Big Ten Roundup (Aug. 6): KJ Windham Commits to Northwestern, Wisconsin Lands Zach Kinziger
Chris Collins and the Northwestern men's basketball team earned a commitment from KJ Windham on Thursday, a three-star guard in the class of 2024. Windham is entering his senior year at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Ind.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers earned their first commitment of the 2025 recruiting class, landing Zach Kinziger. The 2025 commit is a four-star guard from De Pere, Wis., who decided to stay in-state and play for the Badgers.
Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup:
KJ Windham Commits to Northwestern
Who would have thought that in 2023 Northwestern basketball would be the university's saving grace, covering up for the travesties of the football team?
2022-23 was a dream season for Collins and the Wildcats. Led by veterans Boo Buie and Chase Audige, as the 'Cats boasted a 22-12 overall record, a second place finish in the Big Ten regular season standings and only the second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
Expectations are already sky high for 2023-34 with the return of Buie and incoming transfers Ryan Langborg, Blake Preston and Justin Mullins. Windham won't be in Evanston until 2024-25, but his commitment is another sign that Collins and Co. are on the right track.
Windham is a three-star guard and the No. 3 overall-ranked player in the state of Indiana in the class of 2024, trailing only Flory Bidunga and Tyler Bailey, according to 247 Sports.
He's Northwestern's first and only commit thus far in the class of 2024, but an important one nevertheless. With 2023-24 being the fifth and final season for Buie, the Wildcats will need to replenish their guard talent in the coming years, a role Windham should slot into perfectly.
Windham begins his final season of high school ball at Ben Davis on Nov. 21, 2023, when the Giants take on Fishers High School.
Zach Kinziger Commits to Wisconsin
Coming off a disappointing 11th-place finish in the Big Ten last season, Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers got some good news on Friday with the commitment of Kinziger.
The 6-foot-3 guard from De Pere, Wis., is ranked as a four-star prospect in the class of 2025 by ESPN, and plays for the Nike EYBL team Phenom U.
“Wisconsin has been my dream school ever since I was a little kid,” Kinziger told Joe Tipton of On3. “Playing at the highest level in my home state in front of 17,000 is hard to beat. I love the coaching staff, the culture, and their tradition of winning. I feel like it is a perfect fit for me and it checks off all the boxes for me when choosing a school.”
According to Draft Express EYBL tracking data, Kinziger averaged 18.6 points per game and shot 36-of-70 from three (51.4%) in 13 games for Phenom U in 2023 Nike EYBL U-16 play. That included a game where he shot 6-of-13 from three against The Family 16U on Jul. 2, 2023.
Being two years out from graduating high school, Kinziger is unsurprisingly the only commit in Wisconsin's 2025 class at this time. However, he's a very good get for the Badgers, and a great starting point for Gard as he works to rebuild his team.
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