It appears it will only be a matter of time before the Wisconsin coaching staff extends a scholarship offer to another prospect from the 2009 class.

Jacob Jenkins, according to his father, expects to be offered by UW when the two find a chance to visit Madison some time in the near future.

"It will be official once we get up there," David Jenkins told BadgerBlitz.com Monday night. "They (UW) picked up on Jake during AAU this past summer at a few events. We want to do it all in person. We wouldn't be coming for a visit if it were not a potential school for Jake.

"I can tell you we do love Wisconsin basketball. I've been a fan of coach Bo Ryan for a while now"

No visit has been planned yet, but the two have tried twice in the past month to make the trip.

A 6-foot-4, 185-pound junior from Louisville (KY) DuPont Manual, Jenkins is enjoying a successful junior campaign, especially during a holiday tournament stretch in December.

"In three top holiday tournaments, Jake averaged 22 points in the Defenders of the Game, 19 per game in King of the Bluegrass and 18 in the Louisville Invitational," Jenkins said. "Jake is averaging about 18 points, seven boards, 3.5 assists and two steals per and game and hitting close to 60 percent from the field and 44 percent from the arc during the regular season."

Jenkins has garnered the attention from a number of schools, but it sounds as if Wisconsin sits very high atop his list.

"Other schools that Jake has visited at least once include Iowa, Indiana and Florida," Jenkins said. "They all continue to stay in contact. Jake also just took an unofficial to Western Kentucky for their last game against Arkansas State. Dayton, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame and Butler are there, too.

"But Wisconsin is a team noted for playing hard-nosed basketball and Jake really likes the system UW plays on both ends of the court. Geography does count somewhat in the search, but it is not relevant with Wisconsin."

The late surge in his prep career may be due to his young standing within his class. Jenkins will still be 17 when he graduates high school and is now just beginning to mature physically, according to his father.

Regardless of age, the idea of committing early is intriguing for both Jake and his father.

"He is getting closer," said the elder Jenkins in regards to his son's college decision. "The idea of selecting a school and being able to focus on training and preparing for his senior year and college is a factor now."

It's believed Wisconsin will have three scholarships open for the 2009 class. UW is interested in a handful of players in that class, a list that includes Jamil Wilson, Jack Cooley, Jordan Prosser, Kyle Rowley, Diamond Taylor and Royce White among others.

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