Wisconsin’s frontcourt plan for this season starts with a twist: the Badgers may be leaning on their backups sooner than expected.
Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp are set to give Wisconsin one of the most experienced and dangerous big-man tandems around, but both forwards lost most of the offseason to injury. Winter dealt with an ankle issue, Rapp with a hand injury, and each underwent surgery, leaving the Badgers’ summer practices without their two projected starters in the post.
That opened the door for rising sophomore Will Garlock and Hofstra transfer Victory Onuetu, who now look positioned to be the top frontcourt options off the bench.
“I think they were good for each other. Without having Nolan and Austin throughout the summer, it forced those two to be on the floor a lot.
There were days where they didn’t come off. They just stayed out through the whole practice, and they obviously had to be on opposite teams," head coach Greg Gard said at the Badgers' local media day.
Winter is coming off a career year and enters the season on the preseason All-Big Ten team after averaging 13.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 blocks as a junior while shooting 57/33/74. Rapp also became a major piece for Wisconsin late last season, putting up 9.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists, then really catching fire from deep over the final two months by hitting 43% of his threes on 6.2 attempts per game.
But the offseason spotlight shifted to Garlock and Onuetu, and Wisconsin needed it to. The Badgers have made size and defense a clear priority as they try to clean up the issues that doomed last year’s team in a stunning NCAA Tournament first-round loss to High Point. Garlock and Onuetu fit that mission, with Onuetu bringing hyper-athletic rebounding and shot-blocking and Garlock using his 7-foot, 243-pound frame to control space inside.
“They’re both very competitive in different ways. Victory is very outwardly spoken, emotional.
That’s some of his descent of being from Spain and Europe and how he plays with emotion. And I think that’s been good for Will.
Because they’ve each challenged each other to the point of, we haven’t crossed the line, but we’ve come close in practice…the evolution of those two has been impressive to watch, because they’re both much better than they were," Gard continued. "They locked horns all summer long.”
With Winter and Rapp both still question marks for Wisconsin’s first exhibition game against UW Parkside on Saturday, the Badgers should finally get a chance to see how much Garlock and Onuetu grew while the starters were sidelined.
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