OT: Badger Basketball 2014-2015

[Kerb Hohl]

Wanted to start a new thread given that we are reminded of Kentucky if we bump the IGT and the other Badger thread ran its course.

Recruiting:
They could have 4-6 scholarships next year depending on how things go. From what I peruse on Twitter off and on, this is what I see.

PG - Jarvis Johnson 10-20% chance. From Minneapolis and has the Badgers in the mix but there have been whispers of a Minnesota silent commit for a while (though he recently debunked that).
SG - Brevin Pritzl - reports are he's about to get an offer and take it. He's rising up the charts. Smooth shooting 6'3" SG from De Pere. I'll put this at 90% because I'm going off a report that there is mutual interest.
SG/SF - Billy Wampler - Athletic wing that they've had their eyes on from Eau Claire. Seems somewhat in the realm of Pritzl that has been a recent riser but a bit more competition/uncertainty.
PF - Henry Ellenson - 4-star 6'9" PF. 50% I'd say (optimistic now). Wisconsin had a lead but Marquette came back in and Duke, Kansas, and MSU are knocking.
PF - Josh Sharma - 4-star 7 foot skilled man from Massachusetts. Duke and others are talking but he's seemed UW all the way. 80%.
C - Diamond Stone - Most of you know about him. 5% chance for UW or MU probably. UNC has taken a lead and UCLA is in.

[ReasonablySober]

I hear quite a bit about Ellenson up here. Unlike other hyped recruits from the area recently, Ellenson's legit. He'd be a perfect fit in Bo's system.

[trwi7]

I like that Pretzel guy.

[humanrefutation]

Ellenson has been getting a lot of publicity here in Rice Lake. One of my coworkers has kids at Rice Lake High and she went to a basketball game this past season, and saw Bo Ryan and a cadre of other UW folks sitting in the stands.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

My 2 cents on a couple of prospects:

- Johnson: My Gopher pessimism says he is a Badger lean at the moment. He seems to really like the way they use their PGs. He'll likely end up in Madison or stay home because he has a heart condition and as a result the family wants to be close just in case the unthinkable happens.

- Ellenson: Seems like the Ellensons may be trying parlay Henry's elite status into a package deal that includes his older brother Wally, who is looking to transfer to play basketball and do track. Wojo has expressed interest in Wally so it seems like he may be open to the package. The Ellensons are bat **** crazy btw.

[Kerb Hohl]

Seems to be maybe a bit more of a sense of entitlement in the Ellenson family but he should fit.

Seems like even more than usual this year's WI crop has guys that would fit Bo's system. Stone would fit anyone's but I don't see him going there.

[Mags FTW]

Does MU have a track team?

[Mags FTW]

I like that Pretzel guy.

Snyder's had these new Bacon Cheddar pieces that are amazing.

[Kerb Hohl]

- Ellenson: Seems like the Ellensons may be trying parlay Henry's elite status into a package deal that includes his older brother Wally, who is looking to transfer to play basketball and do track. Wojo has expressed interest in Wally so it seems like he may be open to the package. The Ellensons are bat **** crazy btw.

I've gotten this sentiment from my friends here and I think it's a bit overblown. I think it's a bit of an overrated load of sour grapes just like the Badgers trash the Uhtoff family and Vander Blue as well as MU/Badger fans with the Maymons (though that one may be legit with his dad).

Part of the difference is that Wally wasn't good enough at basketball. I don't think getting Wally a scholarship will matter much. Pitino seemed to notify him he wasn't playing basketball on that team hoping it would open a scholarship for them so I don't know if any big program is going to waste a schollie to get Henry. Of course, all it takes is one.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

Does MU have a track team?

I would assume so otherwise Wally wouldn't be interested in Marquette. The kid has Olympic high jump potential. I am also pretty sure Marquette has a track down in the valley by Poto. I am really not sure if they have a program though, maybe they just have a track for club/rec sports.

Edit: They have track... http://www.gomarquette.com/sports/c-tra ... -body.html

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

- Ellenson: Seems like the Ellensons may be trying parlay Henry's elite status into a package deal that includes his older brother Wally, who is looking to transfer to play basketball and do track. Wojo has expressed interest in Wally so it seems like he may be open to the package. The Ellensons are bat **** crazy btw.

I've gotten this sentiment from my friends here and I think it's a bit overblown. I think it's a bit of an overrated load of sour grapes just like the Badgers trash the Uhtoff family and Vander Blue as well as MU/Badger fans with the Maymon's (though that one may be legit with his dad).

Part of the difference is that Wally wasn't good enough at basketball. I don't think getting Wally a scholarship will matter much. Pitino seemed to notify him he wasn't playing basketball on that team hoping it would open a scholarship for them so I don't know if any big program is going to waste a schollie to get Henry.

Maybe. They tried to pull some stunt with a local newspaper to begin the season, telling them that Pitino and Wally had an altercation in the locker room. Wally's dad was supposedly the one who went to the newspaper. The parents also posted on GH and did a lot of trashing of other players and complaining about Wally's lack of playing time. The parents are overly involved, imo. Kind of like Maymon's dad.

With all that being said. Taking on Henry despite his parents is a no brainer. The kid is a flat out stud.

[ReasonablySober]

From what I've heard, both from folks in EC and family that like in RL, nothing about that family is overblown.

[Kerb Hohl]

Yeah I think the thing with it is that Henry is enough of a stud that you hope parents wouldn't be as big of a deal. If it was somehow UW, you may have to deal with issues of him not being a full-time PF/C with Hayes and maybe Vitto Brown in the mix...but he should play fairly early.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

I think Henry could play center for Wisconsin. So if they missed out on Diamond, Henry may be a legit option at the starting 5 spot.

[LUKE23]

Ellenson is about as perfect a fit with Hayes as you could find. After next season Kaminsky is gone, and the odds are decent Dekker will be too (some will debate that), but a rotation of Hayes/Ellenson/Happ/Brown at PF/C is still pretty damn formidable.

Badgers really need to land a dynamic wing to go with Koenig.

[MikeIsGood]

"Pretzel" needs to raise his release point, from the limited video I have seen. It isn't necessarily detrimental, but it would serve him very well to start his shot higher.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

Couple of other schools that are looking at both Ellenson brothers are Texas Tech and Baylor. Texas Tech has a top 10 track program and obviously Tubby likes Wally since he offered him at Minnesota. Baylor, like Marquette, is probably another school only showing interest in Wally to get Henry. Scott Drew is a slimey recruiter so he'd probably take on the 3rd brother (currently at Bemidji State) if it meant he'd get Henry.

[Waukee Taukee]

The Ellensons are bat **** crazy btw.

If Wisconsin misses on Ellenson, I'll chalk it up to Bo's refusal to put up with the Ellensons' bull ****.

[chonestown]

Pretty much have written off Stone at this point. Sounds like he's stomping through AAU ball. If he was ever going to be a UW commit, it would have happened months ago. Would be fine with either Ellenson or Sharma.

Don't know anything about the LaCrosse kid. Rise mostly based on his spring start, right?

[Kerb Hohl]

I'm assuming you mean the Eau Claire kid (Wampler), right? He's just rising recently. 6'5" athletic wing that can shoot. Starting to play well in good competition it sounds like.