Greg Gard and the Wisconsin basketball coaching staff have been in contact with a transfer portal wing out of the Gulf South Conference.
Representation confirmed to Badgernotes.com that the Badgers have formally expressed interest in Union University forward Jordan Pyke. He’s also heard from schools such as Stanford, George Mason, Wofford, New Mexico State, Colorado State, and Grand Canyon, among many others.
Pyke, the 6-foot-7 wing who won the Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year, averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 51.7% shooting from the field in 25 minutes per game for the Bulldogs. Pyke also won the conference Freshman of the Week award six times.
The North Carolina native appeared in 26 games during his lone season at Union University and will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Why Jordan Pyke Makes Sense for Wisconsin Basketball
The Badgers staff cannot fully assess its needs, as the Wisconsin basketball team is still playing and isn’t sure how their scholarship distribution will fall. That said, adding another springy wing with multiple years to develop in the program makes sense.
“We’re in contact with people because you have to be,” Gard told reporters. “You have to stay ahead of it regardless of what your needs are or will be because it’s an ever-changing world.
“I got one or two assistants kind of keeping an eye on it and in touch with people.”
It’s clear that the Badgers are set at the guard spots next season, with Chucky Hepburn, Max Klesmit, John Blackwell, Kamari McGee, and Connor Essegian all expected to return. Still, exploring the idea of bringing in another athletic small forward with a tendency-breaking skillset would be a lot of fun in Coach Gard’s system.
There are a lot of unknowns surrounding AJ Storr’s future with Wisconsin basketball, so this could be a situation where they’re just kicking the tires on an intriguing wing while not formally being in the market, either.
More must-reads: