Tag: wisconsin basketball recruiting

Future Badgers F Gus Yalden Named to Nike EYBL Peach Jam 2nd Team

2023 four-star forward Gus Yalden made the Nike EYBL Peach Jam 2nd Team:

This past week, the top basketball talents across the country were all in North Augusta, South Carolina, at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam.

The final live period represented the last opportunity of the summer for recruits to showcase their talents in front of high-major coaches from across the country.

Representing the Wisconsin Badgers was 2023 four-star forward Gus Yalden out of Asheville, North Carolina, who made the Nike EYBL Peach Jam 2nd Team.

The 6-foot-8, 240-pound F, who plays with City Rocks (NY), averaged 15.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game for the week.

Per 247Sports, he is the nation’s No. 12 ranked center in the class of 2023 and the No. 93 ranked player in the country.

Yalden is Greg Gard’s second commitment from a top-100 recruit during his coaching tenure and the first since Nate Reuvers in 2017.

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Wisconsin offers 2024 PF Jesse McCulloch

Greg Gard and his coaching staff have extended a scholarship offer to fast-rising forward in the 2024 recruiting class:

After impressing at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, Greg Gard and his coaching staff extended a scholarship offer to fast-rising 2024 power forward Jesse McCulloch out of Cleveland, Ohio, on Monday.

The 6-foot-9, 190-pound forward currently holds offers from Akron, Butler, Cleveland State, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio, Toledo, and Virginia Tech.

McCulloch, a standout at Lutheran East High School, is currently unranked by all reputable recruiting services but will likely see that change given the number of high-major offers he’s recently received.

You can watch his highlights here.

The unranked big man is a lanky, stretch four with a good face-up game that can excel in both the pick, roll/pick, and pop. He also has the defensive versatility and lateral speed to switch onto guards, making him an intriguing two-way prospect for a defensive-minded coach like Gard.

The Ohio native announced his scholarship offer from the University of Wisconsin via his Twitter account:

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Wisconsin offers 2024 four-star PF Royce Parham

Coach Gard has extended just his ninth scholarship offer in the 2024 recruiting class:

On Saturday, Greg Gard and his coaching staff extended an offer to 2024 power forward Royce Parham out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

According to the On3 recruiting rankings, Parham is the No. 53 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, the No. 11 PF in the country, and the No. 3 player in Pennsylvania.

The 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward currently holds offers from Duquesne, George Mason, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Robert Morris, Rutgers, TCU, VCU, and Xavier.

You can watch his AAU highlights here.

Parham, a standout at North Hills High School, is a versatile big man that plays with great energy and has all the tools to be a dominant defensive player. He’s active on the glass, uses his length as a shot blocker, has excellent hands, is a fluid athlete, and has a budding face-up game. The kid oozes potential.

The Pennsylvania native announced his scholarship offer from the University of Wisconsin via his Twitter account:

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Wisconsin basketball has offered Canadian-born center Cyril Martynov

Coach Gard has asked 2023 center Cyril Martynov to reclassify into the 2022 recruiting class:

Earlier this week, Efe Ashakah of NPH Scouting reported that the Badgers coaching staff watched 2023 center Cyril Martynov out of Toronto, Canada, play during the July evaluation period, and it would appear they came away rather impressed.

Martynov, who currently holds offers from Arizona State, Georgia Tech, and UC-Santa Barbara, confirmed to BadgersWire that Coach Gard has also offered him a scholarship to play for the Badgers; however, there is a caveat.

The offer from UW is contingent on him reclassifying to the 2022 recruiting class and joining the program this fall.

“Right now, they [UW] are pitching the development aspect for 2022, which would obviously be much better at the University,” Martynov explained.

With Chris Vogt’s graduation, the Badgers are incredibly thin in the frontcourt behind starting center Steven Crowl – and desperately need depth. UW has been unable to find a good fit in the transfer portal, so this is undoubtedly a unique way of addressing the issue.

The 6-foot-11, 230-pound center from Lawrenceville High School (N.J.) is physically ready for college and has the ideal tools for a developmental big man. He has good size and athleticism, rebounds well, and can shoot from beyond the arc.

The Canadian-born big man has a very mature game but still has plenty of unrealized potential on the court. Overall, his versatility should make him a mismatch against opposing centers down the road.

He’s still in the early stages of building a relationship with the Badgers coaching staff, but Martynov believes UW could make a lot of sense for him.

“There is definitely mutual interest – I think I fit Wisconsin’s program well, and they’d be a good fit for me,” he added.

Martynov also shared that his original plan was to return to school and be a member of the 2023 recruiting class, but he and his family are discussing all options for the upcoming season.

“I’m looking for a mix of high-level basketball and academics while also having a coach that values my development and is willing to work with me towards my goals,” Martynov said.

Coach Gard and the unranked big man will essentially be speed-dating from here on out. Martynov is expected to take an official visit to Wisconsin sometime in August and would need to make a reclassification decision for the upcoming season quickly after that.

