Hampered by a right ankle injury for which he underwent surgery this offseason , Wisconsin basketball's star forward Nolan Winter has been forced to sit and watch from the sidelines during summer practices.
That's given him a nice bird's eye view of the 2026-27 squad , however, and the rising senior likes what he sees, particularly from two of the Badgers' most crucial additions this offseason.
Point guard Owen Foxwell from Australia and forward Victory Onuetu from Hofstra are arguably Wisconsin's two biggest additions this offseason with the skillsets they bring to Madison and the roles they'll play.
Here's what Winter had to say about each player after Wisconsin's summer practice on Tuesday:
Owen Foxwell. | NBL
Foxwell was immediately penciled in as Wisconsin's starting point guard as soon as the Badgers flipped him from LSU. And for good reason; the seasoned pro is a skilled, crafty facilitator who averaged 4.5 assists per game during the 2025-26 NBL season. Foxwell is excellent in the pick and roll, and tremendous at getting his teammates involved.
According to Winter, all of those skills have translated so far.
"He sees the court really well for a point guard. He's super smart, high IQ. Defensively, he can get in passing lanes, make plays for us, get in transition," he said.
Foxwell can certainly score - he's a proficient three-point shooter (career 37 percent from distance in the NBL) and has great touch around the rim. But Wisconsin needs the point guard to facilitate the Badgers' offense first and foremost, finding ways to get all of the dangerous scorers on this roster easy looks.
One of the ways he can do that is by lobbing it up for the various dynamic big men on this team, something Winter hopes he can be a part of.
"He's a great lob passer to Victory and Will, maybe me, hopefully. We'll see. But obviously he's got a high IQ and I'm excited to get out there with him," he said.
Former Hofstra Pride forward Victory Onuetu. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Onuetu provides the Badgers with a skillset they may never have had: an extremely bouncy, rim-running big man who is one of the best rebounders in the nation. Onuetu's athleticism to serve as a lob threat and block shots are both things Wisconsin sorely missed last season, but for Winter, it's the physicality that stands out about the Hofstra transfer.
"I talk to Will (Garlock) after practice, and he's like, 'man, he just beats me up.' In a good way. It's what everyone's gonna need. And it's obviously gonna be a ton of fun to play with. He can block shots, he can go get the ball for a lob, whatever it is. He's someone that I'm gonna like to have my back on the court," Winter said.
He also understands that Onuetu presents a whole different set of problems for defenses given his skillset. Winter stressed that Onuetu's ability to pressure the rim as a big man helps differentiate him from Austin Rapp and himself, and should open up Wisconsin's offense even further.
"But with Will and Victory, having just their frames and their physicality, being able to go down there and pick up fouls on other bigs, it's gonna be huge to have to compliment me and Aussie's game."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wisconsin as Nolan Winter Offers First Impressions of Owen Foxwell, Victory Onuetu in Practice .
