Wisconsin’s men’s basketball program has landed itself in a very strong spot with its 2027 class, and the group of Jalen Brown, Baboucarr Ann and Jack Thelen gives Greg Gard a lot to work with.
Brown and Ann bring the kind of recruiting punch Wisconsin has not always been able to secure, while Thelen adds the size the Badgers have long valued. Brown is listed as a complete guard, Ann does not fit the usual small forward mold, and Thelen comes in at 7-foot-1. Put together, it’s a class that checks just about every box.
The headline here is the quality at the top. According to 247Sports, Brown is the No. 70 player in the nation and Ann is No.
- On Rivals, both players are ranked even higher.
For Wisconsin, getting two top-100 prospects is a major win, especially as college sports continue to make it harder to rely on older international players arriving in the NCAA.
There’s also a clear in-state angle. Brown is from Milwaukee and is listed as the No. 5 player in Wisconsin, ending a long drought for the Badgers when it comes to landing a Milwaukee-based recruit.
That could matter beyond this class, too, because it may help set the tone for future years as Wisconsin tries to keep more talent at home. The football program under Luke Fickell has also recently had success on that front.
Then there’s the overall shape of the class. Thelen gives Wisconsin a seven-plus-footer who should have a real runway to impact the program deep into his career. Brown and Ann give the Badgers two players who can feed off each other, and together with Thelen they form a trio that could be a problem in the Big Ten for years to come.
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