While much of the Wisconsin Badgers' news has focused on transfer portal losses, John Blackwell’s has been the most impactful; the Badgers must also replace the production of Andrew Rohde and Braeden Carrington. The Badgers were interested in Northern Iowa’s Leon Bond III, a Wauwatosa native, but he has since committed to Iowa State.
Meanwhile, Appleton’s Chevalier "Ice" Emery has gathered interest from Wisconsin this week and would be a quality guard who can add depth for the Badgers. In addition, there is now a 6-foot-5 all-conference guard who might catch Wisconsin's attention.
Wisconsin native Nolan Minessale entered the transfer portal.
On Thursday, ESPN College Basketball insider Jeff Borzello broke the news on X that St. Thomas star Nolan Minessale is in the portal. Following this announcement, Badger247’s Jon McNamara stated that Wisconsin is a name to potentially watch for Minessale.
St. Thomas-Minnesota sophomore Nolan Minessale has entered the transfer portal, source told ESPN. First-team All-Summit selection averaged 19.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists this past season, shooting better than 50% from the field.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 10, 2026
Would imagine Wisconsin will have interest in the former Marquette University wing.https://t.co/4DDsUdXC7V https://t.co/JjsQBYkkPQ
— Jon McNamara (@McNamara_247) April 10, 2026
As you can tell from Borzello’s post, Minessale was an outstanding player for the St. Thomas Tommies of the Summit League. Not only was he an All-Summit performer, but he was a member of the All-Summit League Defensive Team and was a finalist for the Lou Henson Mid-Major Player of the Year. Two big reasons for that are Minessale’s Summit League-leading 6.7 field goals made per game and team-high 54 steals.
Minessale would be a good candidate to fill either Carrington's or Rohde’s shoes for next season, but other programs will be interested in the Summit League star. One potential team that could jump in is Marquette, a program that has failed to utilize the transfer portal effectively under head coach Shaka Smart. Given that Minessale prepped at nearby Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, one could speculate that the Golden Eagles will express interest.
Despite this possibility, Wisconsin has not secured any commits in the transfer portal so far in April, but Nolan Minessale is a name to keep an eye on. He is an excellent two-way player who the Badgers could target if they believe his game can work at Wisconsin.