What Josh Manchester's Commitment Means for Wisconsin Basketball

Wisconsin basketball added another pice to its 2026-27 roster with high school senior Josh Manchester of Mount Horeb and Team Herro in the EYBL.

Staying home 🏠
Go Badgers!🦡🦡#committed @BadgerMBB pic.twitter.com/z8oHov8H9E
— Josh Manchester (@JoshManchester9) April 22, 2026

The 6-foot-2 shooting guard is a big-time scorer who figures to be a longer-term developmental piece at the moment, as he joins a roster that's largely put together already.

Still, Manchester is an exciting addition for the Badgers. A few instant takeaways below:

Badgers' 2026-27 roster coming together

Now with four freshman in tow for next season, the Badgers sit at 13 total players for 2026-27, meaning two more roster spots are open. Wisconsin has added three transfers and two freshman since the offseason began.

Given the larger freshman class, Wisconsin appears poised to fill those via the transfer portal. The Badgers could still use a couple more instant contributors. And now, they can be a little more selective in the portal with the majority of the roster locked up.

Gard gets another natural scorer

Manchester hit the 2,000-point mark in his high school career and was a walking bucket his senior season at Mount Horeb, averaging 24.1 points per game while shooting 41 percent from distance. Gard has said it's easier to teach a player to play defense than it is to teach them to score, and, like Zach Kinziger in the class before him, the Badgers get another really natural scorer from the Dairy State.

Wisconsin adds another in-state player

With Manchester locked in for the 2026 recruiting cycle, the Badgers have added another in-state prospect to their class alongside LeTrevion Fenderson.

Manchester is unranked in Wisconsin by national recruiting services. He received interest from Northern Illinois and Green Bay, among a few others, before landing with the Badgers.

Manchester a long-term addition?

Of the players in Wisconsin's incoming freshman class, Manchester appears to be potentially the least ready to contribute. That's way more of a compliment to his fellow newcomers than it is a knock on the local standout.

Owen Foxwell, who may not even be granted freshman eligibility but in earnest is part of the 2026 class, has years of experience in Australia's NBL and figures to start at point guard in Madison. Jackson Ball also has international experience, while Fenderson is the No. 2 player in the state of Wisconsin.

The three transfers Wisconsin has nabbed thus far this offseason will all be on their final year of eligibility in 2026-27. Foxwell's eligibility is still up in the air. It's nice to add a longer-term prospect in Manchester in addition to some of the more temporary roster band-aids that come via the portal.

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