It’s been a busy week for the Wisconsin basketball program, ladies and gents, but you’re in luck because BadgerNotes can help get you back up to speed with a roundup of some important Badgers news you may have missed.

Wisconsin Badgers Stay Patient, Land Top 10 2024 Point Guard 

On Friday, Greg Gard got arguably the biggest recruiting win of his coaching tenure when he received a verbal commitment from 2024 four-star point guard Daniel Freitag out of Bloomington, Minnesota.

Committed ❤️ #GoBadgers pic.twitter.com/04ff5T4Xdb

— Daniel Freitag (2024) (@DanielFreitag_) June 2, 2023

Per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings, Freitag is the No. 71 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class and the No. 9 PG in the country.

Not only is Freitag the fifth-highest-rated recruiting in school history, but he’s also the top-rated backcourt player the Badgers have ever landed. The Minnesota native, who held division one offers in basketball and football, chose Wisconsin over a final five, including Minnesota, Baylor, Notre Dame, and Virginia.

Wisconsin basketball was the first program to offer Freitag and never let off in their pursuit. Coach Gard made him a priority, never offering another player at the position despite recruiting Freitag for two years. In the end, his relationship with the top 10 point guard won out.

“The Wisconsin staff has always been great to me; Coach Gard and I are very close,” Freitag told BadgerNotes. “I am also very close to Coach Krabbenhoft and the other UW assistants.”

Wisconsin Basketball Receiving Visit From Top Remaining Target in 2024

According to a report from Mark Miller, Phenom University standout and top 40 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, Kon Knueppel, plans to visit Madison on June 21. 

Per the 247Sports Composite rankings, he is the No. 32 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class and the No. 11 SF in the country.

The four-star wing has been on a tear this summer, averaging 22.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, shooting 50% from the field and 46.7% from beyond the arc. He will also take an unofficial to Marquette and official visits to Louisville and Ohio State. 

Knueppel, a 6-foot-6 marksman from in-state, currently holds offers from Notre Dame, Stanford, Marquette, Virginia, Miami, and several other Power 5 programs.

A trusted source to BadgerNotes has shared that Wisconsin basketball is very much in the mix for his services and is considered to be in Knueppel’s “top 2” at the moment. “I’m very interested,” Knueppel told 247Sports. The hometown aspect is a big appeal. But it’s also been a very successful program for quite a long time. 

If the Badgers could add him to their 2024 recruiting haul, Greg Gard would have a chance to finish with the best class in program history. 

Other Wisconsin Basketball News

Speaking of the 2024 Wisconsin basketball recruiting class, Badgers commit Jack Robison out of Lakeville North HS has put together an impressive summer of his own playing for Howard Pulley in the EYBL. 

The 6-foot-6, top-150 recruit went off during session 4 in Memphis, averaging 22.5 points per game. Per 247Sports, he’s considered the No. 142 player in the country and the No. 3 player in Minnesota. 

Robison is a lanky, gritty wing that can really shoot it from beyond the arc and has the positional versatility as a defender to guard two through-small-ball four that Greg Gard and his staff covet. 

Robison is your prototypical hard-nosed Wisconsin basketball player that is intriguing in his own right and was a nice complimentary pickup by the coaching staff early in the 2024 cycle.

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Madison, Wis. –The Wisconsin basketball staff is expected to host one of the top in-state recruits in the coming days following his impressive Spring season.

Kon Knueppel, a rising Junior at Wisconsin Lutheran, is a 2024 four-star recruit. Knueppel is the top prospect in the state of Wisconsin for the 2024 basketball recruiting class. The small forward also ranks as the No. 11 player at his position and the No. 32 recruit overall in the class.

Knueppel is arguably the best shooter in the class and has recently included the Badgers on his list of unofficial visits.

Junior standout Kon Knueppel of Wisconsin Lutheran and Phenom University plans to take unofficial visits to Marquette (June 15) and Wisconsin (June 21). Also taking official visits in June to Louisville and Ohio State. #wisbb

— Mark Miller (@WisBBYearbook) May 30, 2023

Wisconsin Badgers Heat-Up Race For Kon Knueppel

The talented small forward Kon Knueppel is by far the best recruit that Wisconsin has tied themselves to in the 2024 recruiting class. The forward is an incredible shooter with a particular interest in shooting long range shots. Knueppel can pull-up from anywhere on the court and threaten the defense with his ability to score. This past season for Wisconsin Lutheran, Knueppel developed into a truly strong shooter as he led his team.

Wisconsin basketball coach Greg Gard has been eager to make a splash in the recruiting world to help boost the Badgers team. Recently, Gard was successful at landing St. John’s transfer guard AJ Storr. However, he also lost fellow transfer Noah Reynolds to the portal before he officially joined the team. Gard has been heavily scrutinized since taking over as the Wisconsin basketball head coach due to his lack of success in the position. The Badgers have struggled under Gard, but perhaps with the right recruits Wisconsin can turn themselves around.

