Summer evaluation preview: Small forwards

The summer evaluation period begins Wednesday with big AAU tournaments across the country. Greg Gard's staff, coming off a difficult 2017-18 season, will be busy on the recruiting front as they look to add pieces to their future recruiting classes.

Live Period No. 1: July 11 (5 p.m.) – 15 (5 p.m.)

Live Period No. 2: July 18 (5 p.m.) – 22 (5 p.m.)

Live Period No. 3: July 25 (5 p.m.) – 29 (5 p.m.)

The following are small forwards Wisconsin will likely make it a point to see next week and beyond.

Note: The "top target" listed does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Wisconsin coaching staff.

POINT GUARDS | SHOOTING GUARDS |

Wisconsin's lone commitment in the 2019 class is from projected small forward Tyler Wahl, who pledged to the Badgers late last month. The three-star prospect from Minnesota chose UW over offers from from Baylor, Colorado State, Drake, Iowa State, Minnesota and Northwestern, among others.

"I think that Tyler would fit pretty well in just about anyone's system," Wahl's high school coach, John Oxton, told BadgerBlitz.com. "But at Wisconsin, they value kids like Tyler who have a very high motor and are very skilled players. What sets Tyler a part from other kids in his versatility. At 6-foot-7, he can run the offense at point, he can play the wing, he can score in the post, he can defend and he can rebound.

"He just does everything very well and I think his competitive attitude and his winning mentality is pretty special. They are getting a super well-rounded, competitive kid who is going to be a really good player for them."

Moving forward, it would be surprising to see Wisconsin offer another scholarship at the position in the 2019 class. Four-star Malik Hall currently has an offer but seems like a long-shot at this point.

In the junior cycle, five-star in-state wing Jalen Johnson has been atop Gard's wishlist for well over a year. The standout from Sun Prairie High School will likely have a UW coach at every game he plays for Phenom University in the month of March.

Even further down the road, the Badgers will have yet another big-time talent in their own backyard. Sussex Hamilton's Patrick Baldwin Jr. has yet to pick up an offer from the Badgers, but it's probably just a matter of time at this point. He and Johnson play on the same AAU team, meaning Wisconsin will see plenty of the rising sophomore this month.