The high-flying swingman was reportedly negotiating with at least one other program during the season, and had a handshake deal in place with a Big Ten rival in February. Right when Wisconsin’s promising season took a nosedive.

By Peter Cameron, BADGER STRIPES

AJ Storr was one of the most exciting Badger basketball players in years, electrifying the Kohl Center with his soaring leaps and thunderous dunks. The 6’6” wing scored 30 points in a game multiple times, and led the team in scoring at nearly 17 points per game. He has the body and athleticism that NBA scouts crave.

Thanks in large part to Storr’s shooting, slashing and finishing, Wisconsin had the attacking piece they missed in the previous disappointing season. The Badgers finished 2023-2024 with its highest scoring offense in decades, and one of the most efficient offenses in the country. (Credit is also due to Head Coach Greg Gard and staff for revamping the offense, and to his new offensive coordinator Kirk Penney for facilitating the evolution.)

But despite improving his all-around game a lot during the season, Storr was still a below-average-to-bad defender, rebounder, ball handler and passer. And now, after one year, he’ll play for Kansas with a NIL deal reportedly around $750,000.

Good for him for getting his max value. College programs, Wisconsin included, make millions off “student-athletes” like Storr, and the kids should grab every dollar they can in the ridiculous system of college athletics.

But from the program’s point of view, and those of us in the fanbase, a raw, rent-a-player, even one as exciting as Storr, does not mesh with a Wisconsin program built on continuity, cohesion and coordinated, team-defense. Even in today’s Wild West NIL transfer portal environment, the Badgers should still err on the side of stability.

Perhaps the biggest mark against Storr joining the Badgers is that his people were negotiating with other programs after his fast start and in the middle of the season. He reportedly made a deal with Illinois in February — a program he originally committed to out of high school — to help them reload for the following season. One Kansas apparently outbid this month.

Wisconsin, who had started so white hot, rising to #6 in the country, came crashing down to Earth and hurting their seed in the Big Dance while their star offensive player had his eyes on the next thing. Coincidence? The February swoon to a lineup of lousy teams was confusing after UW had looked like world beaters in the first two months.

Granted, the Badgers missed backup point guard Kamari McGee greatly during the slump, whose smart and hard-nosed play gives Wisconsin options in the backcourt. An injury to freshman phenom John Blackwell also hurt. But if your best scorer has one foot out the door, it’s hard to break out of a downward spiral.

In signing Storr, Gard and his staff got a little greedy, an understandable sin given the kid’s talent and Wisconsin’s desperation for scoring. They shouldn’t make the same mistake again. At least not on a raw player who needs to develop. Gard and staff reportedly made a run at the fifth-year, polished scorer and Wisconsin native Marcus Domask, but were reportedly outbid by Illinois. That type of one-year rental makes more sense for the program.

At least one choice was available. The Badgers had a lower-ceiling, but still offensively-talented Noah Reynolds committed in the off-season. But Reynolds bolted after Storr announced his Wisconsin commitment and Gard and staff lapsed in communicating with him. He correctly sensed that Wisconsin had caught a bigger fish, one that was likely to gobble up his starting spot and a lot of his minutes.

Reynolds had a big year himself, averaging 20 point per game, admittedly against lesser competition for UW-Green Bay in the Horizon League, but the junior was also more of a complete and team-oriented player. Too often, Storr played outside the offense, forcing shots and getting himself benched. He was a weak link on defense and didn’t give the team much production other than scoring.

The Badgers also probably could have gotten two years out of Reynolds and helped him develop and grow. While making significant improvements in his game with the help of the Wisconsin coaching staff, Storr was off to greener pastures before the season was even over.

Players like McGee and Max Klesmit, less talented but still very effective in-state kids who want to play for the Badgers, will give the program multiple years, all-around games and lots of production and wins.

It’s easy to look back on the past knowing what we now now and critique. But hints were there. Wisconsin was Storr’s sixth school in six years. And now he’s on to his seventh in seven.

Live and learn. Gard and staff have shown an ability to adapt to the ground-shifting changes in this ridiculous system of college basketball, and they will learn from this.

Badger Stripes is a sports news organization that provides in-depth coverage of Wisconsin athletics. Follow us on Facebook.