The Wisconsin basketball staff added plenty of talent to the Badgers team this season, and among the transfers is one player who can star.
John Tonje, a former Colorado State standout, transferred into the Wisconsin basketball from Missouri this offseason. Tonje previously transferred from the Rams to the Tigers, but suffered an unfortunate injury that cut his season short. The guard played just eight games last season and started four, suffering an injury just as his season was picking up.
Tonje arrived in Wisconsin and missed the first open practice of the season, but has since performed rather well. The transfer has high expectations placed upon his from the staff after proving he can score double-digits at the collegiate level. Tonje can be a big addition for the Badgers if he plays up to their expectations, but getting to that point is another questions.
The guard has missed a significant amount of time, and the rust has been evident early on in the practices with the Wisconsin basketball team. Tonje should be able to get back up to speed in a short amount of time for the team. However, returning to game speed is the issue as the journey back to playing at a high level has taken quite some time.
What Can John Tonje Add to the Wisconsin Basketball Team this Season?
While Tonje may have some rust for the Wisconsin Badgers early on, when he is back to full speed, the guard can be quite the weapon for the team.
Tonje has experience as both a starter and the first man off of the bench throughout his five-year playing career thus far. The guard has started 50 games and is two years removed from a season with Colorado State where he started all 33 games. Tonje scored 14.6-points per game that season, along with excelling on the defensive side of the ball.
While the guard may not record many steals or blocks, Tonje does record defensive rebounds and does a great job at boxing out on defense. This ability works perfectly in conjunction with his size in the open court. Tonje stands in at 6-feet-5-inches, and roughly 215-pounds, which turns the guard into a freight train in transition.
Tonje is not the best shooter inside of the arc, nailing 45.3% of his 5.8 attempts per game through his career. However, outside of the arc, Tonje has shot 37.1% and taken 2.9 attempts per game across his career.
The Wisconsin basketball team opens the season against Holy Cross on November fourth, marking the first game in nearly a year for Tonje.
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