Wisconsin head basketball coach joined ESPN Madison this week to talk hoops and build excitement for the upcoming games that the Badgers will get to play at Fiserv Center. In that interview, Gard was asked if the recruiting pitch towards transfers is now, "You can be the next John Tonje?" Gard said it actually goes back further than that, as Tonje is standing in a line of successful transfers at Wisconsin.
John Tonje was a huge success at Wisconsin and arguably one of the best transfers in the country and in Wisconsin history. However, the pitch is older than John Tonje, as Gard says that Tonje was aware of Johnny Davis and AJ Storr. Storr knew about Johnny Davis, and so now the pitch is Tonje, Davis, and Storr.
The transfer pitch for Wisconsin goes back to Johnny Davis and AJ Storr
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And it only goes to show that Greg Gard knows how to utilize transfers and maximize their potential effectively. There may not be a better case study than AJ Storr. He came to Wisconsin a bit under the radar in the transfer portal out of St. John's. He was only averaging 8.8 for the Red Storm. Then he came to Wisconsin and went off. He averaged 16.8 points and 3.9 rebounds for the Badgers.
He then decided to transfer again to Kansas and was declared a dud of a transfer. Couldn't find the same ability that he showcased so easily at Wisconsin. He finished the year averaging only 6.1 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.
Tonje was also a huge success for the Badgers. While he had a good run at Colorado State, he transferred to Missouri, where he was injured and never got things going. He was considered a minor transfer portal pickup by all the national pundits, but then became a household name. Not just in Wisconsin but on the national narrative, ultimately becoming a 2nd round NBA pick.
Greg Gard says that's the transfer pitch. The question is, who's next?