The Badgers are coming off a blowout win against Detroit for their 10th win of the season, but head coach Greg Gard is still looking for more, especially from star transfer John Tonje.
“We need him to continue to be more efficient," Gard said. "If this team's going to really reach a high level. We have to have him at a high level, more consistently.”
Greg Gard on John Tonje: “We need him to continue to be more efficient. If this team's going to really reach a high level. We have to have him at a high level, more consistently.”
— Dillon Graff (@DillonGraff) December 23, 2024
After an incredible month of November, including a dominating 41-point performance against Arizona, Tonje has significantly cooled off in the month of December. He averaged a blistering 23 points per game last month, but this month his average has dropped to a mere 13 points per game on just 32% shooting.
Tonje is still an excellent player and one who provides more value than just scoring. But as one of the Badgers' best offensive players, he has failed to reach the 20 points mark in a game since November 30th. Part of the reason may be the emergences of Nolan Winter and John Blackwell, who have been exceptional in their new starting roles. But as Gard said, Tonje needs to be more consistent as a veteran leader.
It's not the first time Gard has publicly called out a player for better play this season. After a zero rebound game against Illinois earlier this year, Gard was quick to point out the unacceptable performance from center Steven Crowl. Crowl responded with a six rebound, 18-point showing the following game. Hopefully his words have a similar effect on Tonje, who will need to be a crucial part of this team's postseason aspirations.