{"id":7537,"date":"2025-07-13T21:20:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-13T21:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/7537\/"},"modified":"2025-07-13T21:20:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T21:20:04","slug":"why-wisconsin-mens-basketball-wont-abandon-high-school-recruiting-in-the-portal-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/7537\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Wisconsin men’s basketball won\u2019t abandon high school recruiting in the portal era"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"John<\/a>John Blackwell and Nolan Winter celebrate on the bench with Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard. (Photo credit: Badgernotes.com<\/a> \/ Dane Sheehan)<\/p>\n

In today\u2019s college basketball landscape, most programs have all but scrapped the idea of traditional high school recruiting as the foundation.<\/p>\n

The transfer portal era, paired with the unregulated NIL arms race happening behind the scenes, has turned roster building into something more transactional, more short-term, and, in many ways, more cutthroat.<\/p>\n

Why invest multiple years developing a relationship with a high school recruit with long-term upside, knowing they might not pan out \u2014 or worse, bolt the moment a bigger offer or more money rolls in \u2014 when you can pull a 21-year-old ready-made contributor from the portal?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the question a lot of head coaches are asking themselves. And in an era where athletic departments and fanbases have little patience for rebuilds, it can feel like every season is a must-win in the Power 5.<\/p>\n

But the Wisconsin men’s basketball<\/a> staff? That\u2019s not how they\u2019re wired. At least not philosophically. They\u2019ve embraced the portal where it makes sense, but they haven\u2019t sold out on it or completely abandoned the long game of development and high school recruiting.<\/p>\n

Greg Gard and his staff still believe high school recruiting matters \u2014 not just as an occasional add-on, but as a real part of their identity. And Associate Head Coach Joe Krabbenhoft couldn\u2019t have been clearer about why.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s fair to say that it\u2019s changed,\u201d Krabbenhoft admitted<\/a> on The Swing. \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a negative light to that by any stretch of the imagination because it\u2019s important that we continue to get the right guys.”<\/p>\n

Look at the players that they prioritized keeping this offseason: John Blackwell<\/a> out of Bloomfield Hills (MI), Nolan Winter from Lakeville North (MN), and Jack Janicki from White Bear Lake (MN). All were key targets in the Badgers\u2019 2023 recruiting class, all developed in the program, and now all of them are expected to be major pillars of the 2025\u201326 team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s no different than what we\u2019ve been trying to do for a long time,\u201d Krabbenhoft said. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to bat a thousand. I think our percentages over the course of decades, even before I came here, have been really, really good. That\u2019s because the first box you check is: What kind of person are you? What kind of teammate are you? How about that academic piece? How important is that? Because here, to Coach Gard, our staff, our administration, and our school, it\u2019s a very important piece.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, Wisconsin\u2019s philosophy isn\u2019t about chasing the flashiest four or five-star name on a ranking sheet. It\u2019s about finding the guys who fit the Badgers’ culture, not just as players, but as people, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to strike out sometimes, but you\u2019re going to hit more often than not,\u201d said Krabbenhoft. \u201cI think when you look at who we brought in this year, Will Garlock and Zack Kinziger, they checked those boxes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garlock, a promising big man from Middleton, and Kinziger, a four-star combo guard from De Pere, have been on the staff\u2019s radar for years and were both considered impressive in-state recruiting wins.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew those names by the time they were 12 or 13 years old. We knew those families really well. Got to talk to those teachers and coaches. Those boxes were checked early,\u201d Krabbenhoft explained. \u201cThen you start watching a guy like Will develop, he\u2019s going to surprise some people. He\u2019s pretty good. He fits in this system and the way we\u2019re playing really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Kinziger, the staff sees a potential long-term building block.<\/p>\n

\u201cZack, the pedigree he comes from up in De Pere, his brothers, is just a really mature player that I think is going to have an opportunity to be a guy, a year or two from now, that we\u2019re talking about as a key piece to this program\u2019s success.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Kinziger was one of the nation\u2019s top shooters in his class and a gritty, high-floor guard who fits Wisconsin\u2019s system perfectly, bringing combo-guard versatility and the toughness to impact winning on both ends. While he has some physical limitations, his ability to heat up quickly and stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting gives him some legitimate long-term scoring upside. The staff sees him as a multi-year contributor who could grow into one of the team\u2019s most important offensive pieces over time.<\/p>\n

