The Wisconsin Badgers were left with no choice but to play aggressively this summer. After their two leading scorers, Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, left town, on top of impact starters Andrew Rhode and Aleksas Bieliauskas, head coach Greg Gard was forced to get creative with how he went about retooling this roster. As always, Gard did his thing in the transfer portal, landing numerous guys who project to make an impact. However, the overseas crop was arguably where the Badgers did their best work.
Wisconsin was able to pull in three guys from across the pond, all of whom reside in the Oceania area, with the most notable being Jackson Ball and Owen Foxwell. What makes these two so interesting is the years of pro experience they already have under their belts, something that most college players can't say they have. On top of that, Gard and the rest of the Badger recruiting staff already have a proven track record in the overseas market, consistently pulling in impact talent, and yet, for whatever reason, this group continues to go relatively unnoticed.
We ranked the Big Ten's top 10 incoming international players 👀
— Hoops HQ (@hhqsports) June 13, 2026
Read about each prospect here: https://t.co/RGfq91tNUu pic.twitter.com/R94PiGJ8n7
Hoops HQ seemingly caught on, however, as when ranking the 10 most impactful Big Ten overseas newcomers, both Foxwell and Ball were mentioned. Although the recognition is nice, the incoming guard pair still may very well be underrated by the broader national media sphere.
Jackson Ball
Ball, a 6-foot-5 guard, is one of Wisconsin's most intriguing players headed into next season. His combination of positional size, ball skills and shot-creation ability gives him one of the highest upsides on the team. Along with that, Ball recently weighed in at 216 pounds at EuroCamp, proving that he may be a bit more ready for game action than what was previously thought.
FIBA U19 SLEEPERS PART 3
— nbadraftpoint (@nbadraftpoint) June 28, 2025
🇳🇿 Jackson Ball is one of the more gifted scorers in the event, committing early to Wisconsin the class in the class of ‘26. Elite scorer who tore up the NZNBL at 16 years old, putting up 40 points in his first pro game pic.twitter.com/eyJncBXkzH
Along with his strong measurements at EuroCamp, Ball had a solid showing as well, averaging 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, doing so while shooting 44.8% from the field and 26.7% from three. Ball was by no means dominant at the camp, but he still proved he could stand out in the setting.
Owen Foxwell
First Look: What Owen Foxwell brings to Wisconsin.
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) April 4, 2026
Foxwell started in a league that features former NBA and high-end college talent. His numbers were similar to those of Tyson Walker (Michigan State) and Tyger Campbell (UCLA).https://t.co/MlBzbOE1rT (On3+) #Badgers pic.twitter.com/uzdwEab98C
Easily the most underrated move the Badgers made all offseason was acquiring a former NBL starting point guard in Foxwell. The 6-foot-2 guard has five years of pro experience under his belt heading into his tenure with Wisconsin, making him one of the more proven and game-ready players on the team.
Foxwell didn't just play in any pro league either, as the NBL has built a reputation for being one of the best and most physical basketball leagues in the world. He wasn't just another guy there either, as Foxwell posted averages of 11.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game, doing so on a 22-11 South East Melbourne team.
With all this in mind, Badger fans should be heading into next year with a bit more optimism about what the future holds.
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