UW Hoops off season-----Recruiting & Transfer Portal

[jay87shot]

What happens if the bill passes that any player who has played professionally oversees is not eligible for college? Would we have enough players to field a team?

[homer]

Check out this story from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wauwatosa West star, prized 2027 recruit Jalen Brown commits to Wisconsin

Wauwatosa West’s Jalen Brown has committed to the Badgers, he announced on June 5, giving Greg Gard his first commitment of the 2027 class.

https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/uw/2026/06/05/wauwatosa-west-jalen-brown-four-star-recruit-commits-to-wisconsin-badgers-basketball/90392823007/

[Jim French Stepstool]

49 minutes ago, homer said:

Check out this story from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wauwatosa West star, prized 2027 recruit Jalen Brown commits to Wisconsin

Wauwatosa West’s Jalen Brown has committed to the Badgers, he announced on June 5, giving Greg Gard his first commitment of the 2027 class.

https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/uw/2026/06/05/wauwatosa-west-jalen-brown-four-star-recruit-commits-to-wisconsin-badgers-basketball/90392823007/

Just learned of this. It's been a pretty long time since they've gotten a scholarship Milwaukee area kid out of HS (Marcus Landry), and it felt like a lot of time & energy was spent on the part of both sides to reach the commitment. Nice combo guard who probably sees Autry & Elmer in their one & only season in Madison and sees a path to some early PT.

I'm hoping for maybe one more commitment from this class. Portal being what it is, I don't know if it's even a good idea to put together a 4-5 player class like previous years.

[Jim French Stepstool]

4 hours ago, jay87shot said:

What happens if the bill passes that any player who has played professionally oversees is not eligible for college? Would we have enough players to field a team?

That would hurt a lot of schools if passed. From what I've heard rumored, players who have already committed would be grandfathered in, although I think it would be at reduced eligibility AFA how many years they could play.

I would welcome this.

[Jim French Stepstool]

Class of '27 Jack Thelen (Maple Grove, MN) was just offered. He's 7'1" & a HS teammate of Baboucarr Ann. I've never seen him play, but he sounds like the type that would be a project for a high-major. Offers from Montana, Murray State & Miami (O).

[Jim French Stepstool]

..........Aaaaaaand Thelen commits to Bucky.

Also, Jack Koenen has decided to become the 9,000th player from Wisconsin to commit to Iowa State in the last 8 years. Or maybe it just seems that way.

[CheezWizHed]

On 6/13/2026 at 11:20 PM, Jim French Stepstool said:

..........Aaaaaaand Thelen commits to Bucky.

Also, Jack Koenen has decided to become the 9,000th player from Wisconsin to commit to Iowa State in the last 8 years. Or maybe it just seems that way.

You sure hear the whining here in MN about all the players that have gone to the Badgers over the years... 

[Jim French Stepstool]

5 hours ago, CheezWizHed said:

You sure hear the whining here in MN about all the players that have gone to the Badgers over the years... 

I can just imagine lol. It hasn't been going on nearly as long, but there's also some angst building here about the Wisconsin HS kids Otzelberger is grabbing for ISU. I used to HIGHLY wonder whether the Cyclones' program was above board, but now that you can pay players it's obvious BB is the signature program there & I suspect they write out much bigger checks.

And the Minnesota kids UW DOESN"T get, the more nationally-known kids from the Cities, usually go elsewhere too. It remains to be seen how he recruits, but in Medved they found someone who can get a lot out of the talent at hand. 

[CheezWizHed]

20 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

I can just imagine lol. It hasn't been going on nearly as long, but there's also some angst building here about the Wisconsin HS kids Otzelberger is grabbing for ISU. I used to HIGHLY wonder whether the Cyclones' program was above board, but now that you can pay players it's obvious BB is the signature program there & I suspect they write out much bigger checks.

And the Minnesota kids UW DOESN"T get, the more nationally-known kids from the Cities, usually go elsewhere too. It remains to be seen how he recruits, but in Medved they found someone who can get a lot out of the talent at hand. 

I thought Patino (name sake alone) was going to turn things around. Nope.  The last guy (who I forget) made a lot of noise about building a fence around MN. Nope.  At this point, you just have to wait and see.

