What To Expect From Each Member of Wisconsin Basketball's Stacked Freshman Class

As Wisconsin basketball reloads its roster for 2026-27, many of its new players come from the 2026 freshman class.

The class, which is currently technically five players (although we have yet to learn the eligibility fate of 22-year old Australian point guard Owen Foxwell, who could very well be labeled an upperclassmen eligibility-wise), features youngsters from both the United States and abroad.

The Badgers' haul consists of two high-schoolers from Wisconsin (LeTrevion Fenderson, Josh Manchester) and three international signees (Foxwell, Jackson Ball and Isaac Riddle).

What can we expect from each player in 2025-26? Badgers On SI takes a look below:

PG Owen Foxwell

Again, Foxwell may not technically be a freshman when all is said and done. Especially given his experience (111 career games in the NBL over the better part of five seasons), Foxwell is more like a transfer. That experience in a very solid overseas league is one of the best things the point guard has going for him.

When the Badgers flipped Foxwell from LSU, he was immediately penciled in as the starting point guard. Now that the dust has mostly settled on the offseason, that's almost guaranteed to be the case in 2026-27.

Foxwell is a skilled facilitator who displays good court vision and averaged 4.5 assists per game last season. He has great touch around the rim and can also step back and hit three-pointers. He certainly appears to be a Power Four starting-caliber point guard based on what he put on tape in the NBL, and Wisconsin will immediately rely heavily upon the Australian.

G Jackson Ball

New Zealand guard Jackson Ball | New Zealand guard Jackson Ball

Ball is another NBL product that comes to Wisconsin with professional experience. Like Foxwell, the guard appears to have an excellent feel for the game sharpened by a playing career that's already begun. It'll be interesting to see just how developed Ball is when he walks in the door, because if he's ready to roll, there's certainly minutes up for grabs.

Ball could feasibly be the Badgers' backup point guard in 2026-27, but it also wouldn't be all that surprising to see him take a developmental year. He absolutely has the skillset to run the point in Madison at some point in his college career, but we'll see how long of a leash head coach Greg Gard and company give him.

F Isaac Riddle

The most recent addition to the Badgers' class, Riddle is an 18-year old from Australia that will join the Badgers as a freshman. He projects as a longer-term piece, something Gard was open about immediately upon signing him, noting: "Isaac comes in as one of the best young prospects in Australia with terrific potential as he goes down the path of development."

Riddle displays some intriguing skills as a highly mobile, athletic big man that moves and plays like a guard at times. The 6-foot-8 forward isn't likely to see the court much, if at all, in 2026-27, but he's one of the more interesting and promising players on Wisconsin's roster.

Wing LaTrevion Fenderson

It'll be interesting to see how game-ready Fenderson is, because the 6-foot-5 wing and consensus No. 3 player in the state of Wisconsin fits a player archetype the Badgers don't exactly have in spades. Eian Elmer looks to be the lone true wing on the roster. Fenderson is a bit smaller, but he has a wing's skillset with the ability to shoot and use his athleticism to slash.

Still, Fenderson is likely behind Hayden Jones and Zach Kinziger in the Badgers' backcourt, as well as the host of upperclassmen in front of those two I wouldn't expect to see him a whole lot in 2026-27.

G Josh Manchester

Manchester was a late freshman addition for the Badgers, and he was signed shortly after Wisconsin missed out on in-state wing Zavier Zens, who committed to Illinois. Prior to joining the Badgers, he had known offers from Northern Illinois and Green Bay; he isn't a big-time prospect by any means.

That's not to say Manchester can't develop into a viable option for Wisconsin down the line, but expect him to ride the bench as a freshman.

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