Greg Gard has identified his next target in the 2018 recruiting class.
Friday evening, Wisconsin's head coach extended a scholarship to Nate Laszewski, a four-star prospect from Massachusetts. The Badgers are looking to add one more scholarship athlete to a class that already includes four-star Tyler Herro.
The 6-foot-10, 205-pound rising senior has strong ties to Wisconsin. His father, Jay Laszewski, played basketball for the Badgers from 1983-86 and his older sister, Abby Laszewski, is currently on the UW women's roster.
The No. 98 player in the senior class also has scholarships from Villanova, Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, USC, Miami (Fla.), Providence, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, among others.
“I’m just focusing on the next week in July and then after that I’ll probably sit down with my parents and see what I’m going to do from there," Laszewski told Rivals.com earlier this week. “[I'm looking for a] good academic school, somewhere that has a good basketball program and conference and a fit of where I can see myself."
Rivals.com Recruiting Analyst Eric Bossi wrote about Laszewski on Thursday in Las Vegas:
"It was this week in Vegas two years ago that four-star forward Nate Laszewski of the New England Playaz landed on my radar. He stood out because of his size, skill and all-around versatility. Since then, there's been some ups and downs, but over the past few viewings he's been more and more consistent.
With his size, shooting ability and mobility, Laszewski is a potential steal at the bottom of the top 100 playing the way he is now. You can go big with him as a small forward or stretch defenses by using him as a four man. Basically, he fits the direction that the game is headed.
I also like that Laszewski has been well-coached by his high school and summer programs because I think it makes a big difference in the transition to college. Notre Dame and Vanderbilt have come on during July, USC and Pittsburgh jumped in during spring and others like Wake Forest, Providence and Miami have been involved for a while."
Laszewski is the only uncommitted prospect in the 2018 class who currently holds an offer from Wisconsin.