After a heartbreaking loss to High Point that ended a turbulent season for the Badgers, Austin Rapp told reporters he’d be back for another season in Madison.
Rapp officially announced his return in an April 12 X post, writing, “Run it back.”
After Wisconsin’s heartbreaking loss to High Point in the Round of 64, Rapp said “this wasn’t a one-year thing for [him]. This is a couple-year thing. I want to be here, and I love this group.”
The 6-foot-10 forward from Melbourne, Australia transferred to Wisconsin after his impressive freshman season at the University of Portland. In his lone year at Portland, Rapp was named WCC Freshman of the Year.
In his first season with Wisconsin, Rapp averaged 9.7 points and four rebounds per game, shooting 41.9% from the field, including 36.3% from deep. Rapp played in 30 games this past season for the Badgers, including 12 starts. In 14 of those 30 games, Rapp scored at least 10 points.
Rapp’s year didn’t start smoothly, as he was benched for freshman forward Aleksas Bieliauskas just nine games into the campaign. But despite receiving a lesser role, Rapp kept his head down and improved as the Badgers did so throughout the course of the season.
Rapp was most effective in games where he connected from beyond the arc. The Australian had seven games this season where he contributed at least four 3-pointers to a dynamic Badgers offense.
The Badgers went 6-1 in those seven games where Rapp was on fire from the perimeter. The one game they dropped was in the Big Ten Tournament, where Rapp led the Badgers to a huge comeback that fell just short against the Michigan Wolverines, where Rapp drained six second-half 3-pointers.
In the postgame press conference, Rapp said he “felt like he was shooting into the ocean” after catching fire from beyond the arc in the second half.
Assuming Badger big man Nolan Winter returns, he and Rapp will most certainly be a major part of Wisconsin basketball’s DNA going forward. Their ability to stretch the floor and effectively shoot the ball will pose problems for opposing defenses this upcoming season.
