MADISON, Wis. – John Tonje was falling in love with the University of New Mexico and closing in on giving the Lobos his commitment when he noticed a missed call from the coaching staff at the University of Wisconsin.

The Badgers staff had reached out to him before without much success. Whatever the reason, as he neared his commitment, the 6-6 sixth-year wing told himself to listen to Wisconsin’s sales pitch.

“Things moved pretty fast, and Wisconsin was almost an hour late in recruiting me,” Tonje told BadgerBlitz.com. “It was a tough decision, but it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Playing for Wisconsin is a huge honor, I was super excited to get the call, and I can’t wait to go there and represent.”

Just days after committing to New Mexico out of the transfer portal, Tonje announced Thursday that he’ll spend his last season of college eligibility in Wisconsin’s program. A native of North Omaha, Nebraska, he is the third transfer to commit to the Badgers in the last eight days, joining former Central Arkansas point guard Camren Hunter and former Northern Illinois forward Xavier Amos to help strengthen Wisconsin’s roster.

Head coach Greg Gard said in a statement that Tonje, “has good positional size, strength, and the ability to help impact our team immediately on both ends of the floor. He is a multidimensional wing with the ability to shoot the 3, score off the bounce, and get to the free throw line.”

Arguably the most important for Wisconsin, Tonje brings experience to a roster that lost three starters off last year’s roster.

He played 122 games (46 starts) over four years at Colorado State and was second on the Rams in scoring in 2022-23 at 14.6 points per game and accumulated 1,051 points, 359 rebounds, and 102 assists with the Rams, shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from three-point range.

Tonje mentioned “fit” several times in talking about why the Badgers and he are perfect fits for each other, hearing from the coaching staff over the phone and seeing in person during a campus visit this past week how he can impact next year’s team with his shooting, scoring, and facilitating.

“I’m always somebody who wants to get better,” Tonje said. “I think this system will help me do that. What they do offensively and defensively is really good and fits my game where I want to get to. There’s a ton of talent, tons of great players around me with Steven Crowl, Max Klesmit, and the transfers coming in. I think I can bring a level of competitiveness and love for the game.

“The coaches really insisted that this was a great fit for me. They wouldn’t be reaching out if they didn’t see that fit. I’ve known about Wisconsin basketball for years, watching them in March Madness beat Kentucky. I knew a little bit about Wisconsin prior, but the mix of the coaches and knowing about Wisconsin basketball made me want to look into it.

“Madison was super cool. The whole town had a unique vibe that I had never seen in college. The people there embraced me and were right there with me the whole time. It felt like home.”

Tonje played at Missouri last season but was never healthy after suffering a preseason foot injury. Having surgery to correct the problem in September, the injury never fully healed as he tried to be ready for the beginning of the season, resulting in him playing only eight games before being shut down in late January.

“By the time I felt like myself again, it was already too late in the season,” Tonje said. “I felt it was based to save that eligibility and come back for another full year.”

He entertained the thought of returning to Missouri but felt a fresh start was best suited for him. He said his flip from New Mexico to Wisconsin was also basketball-based and not due to a better NIL package.

“I don’t handle that side,” he said. “I have an agent that handles that. I just make sure the basketball fit is right and I’m around the right people. I make my pick off of basketball. There’s so much going on and so much to worry about. At the end of the day, I just want to play basketball. I thought it was a best fit to play here at Wisconsin.”

A dual citizen of Cameroon, where his father was born and raised, Tonje played for the Cameroon National Team last summer during the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Nigeria. He helped Cameroon to a perfect 4-0 record and advance to the final rounds of the qualifying tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

He was invited to rejoin the national team this summer for more qualifying rounds as it tries to earn a spot in the Paris Olympics this July but declined to focus on his new program.

“I would have loved to, but I turned it down because I have to get to Madison as soon as I can to start meshing with my teammates,” Tonje said. “I think it’s super important to get started in Madison and hit the ground running.

“I only have one year, so I’m here to give it my all and get as close as I can with my teammates.”

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