The Badgers guard has developed from an aftermath offensively to a dynamic scoring threat.
The Wisconsin Badgers have been one of the bigger surprises of the 2024-25 college basketball season, finding themselves as a top-15 team in the country after initially coming into the year projected as the No. 12 team in the Big Ten alone.
A big part of that has been due to the veteran leadership and overall balance in the starting lineup, but the bench play has been almost equally as important in helping maintain the tone throughout the course of games.
Getting sparks off the bench have been huge for the Badgers this season, which have mainly come in the form of seniors Kamari McGee and Carter Gilmore.
While Gilmore has become a fan-favorite for his gritty playstyle and revamped shooting, McGee has become the epitome of consistency for the Badgers, settling things down off the bench and playing with an infectious level of energy.
McGee, who transferred to the Badgers back in 2022 after his freshman season at UW-Green Bay, was a much different player than he is today. Known for his defensive tenacity, McGee struggled to carve out a big role, as he didn’t have much of an offensive skillset, shooting just 28 percent from the field and 18.5 percent from three.
Then, as a junior in his second season with the Badgers, McGee grew more comfortable in his role, but still stayed around that seven-to-eight minutes per game mark, as his three-point percentage remained well below 30 percent.
Fast-forward to the 2024-25 season and not only has McGee become more of a scoring threat, but he’s shooting a whopping 54.2 percent from three, nearly doubling his efficiency from a year ago.
That has come on higher volume as well, as McGee has settled into a role earning over 20 minutes per game, while averaging seven points per contest as a key rotational piece off the bench.
Did head coach Greg Gard and the Badgers staff expect this surge from the senior point guard?
“No, because he didn’t have [that shooting],” Gard acknowledged on Monday. “He didn’t have it when we recruited him. He’s developed it, he’s worked at it and that’s a credit to him. He’s put a lot of time in, a lot of hours, a lot of thousands of shots.”
McGee’s best traits are his intangibles; the point guard has been an unmatched leader and a true team player for the Badgers, helping build the culture that has led to Wisconsin’s success this season.
But, he has also significantly improved on the court with his comfortability and understanding of the game. As a result, he takes a high number of quality shots, while finding ways to make winning plays as a playmaker and secondary ball-handler.
“But I think the thing too with Kamari is his percentages are high because he takes really good shots, and [it’s] not really a secret,” Gard continued. “You want to shoot a high percentage, take good shots, you know, and he doesn’t force things and he doesn’t rush things. But it all comes back to: he’s put a lot of time into it, a lot of reps and a lot of unforeseen hours or unseen hours that people don’t know about that you have to put into it to be a consistent shooter.
“[Before], he played really too fast, turned the ball over, threw it to the other jersey more than he threw it to his team’s colored jersey. But he’s grown as a player. He’s learned to drive the speed limit. He’s learned to play off two feet. He’s learned when to go fast and when not to go fast. And obviously he’s become a better decision maker and obviously a better shooter.”
The combination of those traits has earned McGee a sixth-man role in Wisconsin’s lineup as their sole true point guard, nearly tripling his minutes from the past two seasons, and he’s rewarded that faith with his high level of intensity, while keeping the same hungry mentality when taking the court.
The Badgers are looking to erase their recent NCAA Tournament luck, hoping to get past the first weekend for the first time since Greg Gard’s first season as head coach. This group could be the one to do that, with McGee’s improved shooting and overall skill set being a key part of the team’s success this year.