De Pere's Zach Kinziger, an ESPN Top 100 recruit and a Badger commit, was named as one of the six finalists for the Mr. Basketball award in the state of Wisconsin. His competition will be Amari Allen, Jamarion Bateman, Gavin Gores, Xzavion Mitchell, and Aaron Womack.
Badger commit Zach Kinziger is making a strong case for the best player in Wisconsin
Kinziger, who has been committed to the Badgers since August of 2023, is enjoying a strong senior year at De Pere. The Wisconsin commit is averaging 26.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. He's a great shooter and has his team primed for a run at the state title.
Winning the award for the four-star recruit would not only be big for him, but for Badger basketball as well. The knock on Greg Gard and the Badgers has always been their inability to keep top recruits in-state. Top in-state players like Tyler Herro, Tyrese Haliburton, and Kon Kneuppel all ended up selecting other schools on their way to stardom. Winning the 2025 Mr. Basketball would be one of the biggest recruiting wins of Gard's tenure.
Kinziger will face steep competition, but has an outside chance at winning the award, where the winner will be announced at the state tournament. Other nominees like Allen, Mitchell, and Batemon were all Badger targets at one point.
Joining Kinziger in the 2025 class is another in-state product, Middleton's Will Garlock, who is a three-star center. While not a top class in the country, Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers have done a nice job this cycle in keeping talent home, something that has previously eluded him.