Wisconsin Basketball Battling Tough Competition for Key Recruiting Target

Senior shooting guard Kon Knueppel of Wisconsin Lutheran has been on the Wisconsin basketball coaching staff‘s radar for years. However, his breakout performances on the AAU circuit have quickly turned the battle for his services into a national recruiting battle featuring some of the country’s top programs. 

The 6-foot-6 three-point sniper averaged 22.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, shooting 50% from the field and a blistering 46.7% from beyond the arc on the EYBL circuit. 

Shortly after that, Knueppel picked up an offer from Alabama and Duke. Mark Miller is reporting that he will take official visits to both schools, the first being Alabama on September 8-10, followed by one to Duke on September 15-17. 

Wisconsin Basketball Has Its Work Cut Out for Them in Kon Knueppel Sweepstakes

Wisconsin basketball wants to add Kon Knueppel to their 2024 recruiting class in the worst way imaginable. His game is cookie-cutter made for the Badgers offensive system.

Per the 247Sports Composite rankings, Knueppel is the No. 20 overall player in his recruiting class and is currently considering Virginia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Louisville, Marquette, Stanford, and UW. UCLA and Gonzaga have also expressed interest.

Knueppel has already taken official visits to Virginia, Notre Dame, Stanford, and Louisville. Marquette and Wisconsin basketball have each received countless unofficial due to their proximity to home.

“I’m going to be looking for a place where I can get better, a place that I will have the opportunity to play right away,” Knueppel said. “Winning will be big for me, too. I want to play for a team that will win.”

Where Does Wisconsin Basketball Stand? 

According to a source, UW treated Knueppel’s most recent unofficial visit to Madison like an “official” and knocked it out of the park. But the longer this recruitment drags on (and I don’t think the finish line is in sight), the harder it will be for Wisconsin to land their man.

“Being the hometown hero there [Wisconsin basketball], that’s really intriguing,” Knueppel told reporters. “They have a great program, and they think I fit really well into how they play, and a lot of others also say I fit how they play.”

Knueppel has excellent size for his position and an overall terrific feel for the game. His jumper is pure, and I am comfortable saying he’s the top shooter in the 2024 recruiting cycle. If Greg Gard and his staff can find a way to pair Knueppel with four-star point guard Daniel Freitag and three-star wing Jack Robison, it could arguably be the best class in school history.

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