And when it comes to Garlock, Krabbenhoft didn\u2019t hold back on just how high the ceiling could be if everything clicks.<\/p>\n

“I mentioned Will Garlock being something we haven\u2019t seen around here in a long time,” Krabbenhoft said. “His size, speed, and athletic ability are as good as I\u2019ve seen, running to the rim and finishing above the rim. <\/p>\n

“We use the phrase: \u2018He makes it look like a Nerf hoop.\u2019 We\u2019ve played against a lot of guys who make it look like a Nerf hoop, Zach Edey, Kofi Cockburn. I\u2019m not saying Will Garlock\u2019s there yet, but in some of these workouts, it\u2019s exciting. But the potential is there.”<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

At 7 feet tall, Garlock brings a rare combination of mobility and physicality for his size, giving Wisconsin a much-needed rim-protecting presence. But what sets him apart from a lot of the bigs the Badgers have recruited in the past is his ability to run the floor and finish above the rim. Garlock’s athleticism makes him a potential weapon in transition as a rim-runner or lob threat, adding another layer to his value. While he may not project as a multi-year starter, his post defense and motor could earn him rotational minutes. If he\u2019s able to expand his offensive game over time, that\u2019s just going to be viewed as an added bonus to an already valuable skill set.<\/p>\n

And Wisconsin\u2019s staff has been casting a net overseas, too, viewing recruiting as more of a global effort than ever before. They\u2019re leaning on relationships to help open doors and get their foot in with certain recruits.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s no secret. The agencies, the agents involved in all these players, both here in Wisconsin, in the States, and abroad, are now playing a big role in this,” Krabbenhoft explained. “AAU coaches, high school coaches, agents, parents, everybody\u2019s got their own version of who they lean on the most. But in Europe, they\u2019re in some ways ahead of where I think this is going to continue to go, and it\u2019s agents that drive this thing.”<\/p>\n

Hayden Jones<\/a>, a versatile big guard from New Zealand, joins the fold after suiting up for the New Zealand U19 national team at the World Cup. He arrives through a familiar connection, with special assistant Kirk Penney<\/a>, himself a New Zealand basketball legend, helping drive the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all know the story of Kirk and his ability to help get him here,\u201d he said. \u201cAnother young player, a high school player, that\u2019s going to help this program continue to stay where we need it to be and take that next step.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones remains a bit of a mystery, but the staff is intrigued about his upside as a 6-foot-7 playmaking point forward who can handle and defend across multiple positions. He has impressive court vision, length, and a high basketball IQ, while also showing a nose for the ball. He\u2019s viewed as a project for now, but the Badgers are optimistic about what the future might hold. His rare blend of size, versatility, and feel makes him one of the more intriguing long-term bets on Wisconsin’s roster.<\/p>\n

And Wisconsin\u2019s international reach didn\u2019t stop with Jones. <\/p>\n

The staff also added Lithuanian big man Aleksas Bieliauskas<\/a>, a 19-year-old forward from Zalgiris II, the developmental team of one of Europe\u2019s most respected clubs. Bieliauskas brings an inside-out skill set that pairs physicality and rebounding, which checked a lot of boxes for Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had some connections. Kirk played for Zalgiris, one of the best clubs in all of Europe, and a guy named Nigel Hayes played for Zalgiris a few years back,\u201d Krabbenhoft said. \u201cAs we got connected with this agent, saying we need some size, this is the skill set \u2014 they said, \u2018Hey, we\u2019ve got a guy here in Lithuania,\u2019 and Kirk\u2019s ears popped up: \u2018Who\u2019s he play for?\u2019 Zalgiris. \u2018Which club?\u2019 The Arvydas club. Okay, let\u2019s talk more.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou watch the film, do Zoom calls, get to know him, make sure he\u2019s a good person and student, which is complicated. There are hoops you have to jump through, and getting a visa wasn\u2019t easy. We\u2019ll learn more as soon as we get our hands on him for the first time and see him live. But everything we\u2019ve learned from trusted sources is that he\u2019s going to be a really, really nice player. He\u2019s tough. He\u2019s got that kind of pedigree with those Lithuanian bigs. They talk about him being the next in line. I\u2019m excited to see what Aleksas brings to Wisconsin. I think he\u2019s going to be able to help this team with his experience.”<\/p>\n

