All Badgers

Top takeaways from Badgers open basketball practice: Wisconsin could be lethal from 3

The Wisconsin Badgers' first open basketball practice of the fall featured more competitive fire and a lot of three-pointers, with multiple new faces.

Cam Wilhorn

Mar 19, 2025; Denver, CO, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Nolan Winter (31) warms up during practice at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Mar 19, 2025; Denver, CO, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Nolan Winter (31) warms up during practice at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
In this story:

MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin Badgers held their first preseason practice open to the media Thursday afternoon at the Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion practice court.

Greg Gard's group had a distinctly new look than what the media saw earlier this summer, welcoming two freshmen and a new assistant coach.

Class of 2025 recruits Aleksas Bieliauskas and Hayden Jones spent the summer playing in international competitions for their respective countries.

Wisconsin's all-time leader in made three-pointers Brad Davison appeared for the first time in his new role as special assistant to the head coach — a spot previously held by offensive guru Kirk Penney, who stepped away from the team to spend more time with family and return to his home country of New Zealand.

Still, it was the familiar faces who took the spotlight Thursday in a practice that featured minimal 5-on-5 action.

Brad Davison can still take a charge

Davison's name became synonymous with pesky defense during his time in Madison. His calling card was taking charges.

His propensity for drawing offensive fouls became a spectacle, and a five-charge performance in a win over NC State back in 2018 caught the attention of national media.

It was fitting, then, for one of Wisconsin's first drills Thursday to involve taking a charge. Players would go from contesting a shot at the rim to taking a charge from a coach holding a pad before ending the rep diving on the floor for a loose ball.

Onlooking players erupted with each charge and possession-saving dive, with no reaction louder than when Davison himself took the last rep.

Davison took the charge — with a little more oomph from longtime assistant Joe Krabbenhoft — before retrieving the loose ball on the Wisconsin W and being swarmed by the team.

International freshman flash

Bieliauskas and Jones may still be getting acclimated to Wisconsin, but their skillsets definitely traveled.

Bieliauskas's shooting stroke is as advertised. The 6-foot-10 Lithuanian was quiet in team drills but the fluidity and pace in which he shoots should seasmlessly translate to NCAA play.

Jones' playmaking shined through, making multiple tight window passes to set up easy looks for his teammates or evade pressure on a blitzed ball screen.

Neither has an easy path to minutes as true freshmen, but both possess plenty of long-term potential.

Top-tier shooting from the frontcourt

Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp are outstanding shooters individually. Seeing them operate alongside each other looked unstoppable.

Both didn't hesitate to pull the trigger from distance Thursday, and each hit three-pointers a step or two behind the line.

Rapp shined in particular, hitting a three from the right wing in transition and nailing a game-winner from just in front of the logo to end a 5-on-5 session.

For an offense that set records last season from beyond the arc, Wisconsin could have an even more potent long-range attack.

Intensity level remains high, especially in backcourt

Nick Boyd and John Blackwell drew praise this summer for their competitiveness and intensity during practice. That was apparent again on Thursday.

Often guarding each other, they operated as if the game were on the line with each play, clamoring for foul calls, playing full-court defense and clapping non-stop.

The Badgers struggled at times on defense last season and will need the consistent energy level the duo provides.

With splashes from guys like Jack Janicki, Andrew Rohde and Zack Kinziger, they should have no shortage of hustle in 2025-26.

More Wisconsin Badgers News:

Published
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.

Home/Basketball