MADISON, Wis. - As he wrapped up another preseason practice and reviewed his new roster, including six new players, few players had head coach Greg Gard’s full confidence.

It wasn't a surprise to hear Gard list forward Nolan Winter and Austin Rapp on his short list. After all, he and his staff spent plenty of time and resources ensuring both players would return this season to anchor Wisconsin's front court.

Point guard Owen Foxwell was the third player on Gard's list, a surprise to some that Wisconsin's head coach would pick a first-year college player as such a critical position, but not to those who have watched him carve up players in practice.

"Today was as good as I've seen him," Gard said following a late October practice. "He commanded the floor ... His facilitating. His decision making. That's good for our younger guys."

Wisconsin signed three transfer-portal seniors to add veteran leadership and college experience, but Foxwell’s addition after spending five seasons playing professionally in Australia's National Basketball League might have been the biggest coup of them all.

Foxwell has operated as Wisconsin's starting facilitator since arriving on campus and has shown his game has the ability to translate to American basketball. He averaged 16.7 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.0 steal in exhibition play. His 14 points in Monday's 75-68 win over Denver were the third-most by a UW freshman in his debut since 2000.

At times he made it look easy. He scored six points in a four-possession span on three layups, including driving around three defenders without the benefit of a screen for a layup off the left block.

"He’s sneaky quick when you’re guarding him," Winter said of Foxwell, who added seven assists in the win. "He can get around you easy."

Foxwell isn't the experienced showman like Nick Boyd, whose playmaking and on-court passion were palpable and helped him finish third in the league in scoring (20.7 ppg). Finding that type of player in the portal would be challenging (and expensive), so the Badgers went a different direction.

Foxwell originally signed with LSU but re-opened his process following the hiring of Will Wade. Sophomore Zach Kinziger was the only college point guard on the roster with experience, which was minimal after averaging 4.9 minutes per game, and UW saw an available point guard who last year logged career highs in minutes, points, rebounds, and assists, as well as being named to his NBL team's leadership group.

Heavily recruited by associate head coach Joe Krabbenhoft, Foxwell gravitated to Wisconsin thanks to a previous relationship with Rapp and the ability to play right away, vitally important since this season could be his only year of eligibility under the NCAA's new 5-for-5 model (eligibility begins when an athlete either enrolls in school or their 19th birthday, whichever comes first, meaning the 23-year-old Foxwell would be aged out next season).

Jack Janicki praised Foxwell's willingness to be a defensive presence the entire length of the court. Rapp praised his new teammate's ability in the pick-and-roll actions prevalent in UW's offense, while Gard calls Foxwell an "extension of our staff on the court."

Foxwell said Monday that he doesn't expect things to be perfect right away. The Badgers need time to grow as a group, as well as compete against different coverages and tendencies.

The one thing that's already there for Foxwell is trust in his teammates, an important aspect in building a solid foundation.

"As we play more games, I learn more about my teammates as far as their tendencies in game," Foxwell said. "It's more about the trust. I have complete trust in all my teammates and what they can do on the floor, so I am trying to facilitate and do what I can to get them the best looks, get myself the best looks, and at the end of the day, win the basketball game."