Bieliauskas isn\u2019t expected to step onto campus as a finished product or become a plug-and-play starter. Still, with meaningful bench minutes up for grabs in the Badgers’ frontcourt, his addition fits Wisconsin\u2019s shift toward a more modern, European-influenced ball-screen offense, where spacing, shooting, and decision-making matter more than ever. <\/p>\n

Taken together, it\u2019s clear this staff is casting a wide net \u2014 but it\u2019s not random. International recruiting isn’t new for Wisconsin, but it\u2019s quickly becoming a much bigger piece of the puzzle. The process moves faster overseas. At the same time, locking down in-state talent remains the heartbeat of this program because that\u2019s where you find guys who get what it means to wear the jersey. Neither path is perfect, but together, they give Wisconsin the best shot at continuity and building around players who want to be part of something bigger than themselves.<\/p>\n

That approach is already showing up in the next wave of recruiting.<\/p>\n

Wisconsin has commits in the 2026 class from in-state wing LaTrevion Fenderson and New Zealand guard Jackson Ball<\/a>, blending local and international talent. They\u2019re also actively evaluating big men on the AAU circuit and have sent out several offers to in-state prospects in the 2027 cycle<\/a> that they\u2019re hoping to build around. It\u2019s a sign the staff is looking ahead \u2014 staying aggressive at home while keeping a sharp eye abroad.<\/p>\n

In an era of uncertainty, the right high school recruits give you something the transfer portal often can\u2019t: stability. They allow a program to look ahead, build around its core, and make targeted portal moves instead of trying to overhaul everything every offseason and start anew.<\/p>\n

Of course, that foundation hinges on one critical piece: retaining those players. As we\u2019ve seen, that\u2019s not always guaranteed. Wisconsin spent multiple years recruiting Chucky Hepburn<\/a> out of high school, developed him into a three-year starter at point guard, and still lost him last offseason when a more substantial payday lured him away. But the program learned from that. This time around, they were better prepared.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear that when Wisconsin has core guys who have paid their dues and improved, keeping them in the fold becomes a top priority. Why? Because they know what they have. They know the person. And that familiarity helps mitigate risk, allowing the staff to be surgical in the portal, going after exactly what they need to complement the roster and run their system, rather than scrambling to replace the entire backbone.<\/p>\n

And for a staff like Wisconsin\u2019s, this philosophy isn\u2019t just about roster construction \u2014 it\u2019s personal.<\/p>\n

“You can never count out really, really good high school players. And there are some really good young ones coming up in this state, in the Midwest, and all over the world now,” Krabbenhoft said. \u201cHigh school recruiting, it\u2019s important. It\u2019s important to this state and to our fans. And the people who\u2019ve been a part of this program, which is our entire staff, that\u2019s how we all got here. It\u2019s neat because you\u2019ve got a guy like Sharif Chambliss who grew up in this state, went to Penn State, and came back.<\/p>\n

“So we\u2019re able to kind of draw upon a lot of our own experiences here and continue to grow and keep this program at a high level.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the right approach. Wisconsin isn\u2019t ignoring the portal \u2014 the additions of guys like Nick Boyd, Andrew Rohde, Austin Rapp, Braeden Carrington, and Elijah Gray prove they\u2019re very much in the mix and know they need to fill gaps \u2014 but they\u2019re not letting it define who they are.<\/p>\n

Wisconsin men’s basketball is still betting on development. They\u2019re still betting on culture. And they\u2019re still betting that when you get the right young pieces in place, those are the guys who will bleed for your program and give you a foundation to build on year after year.<\/p>\n

In the portal-NIL world, that\u2019s becoming rare. And maybe it\u2019s the very thing that will help Wisconsin stand out and continue to sustain success. <\/p>\n

With the NCAA House settlement now passed<\/a> and the sport inching toward having a clearer set of rules, the hope is that one day, relationships and long-term program building will carry the same weight they used to in college basketball. But for now, the way this Badgers staff is operating feels like the best path forward, staying true to who they\u2019ve always been, without closing their eyes to the realities of the sport.<\/p>\n

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com<\/a>. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.<\/p>\n

You can also follow Site Publisher Dillon Graff<\/a> at @DillonGraff<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n