Badgers are losing the local edge as top 2026 basketball target leaves Wisconsin

The highest-rated recruit Greg Gard and Wisconsin are currently chasing for the 2026 class is in-state high school star Vaughn Karvala. The Badgers have had a little bit of an inside track with Karvala, as he's only in Oregon, Wisconsin, which is less than 20 minutes away from Madison. That inside track has just evaporated, as Karvala will be using his senior season to play for a prep school in Arizona.

Does this spell potential doom for Wisconsin's recruitment of Karvala? It could, especially because lately, his exposure has increased tenfold, and that will only skyrocket now at a prep school.

Vaughn Karvala is leaving the state of Wisconsin to attend a prep school in Arizona

Vaughn Karvala is listed as a 4-star recruit by 24/7 Sports, standing 6'6" tall and closing in on 200 lbs. He's long, athletic, and explosive. His highlight reel shows that he can attack the basket but also can drop an outside shot. He's projected to be a high-flying wing at the college level.

He's the top basketball player in the state of Wisconsin and is listed as the 42nd-best player nationally (24/7 Sports), which is why Wisconsin and Greg Gard have been so high on him. It helps that he played just up the road.

Karvala is now going to spend his last season playing at Bella Vista College Prep to continue to increase his basketball exposure and development. The opportunity at the prep school will allow even more college scouts to watch him and get used to his game. Since Wisconsin doesn't have deep pockets of high-level basketball recruits, Kavala is making a decision to elevate his future with more exposure.

He currently holds seven offers, and the first two that came his way were from Marquette and Wisconsin. However, interest has grown lately, with Iowa and Xavier jumping in the last month. He will start seeing a lot more offers come his way as he transitions to Bella Vista.