Badger of Honor
Fansided

Wisconsin Basketball: Top 4 remaining targets in the class of 2020

By Sam Land

IOWA CITY, IOWA- NOVEMBER 30: Head coach Greg Gard of the Wisconsin Badgers watches the action in the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes runs on November 30, 2018 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- NOVEMBER 30: Head coach Greg Gard of the Wisconsin Badgers watches the action in the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes runs on November 30, 2018 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
Wisconsin Basketball
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

#1 – Steven Crowl

Position: Center

Hometown: Saint Paul, MN

Rankings: 3-star (No. 24 C, No. 143 overall)

Other offers: Minnesota, Colorado, Iowa, Northern Iowa, and South Dakota

A few months ago, few Wisconsin fans who closely follow recruiting even knew who Crowl was, but he should now be considered the top target left on the Badgers’ board.

The staff really began to ramp up its interest in the 6’10 Saint Paul native following his breakout performance at Wisconsin’s team camp in June. After watching him a bit more during the July evaluation period, the Badgers extended an offer on July 9.  Iowa and Colorado are two other teams that are still in the picture at this point, but it looks as though this recruitment will ultimately be a border battle between Wisconsin and the hometown team, Minnesota.

I’m definitely in agreement with Greg Gard and company on this one: Crowl perfectly fits the mold of the typical inside-out big man that Wisconsin loves to have in its system. On tape, he almost looks like a clone of what current Badger Nate Reuvers looked like coming out of high school with his lanky frame, reliable outside shot, and nimble footwork in the post. He even comes from the same AAU squad as Reuvers in D1 Minnesota, a program that has been very friendly to the Badgers in recent years.

Given how raw his body is, I’m not sure Crowl is a guy who would be ready to come into Madison and play major minutes in year one, but then again neither was Reuvers, and he’s now poised to be one of the Big Ten’s breakout players this season. As I’ve said before, there aren’t many programs who develop prospects like Crowl better than Wisconsin, and the sky would be the limit for him in the Cardinal and White. This tradition is not being lost on Crowl, as there’s been a lot of buzz throughout Wisconsin fan circles that he could be favoring Bucky at this time.

Ultimately, while it’ll be tough for him to say no to the Gophers, I think it’ll be even more difficult to turn down the elite developmental path that the Badgers can offer him. In addition to being Wisconsin’s top remaining target, I also feel confident in saying that he’s the guy on this list most likely to play his college ball in Madison.

Next. Wisconsin's all-time starting five. dark

All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.com