Wisconsin's Greg Gard, John Blackwell react to Utah Jazz selecting John Tonje in NBA Draft
Wisconsin basketball head coach Greg Gard and starting shooting guard John Blackwell shared their reactions to John Tonje being selected with the No. 53 overall pick of the 2025 NBA draft on Thursday.
After selecting Rutgers' standout Ace Bailey at No. 5 overall and 2025 NCAA champion Walter Clayton Jr. at No. 18, the Utah Jazz snagged the former Badger late in the second round on Thursday.
Shortly afterwards, his former running mate John Blackwell took to social media to share a quick congratulatory tweet:
"So proud of you man!" Blackwell wrote. "God is so good! You deserve it [for real]!"
Tonje's head coach, who witnessed him seamlessly transition into UW's program as the go-to offensive option during the 2024-25 campaign, also chimed in:
"We are so happy for John," Gard told UWBadgers.com. "He's worked for a long time for this moment and has scratched and clawed his way to being an elite player. Utah is going to love what he brings to the organization. He's humble, mature and selfless, along with having a relentless drive to get better every day. He was an absolute joy to coach at Wisconsin and I'm ecstatic to watch his career unfold in the NBA."
Throughout Wisconsin's 27-10 campaign, Blackwell and Tonje captained the Badgers to signature wins and a trip to the Big Ten Tournament's title game. In doing so, UW secured a No. 3 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament before falling to BYU in a 91-89 thriller.
In that contest, Tonje and Blackwell combined for 58 of Wisconsin's 89 points off 16-of-32 shooting from the field, 6-of-16 from 3 and 20-of-23 from the charity stripe. The two were the unquestionable engine of UW's offensive attack. Blackwell would go on to test the NBA waters before withdrawing and returning to college, enabling him to focus on his mission in Madison while uplifting his former teammate and friend to achieve his dreams.
While in Madison, Tonje averaged 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting a terrific 46.5% from the field, 39% from 3 and 91% from the free-throw line. That output was enough to net him second-team All-America honors, a first-team All-Big Ten nod and a Naismith Memorial Semifinalist finish.
Tonje will now look to make a professional statement when the Utah Jazz begin summer league action from July 5-7 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The three-day circuit will also feature the Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Philadelphia 76ers.
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