Wisconsin basketball is leaning on its frontcourt again, and this time Greg Gard is pointing to a sophomore as one of the offseason’s biggest risers.
At Big Ten media days in Rosemont, Illinois, Gard said center Will Garlock has taken a major step forward. According to Nick Osen of 247Sports, Gard called him “maybe our most improved player.”
That’s a notable label for Garlock, who had a quiet freshman season but now looks positioned for a larger role. Last year, he averaged 1.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in 6.8 minutes per game while appearing in 30 games. He was essentially Wisconsin’s No. 4 big man behind Nolan Winter, Austin Rapp and Alexis Bieliauskas.
This season, the picture is different. Wisconsin still has Winter and Rapp, and the Badgers also added Hofstra transfer forward Victory Onuetu, giving the frontcourt more size and athleticism. Even so, Garlock’s growth has become a storyline of its own.
Gard said at a July practice that the biggest changes in Garlock’s game come down to maturity and confidence.
“Confidence. I mean, he’s 19 now instead of 17 or 18 when he got here. The experience," Gard said.
“I’ve always said that; you can’t replicate what experience can do. Some of that may have been not pleasant last year.
For him to understand how important the spring is gonna be, how he’s attacked the weight room this summer. But I think the experience he got last year from a playing standpoint set the platform, set the foundation for him to take this type of step."
Garlock has also talked about expanding his game beyond the paint. On the Brian Butch podcast this summer, he said he’s working on becoming more of a floor-spacer.
"Obviously Nolan and Aussie do a great job of spacing the floor. If I could develop, maybe not shoot the volume they shoot the threes.
But if I could knock down an open three every game, I think that could really help us. A big area I’m improving on is shooting and being able to stretch the floor.
So that makes it easier on the guards getting downhill, and it’s a really fun way to play," Garlock said.
Winter and Rapp remain the main names on Wisconsin’s front line, and Onuetu is an intriguing addition. But Garlock’s development may end up mattering just as much for a Badgers team that expects depth to be one of its defining traits heading into 2026-27.
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