James Graham III, who is quickly approaching 20-plus scholarships, could be the hottest class of 2021 prospect in the Midwest on the recruiting front.
Thursday, the Badgers extended an offer to the in-state forward from Nicolet High School, a scenario that was unlikely just a few months ago.
"They were pretty much just saying that 18 months ago they would have not been able to have this conversation with me," Graham III told BadgerBlitz.com. "And they said that's a credit to me getting better.
"They think I can shoot, defend and handle the ball better. All those things made them comfortable with the offer right now."
A 6-foot-8, 210-pound rising senior, Graham III was able to speak with head coach Greg Gard and his entire staff Thursday afternoon. The offer, according to Graham III, came as a complete surprise.
"We got a on Zoom call around 2:00 PM," Graham III said. "They talked about how I'm an in-state prospect and how being a player from Wisconsin and then becoming a Badger is a special thing. Coach (Joe) Krabbenhoft, Coach Gard, Coach (Alando) Tucker and Coach (Dean) Oliver were all there, so it was great to talk to their entire staff.
"To be honest with you, I was pretty surprised. I saw that they offered a wing player (Marcus Ilver) earlier in the day. So I didn't think the meeting today would be about an offer or anything like that - maybe even them telling me that they weren't able to offer. But I'm just real happy and, of course, I'm really interested in Wisconsin."
UW joined a scholarship list for Graham III, who competes with the Wisconsin Playground Club on the AAU circuit, that previously included Arizona State, Auburn, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Wake Forest and Xavier, among others.
"Wisconsin and Marquette will get strong consideration," Graham III, who averaged 20.2 points per game as a junior, said. "That home-town hero thing is pretty big for me. But I'm just sitting back and enjoying everything right now. In terms of favorites, my recruitment is still open. There are some schools that I want to continue to build relationships with, but I'm wide open.
"I want to cut my list in about two weeks and go into my senior year committed."
The Badgers are looking for at least one more scholarship prospect to join current commits Matthew Mors, Chucky Hepburn and Chris Hodges in the 2021 class.
"One of the most intense debates during our rankings updates was what to do with Wisconsin power forward James Graham. At 6-foot-8 he appears to have some inside/out game and fits the mold of what teams are looking for in a four man who can stretch the floor on offense and help control the glass on defense. But, we've not been able to evaluate him in person so we decided to hold off on a ranking until we could get a live viewing. That being said, programs such as Arizona State, Auburn, Butler, Cincinnati, Florida State, Georgetown, Georgia, Iowa, Marquette, Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri, Oregon, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Xavier have all offered in the six weeks, and made him one of the most heavily recruited."
