8/9/2019 basketball Edit

2020 F Carter Gilmore: "My dream since I was a kid" to play at Wisconsin

Grant Matheny

BadgerBlitz.com Recruiting Writer

After an opportunity to play for the University of Wisconsin was extended Tuesday, Carter Gilmore needed less than 48 hours to make his college decision.

Late Thursday night, the 2020 forward announced he had accepted a preferred walk-on opportunity at UW. And despite earning scholarship offers from DePaul, Brown, UW Milwaukee and Appalachian State, among others, the 6-foot-7, 200-pound in-state senior from Arrowhead High School knew which university he wanted to attend.

“I was just ready to be a Badger,” Gilmore told BadgerBlitz.com. “It has been my dream since I was a kid to play at Wisconsin.

“I pretty much knew right away. In the end, it was a pretty easy decision"

Gilmore explained that after UW offered him the preferred walk-on spot he talked with his family and decided that Wisconsin was the right fit for him. The reigning Classic 8 player of the year said that he has mainly talked with Joe Krabbenhoft and Greg Gard during the recruiting process

"When recruiting me they [Gard and Krabbenhoft] have always been upfront and honest with me,” Gilmore said. "Coach (Dean) Oliver has come to a lot of my games, but we don't talk as much. Obviously, yesterday he reached out to me and congratulated me.

"Coach Gard said that it was a great start to his vacation and that it put a smile on his face.”

Gilmore, who joined Lorne Bowman, Johnny Davis and Jordan Davis as Badgers' commits from the 2020 class, tallied 6.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest while playing with Phenom University on the Nike EYBL circuit this summer.

“They [the Badgers staff] just like how versatile I am, that I can play multiple positions and that I have a high IQ for the game,” Gilmore said. "Obviously I have battled against Jordan and Johnny for a while now because we are both from Wisconsin. And playing with Lorne will be a lot of fun.

"We should have a really good class.”

The Badgers are expected to still have room for at least one more scholarship player in the current cycle.