EYBL Session 4 📝: ‘24 Kon Knueppel put on a shooting clinic today, scoring 58 total points in 2 games. He possesses undeniable touch from distance (9 3PM on the day) but is also savvy operating in the mid-range, where he leverages his positional size and smarts to his advantage… pic.twitter.com/OPZysVcVfZ

— Pro Insight (@_proinsight) May 29, 2023

Now, after shaking up the 2024 recruiting class by landing four-star Daniel Freitag, Gard may continue to set his sights on top recruits. Knueppel is one of the highest rated recruits left on the board for the Badgers. With an upcoming visit at the end of June, Wisconsin expects to make a heavy push for the recruit. Thus far in the Spring EYBL sessions, Knueppel has dominated the competition and put his deep-range shooting on display. Knueppel has shot 47.9% from long range while averaging 28.2 points per game during the most recent session in Memphis. The recruit earned offensive Most Valuable Player honors during this past session.

Another Massive Commitment Could Pull Wisconsin Closer To Top Recruits

There is no doubt that just between Freitag and Storr, Gard has added plenty of future talent in a short period of time. The new additions to the program could also serve as building blocks for Gard as he continues to hunt down top recruits. For Kon Knueppel, coach Gard will certainly try to use the upcoming visit as a major recruiting pitch. New Badger Daniel Freitag cited the environment and experiences that Madison provided contributed to his commitment.

Perhaps the Wisconsin basketball staff will try the same pitch on Knueppel in hopes of adding another star-studded recruit.

Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Jarrett Guerrera on Twitter @JarrettGuerrera.

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Madison, Wis. — Greg Gard and the Wisconsin basketball coaching staff only offered one point guard in the 2024 recruiting class (Daniel Freitag), and thankfully they never had to cast a wider net because the Badgers landed their top target.

Freitag, a four-star point guard and dual-sport athlete out of Bloomington, Minnesota, announced his commitment to the University of Wisconsin on Friday over a final five that also included Minnesota, Baylor, Notre Dame, and Virginia.

Committed ❤️ #GoBadgers pic.twitter.com/04ff5T4Xdb

— Daniel Freitag (2024) (@DanielFreitag_) June 2, 2023

Per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings, Freitag is the No. 71 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class and the No. 9 PG in the country, making him the fifth-highest-rated prospect in school history.

“The Wisconsin staff has always been great to me; Coach Gard and I are very close,” Freitag told BadgerNotes. “I am also very close to Coach Krabbenhoft and the other UW assistants.”

The Skinny

Wisconsin basketball was the first Power 5 program to offer Daniel Freitag a scholarship after their advanced camp in June 2021, well before he blew up, which is something he didn’t take lightly. The Badgers also reinforced his being a top priority by never offering another player at his position.

Additionally, Coach Gard never took his foot off the gas pedal. He stayed in contact with Freitag far more consistently than other schools throughout the process and even had Freitag on campus six total times. 

Because of their efforts, Wisconsin has its point guard of the future in the fold, where the proverbial keys to the car will be waiting after learning and developing behind Chucky Hepburn for one season. 

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

What Daniel Freitag Brings to the Wisconsin Basketball Program 

Daniel Freitag, the highest-rated backcourt recruit of the Greg Gard era, is everything you could want from a lead guard.

As a junior, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard averaged 28.8 points per game for Bloomington Jefferson High School en route to being named first-team All-Metro by the Star Tribune.

The Howard Pulley standout has good size for the position, well-above-average athleticism, playmaking ability, and toughness. Freitag also plays with great confidence, can get downhill and finish at the basket, make plays above the rim, and shoots well from beyond the arc.

In short, he’s the total package and a cold-blooded killer the Wisconsin basketball program can build around.

Final Thoughts on Greg Gard, Wisconsin Basketball Program 

In my opinion, this is the biggest recruiting win of the Greg Gard era, or at least on the same level as keeping Johnny Davis home.

Coach Gard has shown a willingness to adapt and pick up the pace when the roster warrants it, as evidenced by the Badgers finishing No. 215 in adjusted tempo, according to KenPom, during the 2021-22 season when Wisconsin won the Big Ten regular season title. I wouldn’t be shocked to see UW modify its approach to accentuate the strengths of its personnel moving forward. I cannot stress enough how big of a recruiting win this is for the program.

Freitag joins three-star forward Jack Robison from Lakeville North High School in Minnesota as the second verbal commit in the 2024 recruiting class.

Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.

Follow this link and use promo code: BADGERNOTES for 25% off your next True Classic order.

Join the Badger Notes watch party and stream Wisconsin Badgers games by following this link.

*Subscribe to Locked on Badgers on Youtube and wherever you find podcasts, the only daily Wisconsin Badgers podcast on the internet.