Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers secured a nice commitment with seven-footer Jack Thelen out of Maple Grove, Minnesota. A move that may help shape the Badgers’ frontcourt for years to come. The idea is pretty simple: you can’t teach size.
Landing a legit seven-footer is difficult in today’s transfer-driven college basketball landscape. Even Thelen’s listed weight (hovering around 235-240 pounds) could be a major advantage once developed within the program’s system.
Wisconsin’s long-term approach is to get Thelen into the program and allow him to develop as many Badgers big men over the last several years. Thelen isn’t expected to crack the rotation immediately. He represents a lottery ticket that could become an answer to some of the larger frontcourts the Badgers routinely see in the Big Ten.
What makes Thelen stand out? Start with his strong footwork, rare for a high schooler his size. He flashes the ability to combine a variety of post moves while staying balanced, using drop steps, pivots, and counters. On film, Thelen also shows he’s been well coached, keeping the ball high off passes and rebounds to finish quickly at the rim.
Recruiting a player like Thelen isn’t just about on-court fit; it demonstrates the need to add size in today’s college game. In the modern portal era, landing and developing size internally is more cost-effective than chasing expensive transfers every offseason.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball: Scouting seven-footer Jack Thelen
