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Wisconsin basketball capitalizing on international recruiting frontier opened by NIL

Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers have dove head first into the world of international recruiting during the NIL era, and they're already seeing results.
Cam Wilhorn|
Mar 21, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Wisconsin coach Greg Gard talks to the media at a press conference at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
Mar 21, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Wisconsin coach Greg Gard talks to the media at a press conference at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

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Greg Gard's push to boost Wisocnsin Badgers recruiting overseas hasn't been a secret.

He's brought assistant coaches like Lance Randall and Kirk Penney, who have ample connections in Europe and Oceania, and landed at least one international high school recruit in the 2024, 2025, and 2026 classes.

His efforts are finally starting to pay off and doing so in a way that gives Wisconsin a legitimate leg up on their competition.

Gard seeing advantages of recruiting internationally

Wisconsin men's basketball held its first open practice with true freshmen Aleksas Bieliauskas and Hayden Jones last week. They each spent the summer playing in international competitions for their respective countries, Lithuania and New Zealand.

Both arrived on campus in late August but have fit right in with the rest of the roster and the scheme. Despite being in Madison for roughly a month, it looks like the pair of freshmen have been there for years.

"If I lined them up and had you watch us play, and you didn't know what year they were in, you would not say freshman," Gard said.

Name, Image and Likeness deals have opened the doors for young international players to come to the United States for college instead of playing professionally, and Wisconsin has capitalized on the opening.

With many overseas recruits having played in international competitions or in professional leagues against older players, it's easy to see the advantage in recruiting internationally.

"You can tell their experience," Gard said of Bieliauskas and Jones. "That's so huge with international recruiting, the level they play at and the competition they see on a consistent basis, and the training and development they get. "

And with Wisconsin's newer, European-style offense implemented by Penney, the Badgers could potentially plug-and-play international freshmen as needed — something that's been unheard of in Madison.

Bieliauskas is a mobile, 6-foot-10 stretch big who could be one of those players in 2025.

"Aleksas is one of our better bigs in terms of understanding the concepts of the ball screen," Gard said. "He's been doing it since he was 12 years old."

The Badgers' lack of frontcourt depth leaves an opportunity for Bieliauskas to compete for a backup center role. He'll have to battle with sophomore and fellow international recruit Ricardo Greppi and freshman Will Garlock for the position.

While it remains to be seen how Wisconsin's international recruiting efforts pay off in the long term, it's clear that Gard believes his 2025 overseas additions can be more impactful than most in their first year of collegiate basketball.

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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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