Wisconsin basketball John Tonje final message to Badger fans

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Wisconsin basketball’s 2024-25 season can’t be adequately discussed or analyzed without significant focus on John Tonje’s out-of-nowhere emergence and all-time great run.

Tonje, an unheralded transfer recruit, joined the Badgers after an injury-riddled year at Missouri. He had previously averaged nearly 15 points as a senior at Colorado State in 2022-23. But when he committed to Wisconsin last May, nobody’s wildest expectations could have accurately forecasted what was to come.

The sixth-year veteran burst onto the scene from the season’s first game. He led a resurgent Wisconsin offense, scoring 19.6 points per game on 46.5% shooting, 39% from three and 91% from the free-throw line. He finished the season with 724 total points, just eight shy of the program’s single-season record.

Most notably, Tonje’s resume includes a 41-point showing in the Badgers’ November win over Arizona, 33 in a triumph over Pittsburgh, 32 and 31 in defining back-to-back wins over Purdue and Illinois, respectively, 32 against Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament and, finally, a program NCAA Tournament record 37 in the team’s season-ending loss to BYU.

His play always seemed to meet the moment. Those mentioned top performances were in all of Wisconsin’s biggest games of the season.

The First-Team All-Big Ten and Second-Team All-American wing took to Instagram on Monday to send a message to the Wisconsin fan base, after what he describes as a life-changing year.

“Thank you Wisconsin,” Tonje wrote. “God blessed me beyond belief with this life-changing experience. It has truly been an honor and dream come true to represent Wisconsin. The family, experiences, lessons, and memories I have developed here in Madison are ones I will never forget and run way deeper than just basketball. I’m forever in debt to my teammates, coaches, and supporters, who made this year so special!! Love yall!! #9 out.”

While Wisconsin fell short against a strong BYU team in the NCAA Tournament round of 32, Tonje headlines what…

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Source link : https://badgerswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/badgers/mens-basketball/2025/03/25/wisconsin-basketball-john-tonje-message/82649383007/

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Publish date : 2025-03-25 13:52:00

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