MADISON, Wis. – In the challenging college landscape, having rosters impacted by the transfer portal and booming name, image, and likeness agreements, the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program went back to a familiar formula to fill its recruiting class: lockdown the best players in the state.

When the Badgers announce their 2025 signing class on Wednesday, DePere guard Zach Kinziger and Middleton center Will Garlock will be the first in-state players to sign with the Badgers since La Crosse’s Johnny Davis and Jordan Davis inked with Greg Gard’s program in 2019.

With an offense that has begun to rely heavily on perimeter shooting and low-post play, the Badgers’ coaching staff hopes it addressed both needs without having to travel outside the state’s border.

Before he officially signs up with the program, BadgerBlitz.com takes a closer look at Kinziger and how his addition improves the program.

Kinziger averaged 8.2 points per game (46.3 FG, 42.2 3FG) his freshman season on varsity before making a big jump into his sophomore season, increasing his scoring (15.4), shooting (56.3), and perimeter shooting (43.0). Playing next to his brother John, who was the team's scoring leader at 18.8 points per game, De Pere won the Division 1 state championship with a 30-0 record.

Stepping into the role of team leader last season, Kinziger averaged 19.9 points (49.9 FG, 42.5 3FG), 5.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. De Pere finished with a 26-2 record and saw its season end in the sectional finals.

“The first thing that sticks out to me (about last season) is what we didn’t accomplish, which was a state championship,” Kinziger said. “That was our goal the whole year. We were one of the front runners for that whole year and had the expectation of state championship or bust, which is sometimes an unfair expectation. It still weighs on you, but it was our main goal.

“It was still a success of a season. For me personally, I feel like I grew in my leadership for sure. That’s the main thing after my brother graduated. I took on more of a point guard role, a leadership role. Working at the point guard was a big thing for me, too. I averaged a couple more assists and made the right reads. My skills got better from my sophomore to junior year, shooting, defending, and getting a little big stronger.”

The first commitment in Wisconsin’s 2024 class, Kinziger committed to Wisconsin over offers from Cal Poly, Green Bay, Illinois State, and Toledo. Rated the No.133 overall prospect in the class by Rivals.com, and the No.44 shooting guard, Kinziger said schools stopped recruiting him after his commitment.

Kinziger dreamt of playing for the Badgers from a young age, so much so that interested schools were wary about spending too much effort recruiting him.

“Schools asked if they should even bother recruiting me, asking if I was already sold on Wisconsin,” he said. “That was before I was even committed. A lot of schools realized that was the place I needed to be at.”

The dream became a reality in June 2023. After being evaluated by Gard and the staff during the spring, Kinziger’s play during the school’s advanced camp led the staff to give him his first power-four scholarship offer.

Thinking Wisconsin was the school for him, Kinziger came to campus for a few more unofficial visits before pulling the trigger in August 2023.

“Wisconsin was the school for me,” Kinziger said. “It was my dream school. Coach (Joe) Krabbenhoft said to me before I was committed that a lot of kids say this school or that school is their dream school but then they get the offer and don’t commit right away. Was it really their dream school? I used his advice and committed. Wisconsin was the school I wanted to play at since I was a little kid, growing up and being from Wisconsin. It was a no-brainer for me. The coaching staff was great, being close to home, the tradition that Wisconsin has, everything was right there for me in my home state.

“It would have been kind of cool to go through the recruiting process a little bit more, take some visits, but I really didn’t feel a need to do that.”

“I’ve seen past players and current players right now that I can envision myself playing like. They are trying to tempo up the offense a little bit more, speed up a little bit, get a little bit more push and going, which is something I thrive on. Players like Brad Davison, Bronson Koenig, Brevin Pritzl, and Max Klesmit, I see similarities to myself there and how they’ve thrived in that system. I think I can match that and be a great fit.”

“Obviously shooting is the big one that jumps out to everyone. Being able to spread the floor and be a threat beyond the arc is a big part to my game, but there are other things, too, like attacking closeouts, finding teammates, playing with two feet at the rim. I have some underrated skills I think I could bring to the team, even running off some ball screens, playing the point, and facilitating a little bit. I think defensively I can definitely hold my own at that level in my opinion. My shooting is definitely something I can bring things, but I think I have some more to offer.”

“First and foremost is hitting the weight room. When you ask most people about me playing at the Big Ten level, that’s the biggest question mark. Being able to handle the ball against bigger and stronger guards will be a big thing for me to work on as I go forward. I get to see it in AAU quite a bit, but I am not always at the one. I am always at the one with my high school team but the opponents aren’t as big and strong as the ones I am going to see in the Big Ten.”

“A lot of people didn’t like the way Wisconsin played in the past with Bo Ryan when it was a slower tempo and lower possessions. I think high volume, three-point shots, getting up and down the court a little bit faster is a little more entertaining, and I think that’s perfect for me because it fits how I play. I like to get up and down the court, shoot transition threes, and move off away screens and ball screens.

“I think that this year they’ll be really good on the offensive end with the presence of (Steven) Crowl still in the middle, where you can still play off him, but you have four shooters on the court that you can get the ball to at any given time. I’m excited to see what they can do this year because I think they are a little bit under the radar. They got the potential to be really good this year, so I am excited.”

No longer a program that can survive winning games in the 40s and 50s, the Badgers have started to push toward an offense that wants to push the tempo and shoot perimeter shots. That’s right in Kinziger’s wheelhouse. UW sees a combo guard who does nearly everything at a high level, especially when it comes to his comfort level running an offense and controlling the tempo.

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