Wisconsin Basketball: More to Come in Program-Altering 2024 Recruiting Class

Coach Gard and the Wisconsin basketball staff have recruited a historic class for 2024. But the Badgers are far from finished.

Let’s explore what Wisconsin has already accomplished in the 2024 recruiting cycle — and who the top remaining targets are on the Badgers board this summer.

Who has committed to the Badgers so far?

So far, Wisconsin basketball has procured a pair of Minnesota natives in Jack Robison and Daniel Freitag. Robison is a 6-foot-6 wing attending Lakeville North High School outside of Minneapolis. This school is the alma mater of former recruits Nate Reuvers, Tyler Wahl, and Nolan Winter, giving it a track record of success for the Wisconsin program.

Freitag, a 6-foot-2 point guard, is the 2024 #1 ranked basketball and football player in Minnesota (although he will be transferring to Southern California Academy in the fall). After committing to Wisconsin in early June, Freitag announced he would solely focus on basketball. Freitag’s 4-star ranking as the number eight point guard in the country (per 247Sports) makes the dual-sport star the highest-ranked Wisconsin basketball recruit of the Greg Gard era.

This title of highest-ranked recruit could change hands very soon. Coach Gard and his staff are far from finished in what is shaping up to be a program-altering recruiting class.

Who are the Wisconsin basketball program’s top remaining targets?

Meet Kon Knueppel and Jackson McAndrew. Knueppel is a 6-foot-6 small forward hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. According to 247Sports, he is the 19th player in the nation and the number one player in Wisconsin. A commitment to don red and white would make Kneuppel the biggest in-state get since Sam Dekker in 2012. He boasts arguably the best three-point shot in his class and has soared up recruiting rankings.

Frontrunners for the Knueppel sweepstakes include Virginia, Marquette, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, and Duke. Duke was the most recent school to offer the Wisconsinite.

Kneuppel has also reportedly received interest from UCLA and Gonzaga. This means his recruitment has expanded from local interest to blue-blood territory. Wisconsin basketball cannot compete with these schools in Name Image Likeness (NIL) money. Nor can they match their recent NBA player development. However, Wisconsin can offer Knueppel the opportunity to be a hometown star, immediate playing time, and the chance to join an already-loaded recruiting class.

A look at Wisconsin basketball target Jackson McAndrew

Badger fans have been scouting Knueppel as a potential program pillar for some time now. However, there is another, more under-the-radar gem lying in familiar territory. Jackson McAndrew is a 6-foot-8 forward from the Minneapolis area. He is also one of the premier shooters in the class of 2024. McAndrew has risen from 167th to 88th in the class (per 247Sports), which will only continue to climb.

McAndrew’s recent net-scorching shooting in Peach Jam, Nike’s premier high school basketball EYBL Tournament is the main cause of this meteoric rise. The Minnesota native’s excellent play led one NBA scout to say that he “has to be the best shooter here.” This was after the Minnesotan dropped 31 and 23 on terrific shooting in consecutive games. Duke (yes, again) has reportedly expressed interest in the sharpshooter. Badger fans can expect numerous big-time schools to start offering him soon.

The Badgers have prioritized McAndrew as a top target. McAndrew has remarked on his good relationship with the Badger coaching staff due to how long they’ve been recruiting him. McAndrew is also the current AAU teammate of Wisconsin basketball commits Jack Robison and Daniel Freitag. These two other Minnesota natives also figure to play a big part in McAndrew’s potential recruitment to Madison.

Final Thoughts

While it seems unlikely that Wisconsin Basketball will add both McAndrew and Knueppel, the realistic prospect of landing either of these snipers gives Badgers fans lots to look forward to.

McAndrew could join his AAU teammates Robison and Freitag to create an impressive trio. This could further prove that Wisconsin owns Minnesota in recruiting. Knueppel could be a hometown hero and the best Wisconsin recruiting get in over a decade.

If Gard and Co. land either of these players, the 2024 class will be up there with the best Wisconsin recruiting classes ever. After a run of disappointing recruiting classes, Wisconsin basketball fans will hope to see the strong recruiting class of 2024 lead the Badgers to NCAA Tournament success once again.

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 Owen Sklansky on Twitter @owensklansky