Earlier this week, it was announced that Brad Davison would be returning to the Badgers for a 5th year. There is no doubt he brings leadership and a veteran presence the team needs pretty bad. I do believe the Badgers need a big man out of the transfer portal. Two potential targets are Penn State’s John Harrar and Marquette’s Theo John.
John Harrar
John Harrar was in a flurry of Nittany Lions that opted to enter the transfer portal. After coach Patrick Chambers was fired just before the season, the team gave assistant coach Jim Ferry the job this season, but they did’t give him the job full time. The players loved him. As a result, a majority of their veteran opted to leave.
Four Penn State players in the transfer portal this morning:
– Myreon Jones: 15.3 PPG
– Izaiah Brockington: 12.6 PPG
– John Harrar: 8.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG
– Trent Buttrick: 3.0 PPG— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 16, 2021
The 8.8 points per game may not stick out. However, Harrar was a monster on the glass this year for Penn State. At 6’9 and 240 pounds, he was nearly impossible to defend the on the glass. He had great technique and was a strong individual to defend. Harrar also knows how physical the Big Ten is. While players like Ben Carlson and Steven Crowl will get stronger in the weight room, it’s impossible to simulate how much of a grind the Big Ten season is. He also has a strong finish to the rim and light hands.
Look at John Harrar run the floor.
After that, look at the @PennStateMBB big finish the absurd And-1 on Brad Davison. 👀 pic.twitter.com/5wHgqZ8hQj
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 30, 2021
Harrar would come in and contribute immediately, most likely as the starting center too. He gives everything his best effort every minute he’s in the game. Any time he was on the bench, it was a different Penn State team. With Nate Reuvers leaving as the all time blocks leader in Wisconsin, I believe Harrar would be a solid replacement, allowing Carlson and Crowl to learn and get adjusted to the Big Ten.
Theo John
Theo John enters the transfer portal yesterday after 4 years at Marquette. Badger fans saw a lot of John in that span, playing Marquette every year as the in-state rival.
Marquette senior Theo John has entered the transfer portal, source told ESPN. Averaged 8.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks this past season.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 14, 2021
I see a lot of similarities with John and Harrar. Theo John stands 6’9 and 255 pounds. While he’s also not a scorer, he’s really great at protecting the rim. He averaged 1.5 blocks this season in 27 games for the Golden Eagles. Another fact worth noting is that John played AAU with Brad Davison.
#Badgers took a very hard look at John in high school. Played AAU with Brad Davison. https://t.co/epfhwXAvqp
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) April 14, 2021
However, John has been contacted by schools such as Minnesota and Duke. There seems to be more of a competitive market with Theo John. I think John fits really well with the Badgers as he has a physical body and can defend at an elite level. The one issue with John is that he can get in foul trouble. A lot of times with Marquette, we would see him on the bench with 2 early fouls. Nonetheless, he would be a solid addition for the Badgers and would serve as a mentor to players such as Carlson and Crowl.
[pickup_prop id=”6164″]
Follow me on Twitter @DylanBuboltz! Check out our merch page as well. Use promo code WISCO at checkout for $1 off! To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
