The Badgers seek prospects in Minnesota and find plenty of competition for these

PLYMOUTH, Minn. – Wisconsin’s Greg Gard has mined the state of Minnesota for basketball talent, first as an assistant under Bo Ryan and more recently as UW’s head coach.

Jon Leuer, Jordan Taylor, Jared Berggren, Kammron Taylor and Mike Bruesewitz all came to UW from Minnesota.

Minnesota natives Brad Davison and forward Nate Reuvers, who recently finished their freshman year at UW, should play integral roles as the Badgers attempt to return to the NCAA Tournament in 2019.

Two priority targets for UW’s 2019 class hail from Minnesota – Zeke Nnaji, a 6-foot-10 forward from Hopkins High School and Tyler Wahl, a 6-7 wing from Lakeville North High School.

Nnaji and Wahl are teammates on D1 Minnesota’s AAU team, which is competing this weekend in the Battle at the Lakes.

“Zeke has got tremendous upside,” said Nick Carroll, co-founder of Prep Hoops in the Twin Cities area. “He has always been on a pretty high level defensively and in rebounding.

“I think some of his offensive polish has taken some time to develop. But now he is at the point where he is comfortable stepping out to the three-point line. He has found his niche around the glass. His skill level has continued to evolve and you can see his confidence rising on that side of the ball.”

Wahl’s strength is his versatility. Playing for Lakeville North during the high school season he has guarded Tre Jones, a 6-1 guard who is headed to Duke; and Matthew Hurt, a 6-9 forward who has offers from programs from coast to coast and also plays for D1 Minnesota’s travel team.

“He can guard anybody,” Carroll said. “Anybody. He is super versatile in that way.

“Wahl has got a very high motor and he just does everything right all the time. He hustles. He is super competitive.

“He takes the right shot. He is a really good passer. He is a really, really good defender. He is the consummate winner, whatever that is.”

Can UW land one or both players?

Nnaji’s offer list includes UW, Ohio State, Oklahoma, UCLA, Purdue, Xavier, Texas Tech, Minnesota, Illinois, Penn State, Baylor, Memphis and St. John’s.

“I’ve worked for this for so long,” said Nnaji, who plans to study finance or engineering in college. “It is really humbling to see the work pay off. I’m ecstatic about it. I’ve always dreamed about it and now it’s happening. It’s crazy.”

The family plan is to visit every school that has extended an offer – 16 and counting. Alphan Nnaji said his wife has compiled a spreadsheet of all the schools interested in Zeke and listed categories such as education, culture, coaching staff, facilities and teammates.

“You can’t take education lightly,” said Alphan Nnaji, adding his son has developed a strong relationship with UW assistant Joe Krabbenhoft. “That is your fall-back plan when you are done.”

Wahl has started to reel in offers from high-major programs. UW’s main competition for Wahl appears to be Butler, Iowa State and Minnesota.

Wahl, a high school teammate of UW's Reuvers, acknowledged he grew up watching the Big Ten, especially UW.

The strength of his game?

“I’m able to do a little bit of everything,” Wahl said. “If I am scoring it is fine. But I’d much rather have 10 assists than 10 points.”

Both players have taken unofficial visits to UW and both players hope to eventually make their college choice before the start of their senior season.

UW appears to have a legitimate chance to land one or both prospects.

“I want a place that feels like a family,” Nnaji said. “And I want a place that can help me develop my game. I’m not there yet. I’ve got to be able to prepare for the next level.”

Wahl anticipates taking three official visits.

“I just want to find the college that fits me best,” Wahl said. “That is the one I’ll end up choosing in the end.”