. Foxwell is considered to be a good slasher and an improving shooter, as well as a tenacious defender who has significant experience against top-level competition.
Wisconsin had a goal of adding experience while becoming more well-rounded on the defensive side, as they aim to maintain their offensive efficiency. Foxwell is expected to be a big part of that, and he drew high praise from Gard.
