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In-state guard LaTrevion Fenderson is a perfect fit for Wisconsin Badgers' style

A closer look at Delafield (Wis.) St John's NW Academics wing LaTrevion Fenderson, who committed to the Wisconsin Badgers in August 2024.
Benjamin Worgull|
Delafield (Wis.) St John's NW Academics wing LaTrevion Fenderson committed to the Wisconsin Badgers in August 2024.
Delafield (Wis.) St John's NW Academics wing LaTrevion Fenderson committed to the Wisconsin Badgers in August 2024. | LaTrevion Fenderson

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Wisconsin Badgers

MADISON, Wis. – In the challenging college landscape, having rosters impacted by the transfer portal and booming name, image, and likeness agreements, the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program stuck with a familiar recruiting formula: lockdown the best players in the state.

After signing two in-state players in the 2025 class, Wisconsin signed one of the best in-state players in the 2026 class in Delafield St John's NW Academics guard LaTrevion Fenderson, who is rated the top in-state prospect and a three-star recruit by the 247sports composite.

Badgers on SI takes a closer look at Fenderson and how his addition improves the program.

What are his high school stats?

He averaged 21.7 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists for The Prairie School during the 2023-24 season. He was a first-team all-conference selection in the Metro Classic and first-team Division 4 all-state by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association.

Who was Wisconsin's recruiting competition?

Fenderson had other known offers from Iowa State, Milwaukee and Southern Utah. He was receiving interest from DePaul, Marquette, and a number of mid-major programs.

What was his recruiting story?

Starting his high school career at The Prairie School in Racine, Fenderson's career was derailed before it started when he tore his ACL in an offseason AAU tournament. Originally a 2025 prospect, Fenderson made the decision to reclassify to the 2026 to get healthy and, just as important, draw some recruiting interest.

He was viewed by scouts as an up-and-coming prospect with raw talent, able to hit a jumper but use his athleticism to slash to the rim. At the start of the junior contact period in June, the Badgers reached out. After seeing him during the AAU season and at its advanced camp, Wisconsin became the first school to offer him a scholarship.

Fenderson made numerous trips to Madison for unofficial game-day visits in the months that followed, partly to watch his cousin, Kamari McGee, play and mostly to build relationships with the staff.

He announced he would transfer to St. John's for his junior year. That preceded his second power-conference offer from Iowa State, but the Badgers - led by assistant coach and fellow-Racine native Sharif Chambliss - stayed present in his recruitment.

For all those reasons and having the chance to play in Wisconsin's revamped offense, Fenderson gave the staff his commitment before his recruiting process really exploded.

What are his strengths?

It's easy to see why Wisconsin was smitten with Fenderson from the onset, as he fits what the Badgers have been trending to with their offense. At 6-4, Fenderson can create plays with the ball in his hands. He's not afraid to attack off the dribble, drive through and around defenders to get to the lane, and score in bursts. The latter characteristic has always been there. In December 2023, Fenderson had a week of games where he scored 39, 24, and 20, the latter of which he also recorded 16 rebounds.

What are his weaknesses?

Part of the reason Fenderson transferred to St. John's Northwestern Academics was to test himself against a higher level of competition (St. John's is one division higher than Prairie School). Fenderson has said that ball-handling and his perimeter shooting were the biggest areas he's pushed himself, as well as on the defensive end, things he'll need to do be proficient at in order to see meaningful minutes on the court next season.

What's the impact of his signing?

Wisconsin really wanted Fenderson as a member of the 2025 class, but the nine-month recovery time from the ACL injury allowed the Badgers to make him the focal point of their 2026 class.

The wing position was a power position last season with the play of John Tonje and has the makings of one again this season with John Blackwell shifting to an off-ball role, although the current UW junior can play multiple positions in the frontcourt. Recruiting is completely different than it was only a few years ago with the transfer portal and projecting how rosters look from season to season, but Fenderson has the background and athletic ability to be a building block for Greg Gard and his program for several seasons.

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Benjamin Worgull
BENJAMIN WORGULL

Benjamin Worgull has covered Wisconsin men's basketball since 2004, having previously written for Rivals, USA Today, 247sports, Fox Sports, the Associated Press, the Janesville Gazette, and the Wisconsin State Journal.

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