Wisconsin’s coaching staff doesn’t make this move unless they believe he can slot into meaningful minutes for the Badgers this upcoming season.

Behind Crowl, UW has Chris Hodges, Carter Gilmore, and Markus Ilver, which isn’t ideal in a post-dominated conference like the Big Ten.

I believe he’d slot into the backup center role from day one as long as he can get up to speed and hold his own defensively.

Martynov’s recruitment will be exciting to monitor due to its unusually time-sensitive and forward-thinking nature.

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Wisconsin misses the cut for 2023 four-star F Devin Royal

Wisconsin misses the cut for a four-star forward in the 2023 recruiting class:

On Monday, 2023, four-star forward Devin Royal, who holds an offer from Wisconsin, trimmed his list of schools down to nine.

According to Alex Karamonos, the 6-foot-6, 210-pound forward will focus on Alabama, Clemson, Marquette, Michigan, Miami, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Ohio State, and Penn State. Effectively ending any consideration, he may have been giving UW.

Per the 247sports Composite, Royal is the No. 76 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, the No. 14 SF in the country, and the No. 2 player in Ohio.

Coach Gard will continue his search for a forward prospect to add to the 2023 recruiting class that already features John Blackwell and Gus Yalden.

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Wisconsin has expressed interest in 2023 three-star wing Gabe Warren

Wisconsin has reached out to a new wing prospect in the 2023 recruiting class:

Evan Flood of 247Sports reported it and later confirmed by BadgersWire that Wisconsin reached out to 2023 small forward Gabe Warren out of Plano, Texas.

Per the 247Sports Composite, he’s the No. 213 overall prospect in the 2023 class, the No. 42 SF in the country, and the No. 29 player in Texas.

The 6-foot-7, 195-pound forward told BadgersWire that assistant coach Sharif Chambliss touched base with him recently.

“He told me he had seen me play with my high school and wanted to know what AAU team I was running with this summer [Southern Assault]. He also said he would be following me moving forward,” Warren explained.

The three-star forward currently holds offers from Rice, Brown, Dartmouth, North Carolina A&T, Oakland, San Jose State, TCU, UT Arlington, and several others.

As a junior, he averaged 16.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game en route to being named first-team all-state for John Paul II High School. He’s also a high academic recruit who was named all-state in the classroom as well.

Warren, a Southern California Academy standout, offers a differing skill set from the wings already on UW’s roster.

Standing at 6-foot-7, he has the prototypical length and athleticism to play SF at the high-major level. Warren reportedly has a 6-foot-9 wingspan and a 40-inch vertical.

Offensively, he’s a versatile athlete with a quick first step and can get downhill in a hurry. The Texas native has a knack for getting into the paint, absorbing contact, and finishing strong around the rim.

Defensively, he has a nose for the ball and all the physical traits you’d want in developing a two-way player at the next level.

Wisconsin has extended offers to 2023 wings Gehrig Normand, Jamie Kaiser, and Devin Royal.

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Wisconsin F target Asa Thomas commits to an ACC program

A Badgers wing target in the 2023 recruiting class has committed to an ACC program:

Earlier today, 2023, three-star forward Asa Thomas, who held an offer from UW, officially committed to Clemson University.

Per the 247Sports composite, he is the No. 198 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, the No. 40 SF in the country, and the No. 7 player in Illinois. 

Thomas, a 6-foot-7, 185-pound sweet-shooting wing, averaged 17.4 points as a junior.

The Lake Forest High School standout also held offers from Wisconsin, Depaul, Illinois, Iowa, Marquette, Minnesota, Northwestern, Oklahoma, and Virginia Tech.

The Illinois native announced his commitment to Clemson University via his Twitter account:

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Wisconsin showing interest in 2024 wing Jackson McAndrew

2024 wing Jackson McAndrew talks about Wisconsin’s recent interest:

Several weeks ago, Wisconsin held its annual advanced camp at The Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion – hosting several highly touted prospects on campus for a closer, more intimate evaluation.

One under-the-radar wing that appears to have caught the eye of Greg Gard and his coaching staff is 2024 F Jackson McAndrew out of Wayzata, Minnesota.

The 6-foot-8, 190-pound forward who runs with Howard Pulley on the Nike EYBL circuit currently holds offers from St. Thomas and Northern Iowa. He’s also heard from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana State, Belmont, South Dakota, and North Dakota State.

“Before the Advanced Camp, I had little communication with them [UW]. Since then, communication has picked up, and they invited me to an on-campus visit in August,” McAndrew told BadgersWire.

The junior forward confirmed he would take an unofficial visit to Wisconsin sometime during the first week of August before the team heads across the pond to play exhibition games in France.

McAndrew averaged 5.4 points per game as a sophomore, reaching double figures four times while coming off the bench for Wayzata High School.

“They [UW] are very interested in me and know I will continue gaining strength and skill. The staff loves how I shoot the ball and are excited to see what the future holds.”

