With Two Elite Guards, Wisconsin Basketball Building Top 2027 Recruiting Class

Baboucarr Ann gives Wisconsin basketball one of the best classes in the nation.

Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Wisconsin basketball could be on its way to constructing one of its best recruiting classes of all time.

The Badgers' 2027 class got off to a bang when they added elite, consensus four-star combo guard Jalen Brown from Wauwatosa West High School just outside of Milwaukee.

Brown is the kind of backcourt player the Badgers have historically struggled to recruit out of high school, and brings an effortless offensive game with him to Madison that could position him for big things right out of the gate.

Wisconsin paired Brown with another commit shortly after, landing a pledge from Minnesota seven-footer Jack Thelen. A developmental yet promising prospect, Thelen gives the Badgers some legit size to mold and develop years down the line in the backcourt.

But Wisconsin added a cherry on top Thursday afternoon, when Thelen's teammate at Maple Grove High School and on the AAU Circuit Baboucarr Ann, a consensus four-star guard, also announced his commitment to the Badgers.

Belief. Trust. Development. Family.
That’s why I’m a Badger. 🦡❤️#OnWisconsin #Alhamdulia #Committed pic.twitter.com/5gtLLiq8lj

— Baboucarr Ann (@Babouann) June 25, 2026

That gives Wisconsin three high school signees thus far for 2027, two of whom are consensus four-star, top-100 guards. It's a class that currently ranks No. 2 in the country on 247Sports, and No. 12 on On3/Rivals.

You have to go back to 2017 for the last time the Badgers even signed one top-100 player in the nation, when they reeled in Lakeville North, Minnesota star Nate Reuvers.

What Wisconsin's Elite Backcourt Haul Means

Wauwatosa West guard Jalen Brown. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Badgers have done a tremendous job recruiting and developing forwards and centers — Nolan Winter, Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl, just to name a few that've rolled off the assembly line as of late.

But guard has been a different story. John Blackwell, the unheralded three-star recruit from Michigan that developed into a national superstar by his junior season, is obviously an exception. But otherwise, the Badgers have had to dip into the transfer portal to fill out their backcourt with productive, offensively impactful players. Nick Boyd, John Tonje, AJ Storr and Max Klesmit come to mind.

But with two top-100 high school guards in the fold for 2027, the times appear to be changing. Sure, they won't step on campus until after the 2026-27 season, but Wisconsin's need to reel dynamic guards out of the portal may soon dissipate.

Sure, the Badgers don't have a tradition of elite high school guards, but they've certainly proven via the transfer portal what guards of that caliber can accomplish if they decide to come to Madison.

Especially with Wisconsin's offensive revolution in recent seasons, where three-point shooters and athletic backcourt slashers can thrive, elite high school guards can now envision themselves succeeding immediately in head coach Greg Gard's system. That's an exciting proposition; if the Badgers can consistently lure this level of high school backcourt talent to Madison, there's now telling how far this program could ascend.