One of, if not the biggest complaints surrounding Wisconsin Badger basketball and its overall approach right now is the lack of success when it comes to landing top in-state talent. Over the past handful of years, the Badgers have lost out on numerous players from the state of Wisconsin who have turned into NBA stars, All-American talents or just flat out productive players at other schools. This has understandably left fans a bit frustrated, and that frustration has only continued to grow in recent years.
The 2027 class is viewed as one of the most talented groups in Wisconsin history, making it important that Greg Gard and his staff get their hands on at least one of the top guys. The only problem; the top two names are already off the board as Dooney Johnson has already committed to Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball and Donovan Davis is taking his talents to Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball. However, even with those two off the board, Wisconsin still has its eyes on a couple top talents who have stood out through the early portions of the AAU season.
Jack Kohnen
One of the more quietly impressive prospects in Wisconsin’s 2027 class is forward Jack Kohnen. The 6-foot-6 four-star talent was stellar in his junior year at Slinger High School, posting averages of 20.6 points, 11.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, production good enough to land him numerous high-major offers. However, heading into AAU season there were some significant questions surrounding his jump shooting prowess, as the 33.1% mark he posted from beyond the arc last season wasn't all that glamorous.
However, thus far in AAU, Kohnen has silenced a lot of doubters, cashing in on 43.2% of his three-point looks. Some may attribute that number to the ridiculous 66.7% clip he shot in session three of EYBL play, a percentage that is definitely boosting his overall mark. Nonetheless, Kohnen has looked as impressive as ever and should absolutely remain a name that the Badgers continue to target.
Best 3-point percentage at Nike EYBL Session III. @CerebroSports pic.twitter.com/KqnbKyLAHS
— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) May 26, 2026
Deuce McDuffie
Fellow highly ranked forward and AAU teammate of Kohnen, Deuce McDuffie, has also picked up some recruiting momentum in the early days of the AAU season. McDuffie is fresh off a solid junior year at Nicolet High School, where he averaged 16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He has since carried that momentum into AAU play, where he continues to showcase his versatility.
McDuffie is posting averages of 9.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting an impressive 50% from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-7 forward has played a point-forward role of sorts for Team Herro. McDuffie is still rough around the edges and has a ways to go developmentally, but for now he appears to be trending in the right direction — making him an intriguing recruiting target for Wisconsin.
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