Currently unranked by all reputable recruiting services, the 6-foot-8 wing has decent handles for his size and can flat-out shoot the ball. He’s a sniper from beyond the arc with a quick, repeatable release.

Physically, he has a long way to go in building up strength. He’s still growing into his body, but it’s something he told BadgersWire he’s working hard to improve.

The intrigue with a prospect like McAndrew here comes from the high, unrealized ceiling.

There aren’t many players with his height on the wing who can shoot the lights out the way he does.

Suppose he can mature physically, learn to create his own shot, and improve his overall athleticism over time. In that case, it’s easy to understand why UW would express interest, especially this early in his recruitment. There is plenty to like about the Minnesota native.

“I’d say there is interest in UW for sure. I have watched the Badgers a lot growing up and even more so recently. I really like their style of play as it fits mine very well. I also really like the coaching staff,” McAndrew said.

Also worth mentioning, Coach Gard has already offered McAndrew’s Howard Pulley 16U teammates, Andrew Freitag and Jack Robison, in the 2024 recruiting class.

2024 wing Jackson McAndrew will be a name to monitor for UW moving forward. You can watch his Wisconsin Advanced Camp highlights below, courtesy of Fresh Coast Hoops:

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Nolan Winter sets an official visit date to Wisconsin

Wisconsin basketball will host one of their top remaining targets in the 2023 recruiting class for an official visit in August:

According to a report from Evan Flood of 247Sports, three-star forward Nolan Winter will take an official visit to Wisconsin beginning on August 3.

Per 247Sports, Winter is the No. 44 PF in the country and the No. 2 player in Minnesota.

The 6-foot-11, 190-pound forward currently holds offers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Stanford, Xavier, Oregon State, St. Thomas, and Wake Forest.

“The staff at Wisconsin sees me in a stretch-four type of role, and they often compare me to Jon Leuer back in the day. Someone who can shoot from the outside, get into the paint, and use my size to my advantage in multiple ways,” said Winter.

Along with strong academics, the Lakeville, Minnesota native is looking for a competitive program with an established culture, winning tradition, and a great relationship with the coaching staff.

It’s easy to see Winter’s potential fit within a program like UW, given their success utilizing inside-out big men with similar skill sets.

The three-star forward has already taken official visits to Oregon State and Stanford.

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2024 PG target Daniel Freitag talks about his recruitment by Wisconsin

2024 PG target Daniel Freitag talks about his recruitment by UW:

On June 15, Greg Gard was finally able to initiate contact with incoming juniors from the 2024 recruiting class, per NCAA recruiting regulations.

This date is significant for Coach Gard, who has had a knack for identifying talent and working to maintain a close relationship with players before more prominent programs enter their recruitment.

Once contact became permissible, UW wasted little time reaching out to 2024 point guard Daniel Freitag out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

As a sophomore, he averaged 26.7 ppg (9th in the state) while leading his team to a conference title and winning the conference Player of the Year.

“June 15th consisted of me hearing from Minnesota & Baylor at midnight. Then Iowa, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Longwood,” Freitag told BadgersWire.

Wisconsin was the first Power 5 program to offer 2024-point guard Daniel Freitag a scholarship after their advanced camp in June 2021. Since then, the Minnesota native has done nothing but make Coach Gard look good for his initial evaluation.

The fast-rising PG prospect has seen his recruitment take off, earning offers from Baylor, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Iowa State.

“Baylor has been contacting me the most often out of all the universities, for sure.” Freitag will be visiting Baylor University from August 5-6.

“Communication has been pretty calm with Wisconsin; I think they take the approach of letting me enjoy my days without being in my face. When they do call, I feel like it is very enjoyable. My relationship with Coach Gard is a good balance of close while being decently distant,” Freitag said.

Freitag, a Bloomington, Minnesota native, has everything you could want from a PG prospect. Good size, physicality, well-above-average athleticism, playmaking ability, toughness, plays above the rim, and can shoot from beyond the arc. The kid loves to compete.

“He [Coach Gard] sees me making an impact for the team immediately and believes I can lead the team at the guard position. He seems to have a lot of trust in me, and I like that.”

Coach Krabbenhoft is the lead recruiter for the 6-foot-3, 175-pound PGs services. “The coaching staff told me to watch how they utilize Chucky and his role for the team. So I do know they want me at the point guard – although I have hopes of myself having Johnny Davis-like impact, so I like to give him a close eye when he’s out there,” Freitag said in a previous interview with BadgersWire.

Freitag has shown the ability to win games as either a scoring threat or a facilitator. I’m confident that the Minnesota native will eventually add a slew of offers from the top programs in the country before his recruitment is closed.

Right now, Freitag is my favorite Wisconsin Badgers offer, and I firmly believe he’ll be a star wherever he winds up.

Wisconsin will be up against some elite programs for his services, but the early relationship they’ve established with the Jefferson Senior High School standout certainly doesn’t hurt their chances of staying in the mix.

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Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.