BadgerBlitz.com dives into its message board to take questions from subscribers in this week's mailbag.
Any idea when some of the 2024 basketball targets are going to commit? Have you heard anything about Jackson McAndrew and Royce Parham? We could definitely use one of them for some added front court depth.
I’ll start with the second question, and maybe it will blend into the first part. Wisconsin is in a good spot right now with Jackson McAndrew, and he seems like someone who could commit a bit earlier in comparison to other targets in the 2024 class. UW’s top competition this fall was Creighton, but offers this winter from Iowa and Xavier could make things interesting.
In the end, I think McAndrew, who was in attendance for the Badgers’ loss to Northwestern, ends up in Madison. It seems like a great fit all the way around, and Wisconsin already has a commitment from his AAU teammate, Jack Robison.
As far as Royce Parham, I don’t see that one happening for the Badgers. He’s taken officials to Wisconsin, Penn State, Xavier, Notre Dame and Marquette but has not provided a timeline for a commitment. The Nittany Lions make the most sense right now because of his family connections to the school, but that’s far from a lock.
With the other prospects Wisconsin is connected to - Kon Knueppel, Daniel Freitag and Nick Janowski, among others - decisions this summer, at the earliest, appear more realistic. Looking at the upcoming AAU schedule, there are live periods on April 21-23, April 28-30, July 6-9 and July 25-30. It wouldn’t be surprising to see all three wait until after those periods are over. Freitag still needs to decide what sport he wants to pursue at the next level.
Has the staff given you a schedule of access at spring practices? Will The Launch (spring game) be televised? How will it differ from a traditional spring game?
Local reporters have not yet been given a spring camp schedule. The Launch on April 22 will serve as an open practice for fans, but it doesn’t sound like it will be a traditional spring game at Camp Randall. Rather, it is expected to be more of an open practice with certain portions featuring an 11-on-11 format. Paul Chryst had a similar setup in years past, and I don’t anticipate the event being televised.
