Notebook: Wisconsin Gelling Early in Summer Workouts

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard, senior guard Nick Boyd, junior forward Nolan Winter, and sophomore guard Jack Janicki addressed the media following Thursday’s practice. Here are the key takeaways from the Badgers’ open media session…

Winter Packing on the Weight

One of the biggest question marks going into 2025-26 is how will Wisconsin defend the paint? The Badgers don’t feature a true center and are relying on junior Nolan Winter. Having played alongside Steven Crowl the last two seasons, Winter (7-0) now finds himself as the primary rim protector. Up 20 237 pounds, Winter said he’s already put on around 11-12 pounds, and would like ot play around 245 by the time the season opener rolls around.

“Eating every 2-3 hours, I’m trying to eat a meal. There’s really not an hour in the day where I’m not eating something. Coach (Jim) Snider is helping me a lot with eating, protein shakes. If I can get that up to speed, that’ll bring a lot of success to me on the court. I’m really honing in on that for sure.”

Boyd, Blackwell Battling

One of the highlights from Thursday’s practice was seeing Boyd go toe-to-toe with junior guard and reigning All-Big Ten performer John Blackwell go at one another. Blackwell often got the better of Boyd, but the San Diego State transfer refused to yield an inch.

“He sets the tone for the team,” said Boyd. “He’s a great player. We’re gonna need him to make big-time plays just down the stretch, so just trying to get the best out of him. And he does vice versa. So it’s just fun. When you have a group that can compete like that, the sky is the limit.”

Boyd Explains Wisconsin Pick over North Carolina

In addition to Wisconsin, Boyd also took official visits to North Carolina and Washington. In the end, the Badgers were able to edge out the blueblood.

“When I was in the portal, I found out coach Gard was interested,” Boyd explained. Ultimately, I just did my homework, spoke to my family, and my uncle helped me out a lot. I just did my homework on Wisconsin. I was actually on vacation with my family and I was like, ‘You know, this is gonna be the first visit, because I love what the program is about.

“I took a visit to UNC as well. Uultimately, when I got the call from coach Gard, having guys like, Nolan Winter, John Blackwell, ‘J’, who’s one of the best guys in the conference, I just wanted to go somewhere where it was kind of complete already and I could just step into a role where I don’t have to do too much, but just be myself.”

Janicki Here to Stay

You can never take anything to the bank in college athletics, but Janicki divulged in his process to return for year three with the Badgers. Beginning his career as a walk-on, Janicki has paid his dues and was rewarded in the off-season with a fresh contract. Either way, Janicki has no intentions of hitting the open market.

“It’s no secret, college sports is sort of moving chairs right now,” he said. “I came here as a walk on and I sort of have always tried to be loyal to a place that I love. And I love it here. I’ve worked really hard to be able to get in the rotation and now just want to keep working to really contribute to this team and have a great year.”

Blackwell Back For Year Three

After testing the NBA waters, Blackwell opted to return to school for his third year with the program. Gard is optimistic that the process will lead to bigger and better things for Blackwell, who averaged 15.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists per game last season.

“The confidence level — whether it’s the NBA experience brought that out of him more or if it’s just going into year three, it’s kind of halftime of his career — you can see he’s bigger physically,” said Gard. “He’s leaner, he’s really trimmed up. He’s cut in some areas that he didn’t have definition before.

“He’s come in with a more dominant mentality. He has the ability to take over and really dominate games.”

Rohde Fitting Right In

Virginia transfer Andrew Rohde had a terrific practice on Thursday. The senior guard knocked down five 3-pointers and also dished out some beautiful assists during the scrimmage portion. It’s early, but Rohde appears comfortable back home in Wisconsin.

“He really likes playing in this system,” said Gard. “It fits him. His ability — as much as he scores, I think passing might be his best attribute. At his size, 6-6, he can play in the ball screens. I’ve seen the passing really shine since day one.

“This is new. There’s a lot of new things, specifically the offense that he hasn’t done in the past, but it fits exactly who he is as a player skill level. And if you can play with the ball in your hands, play fast, and play in ball screens, you’re gonna love playing this.”