Why This Wisconsin Forward Could Start a New Transfer Portal Trend for the Badgers

Wisconsin basketball head coach Greg Gard and his staff have had a tremendous run of success in the transfer portal, especially over the last three seasons.

Gard’s greatest hits in the portal, namely Nick Boyd, John Tonje and AJ Storr, have all all been athletic guards or wings who can score at all three levels.

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Many of his other successful transfer signings, including Max Klesmit, Braeden Carrington, Andrew Rohde, and Kamari McGee, are guards as well. Gard has largely operated with home-grown forwards, with Micah Potter being a notable exception.

The Australian rising junior Austin “Aussie” Rapp could be a catalyst for changing that.

After Wisconsin’s stunning loss to High Point in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Rapp said: “There’s no doubt I’ll be back here next year. I love this group, I love the coaching staff. I’m so grateful to have this experience this year. They made me not only a better player but a better person.”

We’ll get this out of the way first: that does not guarantee that Rapp returns to Madison. The transfer portal is an extremely volatile time, and things can change for players and programs on a dime. But all things considered, Rapp seems pretty likely to run it back in the Cardinal and White.

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Outside of Potter, Rapp is by far Gard’s most successful transfer forward. The next closest would be Xavier Amos and Chris Vogt, both of whom played very small rotational roles for the Badgers.

Like Potter (41 percent from deep in his Wisconsin career), Rapp can shoot. Though the Badgers’ offense has evolved significantly since 2019-2021, Potter’s playing days, both forwards are stretch bigs that are natural shooters from the outside.

Former Wisconsin Badgers forward Micah Potter. | IndyStar-Imagn Images

Rapp finished the season knocking down 36.3 percent of his triples. That’s a respectable but not mind-blowing number – although he did have some mind-blowing shooting performances, like when he knocked five three-pointers in a row in what…

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Publish date : 2026-04-05 22:32:00

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