Nolan Winter got the chance to play in front of his home town on March 5 when the Wisconsin Badgers faced the Minnesota Golden Gophers and claimed the victory.
It was also a chance for Minnesota fans to reproach him for choosing the University of Wisconsin-Madison rather than his hometown school.
The 7’0 center does not care about it. He insisted that that playing for the Badgers is the right decision for his basketball career.
“People may have said I was a traitor for going here and not going to Minnesota and all that,” said Winter in an interview with Badger Blitz’s Benjamin Worgull.
“Whatever. I’ve had a lot of fun here … I’m glad I made this decision and I love the people I’ve gotten to know here and the relationships I’ve built with.”
Winter joined Wisconsin in 2023 after a standout stint with the Lakeville North high school.
He played 36 games in the 2023-2024 season but did not start at any of those but by this season, he became an indispensable part of the starting unit to that point that Greg Gard rues times he is absent from the line up just like when they struggled against Penn State Nittany Lions.
Nolan Winter is Wisconsin Badgers’ future
Badgers is a known producer of quality big man in the NBA. There’s Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky.
Winter might be next?
It’s hard to say what the future holds but what’s sure is that Winter, only in his sophomore year, and his development will be crucial in Wisconsin’s future.
Take it from Gard.
“He has a year under his belt now,” head coach Greg Gard said. “He’s guarded really good post players. He’s a more confident, more seasoned player. You have the combination of him and Steve (Crowl) together from an offensive standpoint, how they both can shoot the three, it puts defense’s four and fives in a quandary at times because of his experience and how he’s playing.”
Winter and company still have a chance to go further into this successful season as they start their NCAA tournament on Thursday against Montana Grizzlies.
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