Former Wisconsin star Nigel Hayes says he convinced Tyler Herro to decommit from Wisconsin

It’s not secret that Tyler Herro thrived on the big stage in Lexington, and now, is thriving on the big stage of the NBA Finals at just 20 years old.

Kentucky Wildcats fans all know the story of how Herro became a Wildcat. A homegrown Wisconsin boy, Herro had been committed to the Wisconsin Badgers since September of 2016, but then decided he was going to decommit and open his recruitment back up. Herro received a scholarship offer from John Calipari on Halloween night in 2017, and then followed up with a commitment to Kentucky on Nov. 14.

However, in an interview with ESPN’s Brian Windshorst, Nigel Hayes, who was a sophomore on the 2015 Wisconsin team that so many UK fans have disdain for, says he convinced Herro to decommit from Wisconsin and take his talents to a bigger school.

“This is going to make some people mad. I was one of the ones who advised him not to go to Wisconsin with the talent he has,” said Hayes. “I told him the only people who are upset with him are the ones who are selfish. Only way he can thrive is not walking around thinking he’s less than. He’s a growing seed.”

Hayes, who is a legend for the University of Wisconsin basketball program and is the No. 3 player on their all-time scoring list, was the one who convinced Herro take a gamble and leave his hometown program.

From there, Herro went on to become a starter for Kentucky after being told by some hometown Wisconsin fans that he would never see the court at UK, and followed that up by taken with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Herro then followed that up by dropping 37 points in an Eastern Conference Finals game and helped lead his team to the NBA Finals, along with Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, and the age of 20.