They always sound good when they start. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

2 hours ago, CheezWizHed said:

I thought Patino (name sake alone) was going to turn things around. Nope.  The last guy (who I forget) made a lot of noise about building a fence around MN. Nope.  At this point, you just have to wait and see.

They always sound good when they start. 

Yeah, Ben Johnson. If I was a Gopher fan I would've been stoked about his hiring. But as you said, no dice.

[Jim French Stepstool]

Baboucarr Ann just concluded a trip to Madison, and some of the recruiting sites are considering him a heavy UW lean. Rivals puts it at over 90% so we'll see. Athletic 6'5" wing who would look great lining up next to Jalen Brown.

If he commits, it would be the first of hopefully many recruiting feathers in the Brad Davison cap. They're both from Maple Grove HS & Brad has put a lot of effort into this one.

[homer]

On 6/21/2026 at 8:31 PM, Jim French Stepstool said:

Baboucarr Ann just concluded a trip to Madison, and some of the recruiting sites are considering him a heavy UW lean. Rivals puts it at over 90% so we'll see. Athletic 6'5" wing who would look great lining up next to Jalen Brown.

If he commits, it would be the first of hopefully many recruiting feathers in the Brad Davison cap. They're both from Maple Grove HS & Brad has put a lot of effort into this one.

Annnnd he's committed.

https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/wisconsin-badgers-mens-basketball/90167/wisconsin-badgers-basketball-news-breaking-baboucarr-ann-commitment-four-star-highest-rated

Great recruiting class.

[RedStickBrew]

Great class indeed. All three recruits are not only talented and skilled but high ceiling guys as well. Not the norm for Bucky. Bright future ahead hopefully. 

[valpocrewsader]

On 6/21/2026 at 8:31 PM, Jim French Stepstool said:

Baboucarr Ann

Ba Ba Ba, Ba Baboucarr Ann? Surely we'll be rockin' and a rollin', rockin' and a reelin' with Baboucarr Ann.

[bjkrautk]

Thought I should post this, as the possibility of an extra year of eligibility for Carrington would be another boost to next year's team.

[Jim French Stepstool]

On 7/15/2026 at 9:19 AM, bjkrautk said:

Thought I should post this, as the possibility of an extra year of eligibility for Carrington would be another boost to next year's team.

It would be an unexpected boost, for sure. people like Jones, Janicki & Jackson Ball are all looked at as depth pieces assuming Autry starts at the 2G, which seems to be the smart money. And Zack Kinziger is right now viewed as the backup PG but also can play off the ball. The roster was definitely put together with the assumption of Carrington not being here.

Sounds like around 25 players have filed in court for the extra year. Nothing agin' Carrington, he was a tremendous boost off the bench, but IMO this stuff is getting ridiculous.

[Jim French Stepstool]

A court in the state of California has issued a temporary restraining order granting Braeden Carrington & about 70 other players a fifth year of college eligibility. Nothing has been finalized as the NCAA is still fighting this, but it's another step forward for these athletes to receive another season. They'd technically be allowed to enter the transfer portal, but in the case of Carrington his actions this summer indicate that he wants to return to Madison if granted the extra year.

Also, it warms my heart to learn that AJ Storr has committed to UNLV for his fifth program in as many years, and from what I've heard it's actually 8 or 9 different schools in as many years going back to his HS days.

[CheezWizHed]

On 8/18/2026 at 6:05 PM, Jim French Stepstool said:

Also, it warms my heart to learn that AJ Storr has committed to UNLV for his fifth program in as many years, and from what I've heard it's actually 8 or 9 different schools in as many years going back to his HS days.

Consummate team player! 😬

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, CheezWizHed said:

Consummate team player! 😬

Well, yeah. Who in the history of the college game has had so many teammates?

