The Wisconsin Badgers basketball team was active this offseason in the transfer portal once again, landing three players who should be key contributors in 2026.
Of the transfers, the most notable addition was Miami (OH) wing Eian Elmer, who received some NBA consideration when testing the NBA Draft waters before returning to college. The Badgers also got three-and-D guard Trey Autry and athletic forward Victory Onuetu to round out the rotation.
Those three, along with overseas point guard Owen Foxwell, are the four experienced additions for the Badgers this season, and they all have one thing in common: they’re all seniors.
Wisconsin has looked to target seniors in the transfer portal in previous years, with head coach Greg Gard touting the importance of experience with newcomers. Last season, the Badgers landed three seniors in the transfer portal: Nick Boyd, Braeden Carrington, and Andrew Rohde. They would’ve had a fourth with Elijah Gray, who was dismissed from the team before the start of the year.
In 2024, the main addition was John Tonje, who was entering his sixth year of college basketball. They also landed Xavier Amos and Camren Hunter, who each had two years of eligibility, but those moves didn’t pan out as expected.
It makes sense why. With as much turnover as there is in college basketball, you want players with experience who can help you win games the following season. But this offseason, the 5-for-5 rule change finally came into play, which has caused teams to also think about the future, as seniors brought in could have an additional year of eligibility.
While Owen Foxwell will only have one year in Madison, players like Elmer, Autry, and Onuetu are all eligible for a fifth year. In addition, returners like Nolan Winter and Jack Janicki could return for a fifth season.
In the offseason, when recruiting transfers to Madison, was that fifth year a part of conversations?
“It really wasn’t,” general manager Marc VandeWettering said last week. “You know, I think it was in the back of our minds, but it was never really a part of the conversation. We didn’t want to be in a situation where we were overpromising something.
“And like we’ve said multiple times, we do take this year-to-year for the most part, and especially with those guys that, you know, when we were signing them, they were having only one year of eligibility. Right. And now with those rules changing, we’ll have those conversations, reengage with them as things get settled in here, get them through the summer session, and then evaluate from there.”
VandeWettering did add that there is the possibility for those seniors to return, and those conversations will be had this Fall as Wisconsin evaluates its future outlook.
While this year will be unique, as most players returning to college basketball will have that fifth year available, it’ll be interesting to see how Wisconsin targets the transfer portal in the future, knowing the rule is in place.