Greg Gard has a clear 4-star priority after Jalen Brown committed to Wisconsin

Greg Gard finally has some momentum in the 2027 recruiting class by landing top-100 4-star guard Jalen Brown from Milwaukee. Gard may only be looking for one or two more in the class, and now the strategy becomes a lot clearer. The next player that Gard has to find a way to get to be a Badger is another top-100 player and the No. 2 player in Minnesota, Baboucarr Ann.

Brown gives Wisconsin a talented, ready-to-go guard for next season. There's even some talk about how he could be a potential one-and-done, but let's not run too far ahead. He's at least a potential starter next year and a hometown hero. He is an elite scorer and can make baskets from every level. However, there will be a slight adjustment to the college game.

This won't take him long, but he will be adjusting, especially on the defensive end. For a high schooler, Brown is elite here, but Gard's defense always pushes high schoolers up a notch.

Greg Gard needs to push the pedal down on Wisconsin's recruitment of Baboucarr Ann

Related: 3 steps Greg Gard has to take now that 4-star Jalen Brown is in the fold

Adding Baboucarr Ann would give Gard another freshman option immediately. Ann is also a natural scorer and a wing/guard; he broke his school's single-game scoring record with 47 points last season. Ann is now 6'5 and closing in on 200 pounds, and most likely projects as a small forward or wing with some guard abilities.

Ann is one of Gard's top targets, and the Badgers have had him on campus, been to his events, and even sent coaches to his high school in Maple Grove. Ann seems to be high on Wisconsin, Iowa State, and hometown Minnesota. He holds almost ten offers but has growing interest from all over the country. Getting him earlier is better than later if Gard wants to lock him up. Ann has recently picked up offers from Grand Canyon and Providence.

That scoring record he set at Maple Grove High School was previously held by Brad Davison. Yes, Wisconsin legend and now assistant coach Brad Davison. As Davison has worked to recruit Ann, they've even teased about that exact thing. “We joked about it a lot. Then he’s like, ‘You can come break my scoring record at Wisconsin.'" (via Evan Flood)

Also Read: Incoming Badger is making noise again on the international hoops circuit

Now that Brown is in the fold, Ann becomes the top priority, and Gard is working on setting up a visit with the 4-star (nearly 5-star) forward from Minnesota. Basketball recruiting works on a bit of a different timeline than football. Brown's commitment is considered relatively early, and the real aggressive recruiting season picks up later in June and into July.

2027 could really feature the backcourt of Owen Foxwell, Jalen Brown, and Baboucarr Ann, and that's a group that would be hard to slow down. It would also be the first time that Greg Gard has landed two top-100 recruits in his tenure. Make it happen!

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