7 thoughts from Wisconsin basketball's open practice
Updates on a couple of key injuries, two Badgers big men stepping up in their place, and first looks at transfers.
MADISON, Wis. — An early look at the University of Wisconsin basketball program gave a glimpse of what could come for one of the Badgers’ young big men.
Will Garlock, the sophomore 7-foot center from nearby Middleton, was one of the standouts from Tuesday’s practice open to reporters inside the Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion. It was an all-around performance where Garlock battled inside for rebounds against transfer forward Victory Onuetu — one of the more intriguing matchups during the session — dished the ball to teammates, but he also finished in the paint through a foul and also drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
Garlock played in 30 contests as a freshman. His stats weren’t jaw-dropping, 1.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in 6.8 minutes per game, but Gard has seen confidence from Garlock after his time last season.
“You can’t replicate, you can’t duplicate what experience can do, and some of that may have been not pleasant last year, right?” Gard said. “And for him to understand how important the spring was going to 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 or set the foundation for him to take this type of step.
“And obviously him and Victory (Onuetu) have great battles. It’s competitive every single day, and that’s what you want. You want some competition that’ll help raise everybody’s bar.”
Badger Observer was at Tuesday’s practice. Check out post-practice interviews with Gard, forward Nolan Winter and guards Zach Kinziger and Trey Autry as well. But here are six more on-court thoughts.
Wisconsin without 2 of its main big men
Garlock emerged while the Badgers were short-handed in more than one way Tuesday. Off to the sidelines were forwards Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp, but Gard said both were “on time in terms of where they’re at.”
