[lawrence-newsletter]Even with organized basketball at a standstill, recruiting never sleeps. The Badgers have stayed active in terms of looking to add to an already impressive class of 2021 that currentlyincludes three four-star commits. After UW missed out on 2021 SG Julian Roper when he committed to Northwestern just over a week ago, the Badgers have been looking for that fourth piece, and likely a guard, to add in 2021. One of the exciting guards that Wisconsin has recently been in contact with is 2021 SG Max Hrdlicka, a 6-foot-6 scoring guard from the state of Georgia who is also receiving interest from Georgia, Stanford, and Davidson according to 247sports. Hrdlicka is coming off of a monster junior season where he was named an all-state selection in Georgia’s 6A region, the Georgia 6A offensive player of the year, and boasted a 3.9 GPA in the classroom. Earlier today, Hrdlicka spoke with BadgersWire about his recruiting, Wisconsin, and more.
The Brunswick, Ga. (Glynn Academy) native has been speaking both with Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft and Badger Head Coach Greg Gard in recent days. “[our conversations are] really positive,” said the 2021 Badger target. “I’ve talked with both Coach Krabbenhoft and Coach Gard and they both said they like my game. Coach Gard was impressed with my transcript — we’ve been texting each other — I’m excited to visit hopefully soon.”
In terms of who he is as a player, Hrdlicka describes himself as an all-around playmaker who is, “a shooter, driver, finisher, and good passer with good vision.” He has been impressed with Wisconsin basketball not only for what they do on the floor, but also the excellent academic experience that UW offers. “My goals are to play for a known D1 program at a high academic school and Wisconsin is big time in basketball and has a great academic reputation. [Wisconsin has] a great coach and always has a good team,” Hrdlicka told BadgersWire.
Despite recruiting not being completely shut down in the midst of a global pandemic, most elements of the process are not what recruits expected them to be at this time. The game has come to a complete halt, and Hrdlicka is just excited to resume life and basketball as normal. “I’ve been hearing from coaches for a while and it’s been exciting for it [his recruiting] to pick up even though we can’t play. I can’t wait to get back in the gym and hopefully some coaches can see me play in person. I’m hoping I don’t have to wait for that to get more offers though.”
So how is the Georgia native staying active and ready for when basketball resumes? “[I’ve been] shooting in my driveway, fishing, started doing CrossFit, and hanging with my brother.”
Badger fans should keep an eye on the class of 2021 SG as he has barely scratched the surface of his potential. As both a basketball and academic fit at UW, Hrdlicka seems like the type of player that Wisconsin basketball is looking for in 2021.
Check out Hrdlicka’s highlights via Hudl: http://www.hudl.com/v/2DK2Yd