[Jim French Stepstool]

Just a word on Jalen Brown, the '27 recruit out of Wauwatosa West. There has been a little bit of anxiety after Brown announced he's spending his SR year at a prep school in Mesa, AZ. In this day & age, you can never assume anything until a kid shows up on campus, but the early indications are that Brown is still 100% committed to Greg Gard & UW, and the move is centered around wanting to play vs a higher level of competition. Also, Arizona & ASU weren't in the recruiting picture for Brown. He DID receive interest from Cal, but if geography were tied into a re-consideration I would assume there are prep schools closer to the bay area. So until hearing otherwise, nothing to see here.

There WAS a rumor floating around that due to his age, he was ineligible to compete at Tosa West as per WIAA rules. From what I understand, this is not true & had no bearing on the move.

Braeden Carrington has still been working out with the team, his case hasn't been finalized, but looking at other rulings recently I'm guessing he'll be granted another year.

According to coaches' comments, the most improved players from last season appear to be Hayden Jones & Will Garlock.

Other than that, it's much too early for this. Let's get the Brewers eleven more wins.

[RedStickBrew]

Practice started this week. No idea how this version of the team will be this season, but I find myself just as excited as usual for the start of the season. 

Reports seem to indicate that Foxwell is capable of being a good facilitator of the offense and has the defensive pedigree we haven’t seen for a while at that position. 

Sounds like Elmer is a bigger version of Tonje. Better outside shooter maybe but not as good off the dribble. 

Autry seems similar to Carrington and they appear to be splitting time with the ones in practice. Still waiting on court decision for Carrington but sounds like he may be granted the extra year soon. 
 

They also have the defensive specialist at C position to work with in the front court rotation  

Looking forward to @Jim French Stepstool starting the new season thread soon. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

8 hours ago, RedStickBrew said:

Practice started this week. No idea how this version of the team will be this season, but I find myself just as excited as usual for the start of the season. 

Reports seem to indicate that Foxwell is capable of being a good facilitator of the offense and has the defensive pedigree we haven’t seen for a while at that position. 

Sounds like Elmer is a bigger version of Tonje. Better outside shooter maybe but not as good off the dribble. 

Autry seems similar to Carrington and they appear to be splitting time with the ones in practice. Still waiting on court decision for Carrington but sounds like he may be granted the extra year soon. 
 

They also have the defensive specialist at C position to work with in the front court rotation  

Looking forward to @Jim French Stepstool starting the new season thread soon. 

I was hoping for a shot at seeing the Parkside exhibition, but I don't think that's going to happen. But I can certainly get a thread rolling before the regular season starts.

From what I've been able to learn, it sounds like your comments are pretty accurate. Foxwell is no Boyd or Jordan Taylor as an athlete, but very heady, makes good decisions & can get into the lane---not always to score but to break down a defense & then either finish or cause a collapse & dish. He's quite experienced.

I don't think Elmer is a 'take over the possession' guy in the mold of a Boyd, Tonje, Blackwell or Storr but someone who operates well within an offense. I have to admit I don't have a strong feel as to how he'll score his points, mainly because I think the offense will look a little different from last year. Solid guy on both ends, though.

Yes, Victory Onuetu is being touted as a paint/rim protector. UW hasn't had a ton of those lately so it would be great if he can do that in the B10. And I get the same feeling re Autry & Carrington--some similarities & a tough call AFA who may start.

[yourout]

Any word on why Rhode left? Was he buried on the depth chart?

[RedStickBrew]

17 hours ago, yourout said:

Any word on why Rhode left? Was he buried on the depth chart?

I believe he was like Carrington in that he didn’t have eligibility after last season. The off season rulings have given him the possibility of one more NCAA season. I thought he was pursuing an opportunity to play overseas but that may not have worked out. The Badgers have prioritized Carrington for that last roster spot. So basically no room for him even if there was mutual interest in returning. 

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

Heard Gard on EyeonCBB pod this week. Was a nice way to spend some sports time prior to the Brewers (and he and GP talked a little bit about the Crew and "wining culture").

I'm interested in how things look with Foxwell. It's hard to price in how these overseas pros will translate,  especially when their pro career isn't in Europe. That said, I think he's going to be pretty good. The Badgers are going to shoot it AND be big, and that might help them be much better than 11th in the B1G. I'd definitely take the better on that prediction. I think the Hofstra and Miami transfers they brought in will be good fits.