Wisconsin men's basketball: Badgers transfer portal buzz

A few Wisconsin basketball related transfer portal updates from this week so far.

The Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team landed their first player via the transfer portal this off-season with the addition of UW-Green Bay guard Kamari McGee on Tuesday.

The 6-foot guard, who is originally out of Racine, should provide the Badgers with some necessary depth at point guard behind Chucky Hepburn, and add another capable scorer who can create his own shot.

However, Greg Gard and the staff are far from done this off-season. As things stand the Badgers have at least three available scholarships still remaining after the outgoing transfers of Ben Carlson, Matthew Mors, and Lorne Bowman over the past month. 

Transfer links

• Matthew Mors transfer announcement (now with South Dakota State)
• Ben Carlson transfers from Wisconsin
• Lorne Bowman transfers to Oakland University

As a result, Wisconsin has been very active in the transfer market and has also been tracking some new 2022 prospects as well. 

Here are some of the most recent updates from the portal that relate to the Badgers:

Badgers make the cut for Ben Vander Plas

One transfer target with ties to Wisconsin is Ohio forward Ben Vander Plas.

Originally from Ripon (Wis.), Vander Plas is one of the top available players in the transfer portal after averaging over 14 points and nearly seven rebounds per game with the Bobcats last season.

According to Jeff Goodman, Vander Plas has narrowed the teams he is considering to Illinois, Iowa State, Ohio State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin.

With the Badgers seeking experienced scoring threats, Vander Plas would fill a massive need for next season. The 6-foot-8 forward is a graduate transfer with only one year of eligibility remaining. 

Ben Vander Plas called cash before it even went in 💰

No. 13 Ohio hanging around vs. No. 4 Virginia pic.twitter.com/DMCdc1u7tP

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 21, 2021

Grant Basile to officially visit 

Like Vander Plas, Wright State forward Grant Basile played his high school ball in Wisconsin.

A native of Pewaukee, Basile is a two-time All-Horizon League selection and averaged over 18 points and eight rebounds per game last season.

According to Antonio Curro, Basile will take an official visit to Madison in the coming weeks.

In addition to Basile having ties to the state, he also played under Wisconsin assistant Sharif Chambliss who previously coached at Wright State.

According to Curro's report, Basile will also take official visits to Iowa State, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech. 

Dawson Garcia enters the portal 

North Carolina big man Dawson Garcia is a new name to enter the transfer portal.

Originally from Prior Lake (Minn.), Garcia earned an offer from Wisconsin out of high school, but he committed to Marquette as part of the 2020 recruiting class. 

After averaging 13 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as a freshman with the Golden Eagles, Garcia decided to transfer to North Carolina. 

The 6-foot-11 center has decided to hit the portal once again after starting 12 games with the Tar Heels. Considering the number of available scholarships Wisconsin has and Greg Gard's connections in the state of Minnesota, Garcia is another name to potentially watch. 

Former Wisconsin Mr. Basketball enters the portal

Another new name to possibly look out for is Brandin Podziemski.

Podziemski is from Delafield and fits the score-first mold that the Badgers need at shooting guard. 

A former four-star prospect coming out of high school, Podziemski won the state Mr. Basketball award as a senior, and he has Big ten experience after playing with Illinois last season as a freshman. 

The 6-foot-5 shooting guard did not earn an offer from the Badgers in high school, but maybe Greg Gard and the staff will be more aggressive with Podziemski with extra scholarships open. He has three years of eligibility remaining but should garner plenty of attention from across the country. 

Dontaie Allen commits to Western Kentucky

Wisconsin reportedly reached out to Kentucky transfer Dontaie Allen this past month, but the 6-foot-6 guard committed to Western Kentucky on Wednesday.

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