Wisconsin set to visit France on preseason trip
The Wisconsin Badgers are heading overseas ahead of the 2022-23 season. Greg Gard and the staff are taking the players to France for a 10-day trip that will include four games in August.
“It is great educationally and culturally,” Gard told reporters on Thursday. “It is great bonding. You get extra practices. You get the four games.”
The Badgers’ plan is to fly to France on Aug. 7, play the four games in the cities of Paris, Lyon and Nice, then return home on Aug. 17. Two games will be against teams from four-time NBA title-winner Tony Parker’s athletics academy.
Wisconsin hasn’t taken an international trip since before the 2017 season. That August, they played five games in Australia and New Zealand. The NCAA permits international trips every four years however, COVID-19 kept the Badgers from traveling sooner.
The NCAA allows an eight-week window for summer teamwork but the international trip gives the Badgers an extra 10 practices.
“We get 10 extra practices in addition to what we can do in the eight weeks,” Gard added. “It gives us extra time together and the games will be important to get some guys experience.”
The Badgers are dealing with replacing one of the program’s best in Johnny Davis. The Big Ten Player of the Year and Consensus All-American was Wisconsin’s leading scorer and helped the Badgers to a co-Big Ten title in 2021-22. He declared for the 2022 NBA Draft last month.
Davis averaged 19.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game as Wisconsin became a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It was a drastic improvement from his 7.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest as a freshman in 2020-21.
Wisconsin lands top-100 2023 prospect
On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Badgers landed a four-star prospect for the 2023 class. Center Gus Yalden announced his commitment, giving Greg Gard a second commit for 2023.
“Being from Appleton, Wisconsin basketball just means more,” Yalden said on his Instagram live. “When they went to the 2015 national championship, you can ask my mom, the day after I cried and didn’t go to school because I was so sad. It just means more to me. I grew up a fan. I’ve been to Camp Randall, the Kohl Center a million times. It’s a place that my family calls home, and there’s no place like home, so I’m really excited to go back and to be a Badger.”
Yalden is a 6-foot-8, 240-pound center. He plays at the Asheville School, where he’s developed into an On3 Consensus four-star and the No. 94 prospect in the 2023 class. He chose Wisconsin over Rutgers, Nebraska and College of Charleston, which made up his top four.