Report: John Blackwell wasn't interested in transfer portal. It was Wisconsin Badgers or NBA Draft only

Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell told Badger Connect that other schools reached out to him, but he was set on either coming back to play for Greg Gard or entering the NBA Draft.

Mar 20, 2025; Denver, CO, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) drives to the net as Montana Grizzlies guard Money Williams (0) defends against forward Steven Crowl (22) and guard Austin Patterson (20) and forward Te'Jon Sawyer (32) defend in the first half at Ball Arena. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

John Blackwell gave serious consideration to entering the NBA Draft this offseason, but that was the only way he was leaving the Wisconsin Badgers.

He withdrew his name from the draft last month, confirming he would be back playing for Greg Gard this season, but apparently other schools came calling, too.

He told Jesse Temple of Badger Connect that he heard from other schools this spring, but he didn't have any interest in playing for a different college basketball program.

“One school said to him, 'We're disappointed that you didn’t put your name in the portal.' I said, 'You tell them we're disappointed you didn’t recruit me out of high school.'"

Inside John Blackwell's NBA workout process and why he stayed with Wisconsin. https://t.co/UGtTsiX4kr

— Jesse Temple (@jessetemple) June 6, 2025

He share with Temple his strong rebuttal for those schools that reached out, telling them that they should have recruited Blackwell out of high school if they wanted him to play for them.

He was locked in on his basketball journey. He wanted to see if he was ready for the NBA, and if he wasn't, he knew that returning to the Badgers was his next best option.

It's a refreshing show of program loyalty in the NIL and transfer portal age that sees top players regularly bouncing between schools.

It might not have been the response he wanted from the pros, but another year at Wisconsin will give him the opportunity to be the No. 1 option for Gard and try to lead the team to postseason success.

Maybe then, the NBA Draft will be more likely.

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