Better Know A Badger: 2020 forward Ben Carlson

Greg Gard and the Wisconsin coaching staff signed an impressive group of talent in the 2020 recruiting class. With six prospects expected to arrive at UW in June, BadgerBlitz.com checked in with each player to get their thoughts before getting settled on campus.

Ben Carlson, a four-star power forward from Woodbury, Minn., is the highest-ranked prospect in UW’s 2020 class. The all-time leading scorer at East Ridge High School spoke to BadgerBlitz.com about the recruiting process, his personal goals and the future of the Wisconsin basketball program.

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Question: Obviously your high school career just ended, but how much are you looking forward to getting on campus with your new teammates and officially becoming a Badger?

Answer: I am really looking forward to it. I’ve been waiting to get out there ever since the season ended.

Q: How was the recruiting process for you? Did you like talking to all of these college coaches or did it get kind of tiring after a while?

A: I really enjoyed the whole process. I know not many people get to experience it, so I tried to make the most out of the couple years I was being recruited.

Q: And then when you finally ended your recruitment and committed to Wisconsin, how did it feel? Was there a sense of relief?

A: There was a sense of relief as the process was very long and it felt good to be finally committed to a school.

Q: Wisconsin's 2020 recruiting class has a chance to be pretty special. How excited are you for the future of this group?

A: I'm really excited to play with them and I think we're going to help the program a lot in the years to come.

Q: Wisconsin's program is trending in the right direction. Coming off a winning season and then having two great recruiting classes. What do you think this team's potential is in the next couple of years?

A: I think the program is only going to continue to get better coming off a great year last year and I am excited to be a part of it.

Q: Do you have any specific personal goals for your first season on campus?

A: I just want to work as hard as I can and hopefully help the team win a lot of games next year.

Q: What is your main motivation as a basketball player. What drives you to work so hard?

A: I just like to play the game a lot and want to play it professionally one day so that is what motivates me.

Q: Is there any particular pro player who you try to model your game after? Is there Anybody who you really like watching in the NBA?

A: My favorite player is LeBron (James) but I think have some similarities to Gordon Hayward, Giannis (Antetokounmpo), and Kevin Love.

"We are very excited to add Ben to our program," Gard said in a release. "His commitment to academic excellence is extremely impressive, even on a national level. He has challenged himself year in and year out to become as well rounded a student as possible and he's looking forward to continuing to develop at our prestigious university. On the court, Ben has a tremendously diverse skillset that should ultimately allow him to be effective in the post, off the dribble and from the perimeter as a shooter. His skills, combined with his great athletic ability, has us excited to begin working with Ben to help him reach his goals as a Badger."