Wisconsin basketball may have its next Nolan Winter in sight.
No, 2027 Maple Grove, Minnesota prospect Jack Thelen and the Badgers' star rising senior center aren't the same player, although they're both seven-foot centers from Minnesota who wear No. 31.
But Thelen looks to be the Badgers next big (quite literally) target from Minnesota, as he announced a Wisconsin offer Wednesday evening.
The 7-foot-1, 240-pound center is a rising high school junior in the class of 2027. He's currently an unranked prospect on 247Sports, but he does list offers from Miami (Ohio), Montana, Murray State, and now of course Wisconsin.
Thelen has been to Madison in an unofficial capacity, but Wisconsin took the next step in his recruitment by extending him an offer, just the ninth offer they've sent out in the 2027 cycle. Thelen is also the first true center the Badgers have offered, and the only other true forward is Wisconsin Lutheran star Kager Knueppel, whom will be an extremely hot commodity after the success of his older brother Kon as a one-and-done at Duke.
Thelen plays for Maple Grove High School, but he also suits up for D1 Minnesota on the Adidas AAU circuit. On both teams, he's teammates with another Badgers target from Minnesota in the 2027 Baboucarr Ann.
Thelen plays like more of a traditional big man in the sense that he does most of his work in the post and unlike Winter, he's not an extremely pure, natural shooter. Still, he's mobile for his size, and with his 7-foot-1 frame his just dominates the glass in Minnesota high school ball.
The Badgers have done a nice job developing big men and frontcourt pieces in recent years, Winter being the latest example of a semi-local forward thriving as he develops in head coach Greg Gard's system. Wisconsin is hoping rising sophomore Will Garlock can be the next in line, but it's imperative to keep the pipeline going - especially with how pricey centers and forwards are in the transfer portal. Thelen just became an important part of that pipeline as Wisconsin looks to do some damage in the 2027 class.
Speaking of the 2027 cycle, the Badgers are already off to a tremendous start, having recently secured a pledge from in-state standout combo guard Jalen Brown , who's the consensus No. 66 player in the entire country.
If Wisconsin winds up nabbing a commitment from Thelen down the line, he and Brown would make an excellent one-two punch in the class of 2027.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wisconsin as Badgers Set Sights on Poaching 7-foot-1 Center From Minnesota .
