The news broke earlier today that star junior guard John Blackwell removed his name from the NBA Draft and will return to Wisconsin for another year. While the news isn't overly surprising, there was still a bit of a sigh of relief among Wisconsin fans. The goals for next year are very much dependent on Blackwell's return. Without him, the ceiling would be much lower.
One of the first people to respond publicly to the news was teammate Nolan Winter, who is also pivotal to the 2025-2026 Badgers' future success. He sent out a message on X with a simple but powerful message that should excite Wisconsin fans.
Nolan Winter tells John Blackwell, "Let's do it brother!"
Nolan Winter quoted Jon Rothstein's social media post announcing Blackwell's return with a "Let's do it, brother!" The two of them have talked about being Badgers for life and creating a Wisconsin legacy. This year, both players are expected to step into bigger roles and bigger shoes. Winter will be without fellow 7-footer Steven Crowl, while Blackwell will be without John Tonje. Both have graduated.
This means each will fill a bigger role on both the offense and defensive ends. Greg Gard and Wisconsin have done a tremendous job in the transfer portal by adding multiple starters, including star point guard Nick Boyd, flashy wing Andrew Rohde, and big man Austin Rapp. There were other depth additions, but that group of five is projected to be the starting five for the Badgers.
John Blackwell also posted and filmed his own social media posts, in which he smirked and said, "I’m back for year three! I'm excited to work…let’s do it.” This decision has set up an exciting season for the Wisconsin Badgers. And hopefully, this process for Blackwell was rewarding and allowed him to see what he needs to do for a high NBA draft pick next season.