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Wisconsin Badgers transfer portal addition surprising with offensive versatility

Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers are getting a lot more from the the reigning West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year than just knockdown shooting.
Cam Wilhorn|
Austin Rapp (22) comes off the court during a Wisconsin men’s basketball scrimmage Sunday, October 19, 2025 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
Austin Rapp (22) comes off the court during a Wisconsin men’s basketball scrimmage Sunday, October 19, 2025 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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When the Wisconsin Badgers landed a commitment from Portland transfer Austin Rapp, Greg Gard gushed about the sophomore's ability to shoot the basketball.

"He's a big time shooter at the stretch-4 position and will fit really well with how we play and who we are as a program," Gard said in a release announcing Rapp's pledge.

But in order to make the jump from the West Coast Conference to the Big Ten, Rapp needed to become a more well-rounded player.

As a freshman at Portland, nearly 70 percent of his field goal attempts came from beyond the arc. He had more turnovers than assists and was an unpolished defender.

Gard said leading up to the regular season that Rapp would have to grow his game inside of the arc to open up three-point looks. Past that, he had to learn how important taking care of the basketball and playing defense was at Wisconsin.

The concern of Rapp being a one-dimensional offensive threat vanished once the ball tipped in the regular season, though.

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That's when Gard learned something about the Australian forward.

"He appears to be a gamer," Gard said. "From the time I've been around him, like it's the lights go on, it goes to another level."

Playmaking, passing ability, caught teammates and coaches off-guard

Rapp scored 17 and 14 points, respectively, in Wisconsin's two exhibition games. He took advantage of some lackluster pick-and-roll defense to get easy looks at the rim, but he shot 5-for-16 from beyond the arc and committed seven turnovers against Platteville.

Amid the growing pains, Rapp displayed some passing upside and put pressure on the rim off the dribble. Those flashes became regular occurrences when the games started to count.

Through three games, Rapp has dished out 10 assists with merely one turnover. His assist total leads the Badgers.

"His passing has surprised me a lot, just being around him. He has a real feel for that," teammate Andrew Rohde said. "He can impact the game in so many ways, even when he's not scoring."

Rapp has doled out at least three assists in each game this season, and his efforts have impressed Gard to the point where Wisconsin may give him more opportunities to pick apart defenses.

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"We're experimenting with putting him in those situations, playmaking positions more," Gard said after the Badgers' win over Ball State. "I think his feel is really good."

His offensive contributions haven't been limited to passing, though. Rapp has shown an ability to score off the dribble and finish through contact at the rim.

That's something Gard and the Badgers staff said they demanded of Rapp this offseason, and he's come through.

Rapp is shooting 66.7 percent from inside the arc, and his threat to shoot, pass or dribble puts ample stress on a defense.

There's still plenty of work for Rapp to do on the defensive end, but through the first three games it looks like the sophomore from Australia could be the next Badgers' transfer to break out in Madison.

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Cam Wilhorn
CAM WILHORN

Cam Wilhorn is a University of Wisconsin School of Journalism Graduate and Wisconsin native. He's been covering Wisconsin sports since 2023 for outlets like BadgerBlitz.com, Badger of Honor and The Badger Herald.

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