NBA Draft Notes
These notes have been compiled after conversations with Nigel Hayes directly, and with those very close to him -- Zack Miller
Nigel Hayes has not yet made a decision as to whether or not he will declare for the NBA Draft. Over the summer, Hayes looked at the 2015-16 season as his last here in Wisconsin, with the plan being to enter the draft following a strong showing over the course of the season. Despite being named first team-all Big Ten, Hayes did not have the type of season he wanted to have, nor one fans expected him to have. As a result, Hayes is completely 50/50 about whether or not he should call it a career and head for the pros. This is quite the change of heart.
On Hayes’ mind right now when he is weighing the pros and cons of staying and leaving are: money, the opportunity to break records at Wisconsin, the opportunity to be remembered for four special years at Wisconsin, earning his degree (something his mother insists of him, although if he were to declare then he would simply finish up his degree online), being able to focus on basketball 24/7 as opposed to having to worry about school and other things, the goal of winning a national championship, and, of course, his current projected draft stock.
On that note, I reached out to multiple NBA front offices over the past few weeks and one team had Hayes ranked as high as 33 on their draft board, while another team had Hayes currently on the outside of the 60-man draft. Every front office member did, however, express that they had confidence Hayes would perform extremely well in individual workouts should he choose to participate, so many expected that his current stock would rise. (The team that had Hayes ranked at 33 already included his potential showing at the combine when ranking him).
Hayes has announced his intentions to submit his name to the NBA Draft Advisory Board, which will give him loads of information as to where teams rank him right now, but he is strongly considering participating in the NBA Draft Combine from May 11-15 in Chicago, during which time he would participate in workouts in front of every NBA team against other draft prospects before being able to participate in one individual team workout before having to make his ultimate decision by May 25. All of this would be possible if Hayes chose not to hire an agent until he officially declared for the draft.
In addition to Hayes, Bronson Koenig has heavily considered the possibility of submitting his name for participation in the NBA Draft Combine, but for different reasons. Koenig would participate in the combine so that teams can see him up close and personal, so that his name may begin to pop up on radars for the 2017 draft. Koenig is 100 percent coming back to Madison, but putting his name out there for NBA feelers in advance of next year’s draft is the smartest thing he could do, especially if he wants to make it in the league one day.
There have yet to be any decisions one way or another, but when the players have their player meetings with Greg Gard this week, there should be some advancements in this area.
Gary Close
Gary Close resigned from his position on the Wisconsin bench last week, citing his wanting to explore other options that would allow for him to spend more time with his family at home. While that is true, sources tell me part of the reason why Close left the program was due to some disagreements with Greg Gard. The disagreements revolved around coaching decisions, sources said.
As for what he is doing next, sources say Close will be developing his own shooting academy aimed at helping high school athletes develop their shot. This will allow Close the opportunity to stay in the Madison area while also continuing to do what he loves most: teach.
We will have more on Close throughout the week.
Recruiting
There have been some whispers throughout the team about some frustration and confusion with the coaching staff about their continuing pursuit of multiple forwards on the recruiting trail. Many players on the team believe there are more than enough forwards on the roster, and that the empty spots would be best filled by a point guard or a shooting guard.
That will likely be the case as a recent offer to 2016 point guard D’Mitrik Trice has the Badgers out in front for the IMG Academy standout. But on Thursday, Ohio State and Vanderbilt, according to Trice, are expected to come in with scholarships. An offer from the Buckeyes, according to a source, could be too much for the former Wayne High School standout to turn down. Trice will visit Wisconsin officially on April 29.
It’s quite the backup option, but former Memphis commit Charlie Moore is back on the market. The Badgers have yet to offer but have reached out to the four-star lead guard from Illinois. Northwestern, DePaul and SMU, among others, are also involved. It’s not known where Moore is leaning and things on his end are pretty quiet, but Moore may want a rather large role as soon as he arrives on campus. At Wisconsin, he’d have to play behind Koenig for one year before competing for a starting job.
Finally, Wisconsin has reached out to Arkansas transfer Jimmy Whitt. But according to Rivals.com recruiting analyst Eric Bossi, Colorado is the favorite. The Badgers offered Whitt coming out of high school.
Football recruiting
*Four-star wide receiver Isaiah Robertson included the Badgers in his recently released top six. Since then, though, he’s cancelled a scheduled visit to UW for the spring game on April 23 and, according to a source, isn’t a take for Wisconsin at this time. Expect Robertson, whose father attended UW, to commit to Notre Dame sooner rather than later.
*Junior linebacker Izayah Green-May is quickly becoming a huge target for the Badgers in this class. Wisconsin has got the Illinois native on campus twice this spring, but a recent offer from Michigan State could make things difficult for UW, according to a source. The two Big Ten schools are considered the top options for Green-May at this point.
*Who did the Badgers beat out for four-star Tyler Beach? Michigan made a ton of noise and recruiting fans feared the top in-state prospect would be a Wolverine for the second straight year. But from what we’ve been told, Notre Dame was the top threat to Wisconsin. In fact, the Irish led prior to Beach’s mid-week visit, but the staff was able to close the deal after rolling out the red carpet.
