Mar 10, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Ethan Happ (22) holds the ball as Indiana Hoosiers forward Juwan Morgan (13) defends in the first half during the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin Badgers forward Ethan Happ was ranked No. 4 by ESPN for players to watch next season

College basketball is still months away, so now is the time to leak out everyone’s pre-season rankings- teams and players. In a time of NBA Draft departures and players returning back to school, we are beginning to see rosters become more stabilized heading into next year.

The Wisconsin Badgers had no major questions this year on who would be leaving the team, with four starting seniors departing for bigger and better things. Out of all the members of the Badgers leaving, Ethan Happ- the team’s leading scorer, is poised for a big junior year.

Happ earned All-NCAA third team honors a year ago and was on the radar for Big Ten Player of the Year as well, although Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan swimmingly ran away with that one. Because of Happ’s dominance and importance to the team’s success a year ago, he is starting to get recognized as one of the nation’s top player to watch heading into next year.

This includes ESPN, who released their top 25 rankings of players to watch next season. ESPN’s John Gasaway ranks his players based on the amount of accomplishments and contributions he expects these respective players to achieve in 2017-18.

Happ is the first of Big Ten players to make the list and one of just four to get recognized. Sitting in at No. 4 behind the likes of Grayson Allen (Duke), Michael Porter Jr. (Missouri), and Bonzi Colson (Notre Dame), Happ received high praise from this ESPN writer.

From ESPN’s John Gasaway:

Not only does Happ shoot nothing but 2s, for the most part his shot attempts occur really close to the basket. So he’s a throwback, right? A classic center? Sort of, except for the strikingly high assist and steal rates. I’ve called Happ a point-center, but whatever terminology you prefer the junior-to-be just makes Wisconsin better. The question for 2017-18 will be whether he can sustain his level of effectiveness on offense playing for the first time without Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig, Zak Showalter and Vitto Brown, all of whom departed after their senior seasons.

Joining Happ from the Big Ten are Michigan State’s Miles Bridges and Nick Ward, ranked No. 8 and No. 17 respectively. Michigan’s Moe Wagner, who recently withdrew his name from the NBA Draft list, comes in at No. 22.

It is no secret that Happ will be the main point of focus for opposing teams next season. The big question for the Badgers remains: Who will be the next guy to step up?