Wisconsin Basketball Coach Likens Transfers Physical Makeup to NBA All-Star 

During the annual Garding Against Cancer charity event, Wisconsin basketball head coach Greg Gard made a brief media appearance and shared some insights with reporters regarding the additions of Camren Hunter, John Tonje, and Xavier Amos from the transfer portal. 

These acquisitions have significantly altered the team’s roster makeup for the better since Gard last met with the media to address the departures of key Badgers players Chucky Hepburn and A.J. Storr. 

Despite the turnover, the re-tooled Wisconsin basketball roster, which isn’t yet complete, according to coach Gard, appears poised to contend in the new-look Big Ten for the upcoming 2024-25 season, on paper. 

Among the newcomers, Hunter, who transferred into the Wisconsin basketball program from Central Arkansas, stands out as a particularly intriguing addition to the Badgers as a potential Hepburn replacement. 

Coach Gard expressed optimism about Hunter’s potential impact on the team. In fact, Gard even drew some parallels between Hunter’s physical makeup and that of former Villanova standout and current New York Knicks star all-star point guard Jalen Brunson.

“I recruited Jalen Brunson several years ago… he [Hunter] reminds me, I hope he can become as good a player. You talk about ‘jackpot,’ that would be a jackpot,” Gard told reporters. “But big, left-handed, big body, really strong, his base and his legs are really strong, so what he does in the paint is a lot like what we saw Brunson do at Villanova. 

‘We played against him in the NCAA Tournament, so we have a pretty good reference to his type of game. And Cam has similar attributes. I’m not saying he’s Jalen Brunson. …But you look at him physically, and he reminds you of that.”