These notes have been compiled after conversations with Nigel Hayes directly, and with those very close to him -- Zack Miller
Nigel Hayes has not yet made a decision as to whether or not he will declare for the NBA Draft. Over the summer, Hayes looked at the 2015-16 season as his last here in Wisconsin, with the plan being to enter the draft following a strong showing over the course of the season. Despite being named first team-all Big Ten, Hayes did not have the type of season he wanted to have, nor one fans expected him to have. As a result, Hayes is completely 50/50 about whether or not he should call it a career and head for the pros. This is quite the change of heart.
On Hayes’ mind right now when he is weighing the pros and cons of staying and leaving are: money, the opportunity to break records at Wisconsin, the opportunity to be remembered for four special years at Wisconsin, earning his degree (something his mother insists of him, although if he were to declare then he would simply finish up his degree online), being able to focus on basketball 24/7 as opposed to having to worry about school and other things, the goal of winning a national championship, and, of course, his current projected draft stock.
On that note, I reached out to multiple NBA front offices over the past few weeks and one team had Hayes ranked as high as 33 on their draft board, while another team had Hayes currently on the outside of the 60-man draft. Every front office member did, however, express that they had confidence Hayes would perform extremely well in individual workouts should he choose to participate, so many expected that his current stock would rise. (The team that had Hayes ranked at 33 already included his potential showing at the combine when ranking him).
Hayes has announced his intentions to submit his name to the NBA Draft Advisory Board, which will give him loads of information as to where teams rank him right now, but he is strongly considering participating in the NBA Draft Combine from May 11-15 in Chicago, during which time he would participate in workouts in front of every NBA team against other draft prospects before being able to participate in one individual team workout before having to make his ultimate decision by May 25. All of this would be possible if Hayes chose not to hire an agent until he officially declared for the draft.
In addition to Hayes, Bronson Koenig has heavily considered the possibility of submitting his name for participation in the NBA Draft Combine, but for different reasons. Koenig would participate in the combine so that teams can see him up close and personal, so that his name may begin to pop up on radars for the 2017 draft. Koenig is 100 percent coming back to Madison, but putting his name out there for NBA feelers in advance of next year’s draft is the smartest thing he could do, especially if he wants to make it in the league one day.
There have yet to be any decisions one way or another, but when the players have their player meetings with Greg Gard this week, there should be some advancements in this area.
Gary Close
Gary Close resigned from his position on the Wisconsin bench last week, citing his wanting to explore other options that would allow for him to spend more time with his family at home. While that is true, sources tell me part of the reason why Close left the program was due to some disagreements with Greg Gard. The disagreements revolved around coaching decisions, sources said.
As for what he is doing next, sources say Close will be developing his own shooting academy aimed at helping high school athletes develop their shot. This will allow Close the opportunity to stay in the Madison area while also continuing to do what he loves most: teach.
We will have more on Close throughout the week.
Recruiting
There have been some whispers throughout the team about some frustration and confusion with the coaching staff about their continuing pursuit of multiple forwards on the recruiting trail. Many players on the team believe there are more than enough forwards on the roster, and that the empty spots would be best filled by a point guard or a shooting guard.
That will likely be the case as a recent offer to 2016 point guard D’Mitrik Trice has the Badgers out in front for the IMG Academy standout. But on Thursday, Ohio State and Vanderbilt, according to Trice, are expected to come in with scholarships. An offer from the Buckeyes, according to a source, could be too much for the former Wayne High School standout to turn down. Trice will visit Wisconsin officially on April 29.
It’s quite the backup option, but former Memphis commit Charlie Moore is back on the market. The Badgers have yet to offer but have reached out to the four-star lead guard from Illinois. Northwestern, DePaul and SMU, among others, are also involved. It’s not known where Moore is leaning and things on his end are pretty quiet, but Moore may want a rather large role as soon as he arrives on campus. At Wisconsin, he’d have to play behind Koenig for one year before competing for a starting job.
Finally, Wisconsin has reached out to Arkansas transfer Jimmy Whitt. But according to Rivals.com recruiting analyst Eric Bossi, Colorado is the favorite. The Badgers offered Whitt coming out of high school.
Football recruiting
*Four-star wide receiver Isaiah Robertson included the Badgers in his recently released top six. Since then, though, he’s cancelled a scheduled visit to UW for the spring game on April 23 and, according to a source, isn’t a take for Wisconsin at this time. Expect Robertson, whose father attended UW, to commit to Notre Dame sooner rather than later.
*Junior linebacker Izayah Green-May is quickly becoming a huge target for the Badgers in this class. Wisconsin has got the Illinois native on campus twice this spring, but a recent offer from Michigan State could make things difficult for UW, according to a source. The two Big Ten schools are considered the top options for Green-May at this point.
*Who did the Badgers beat out for four-star Tyler Beach? Michigan made a ton of noise and recruiting fans feared the top in-state prospect would be a Wolverine for the second straight year. But from what we’ve been told, Notre Dame was the top threat to Wisconsin. In fact, the Irish led prior to Beach’s mid-week visit, but the staff was able to close the deal after rolling out the red carpet.
