On the Stove Top: Recruiting Links

- An interview on PrepSpotlight.com with Chicago's Matthew Humphrey. A one-time target of Bo Ryan & Co., it is difficult to see Wisconsin pursuing Humphrey any further. UW is not on his short list and he seems to have a mentality that Bo likes to avoid in recruiting. Granted, I'm basing this off of one quote, but when that quote is ...

"I’m looking for a school that wants me. I want a school that's gonna prepare me best for the next level and get me there as quick as possible. But if I can’t go early I just want the best school for me.”

... you start to wonder. That's a shame, because Humphrey is exactly the type of athlete than the Badgers need on the wing.

- Since PrepSpotlight.com is giving away free content this week, I'm going to take advantage. They are hyped up on SF Jamil Wilson (scroll down 2/3), Wisconsin's number one prep player in the Class of 2009, and a surefire Top 50 nationally. Lots of good info on players from all over the Midwest at the Hensley Memorial Run N' Slam tournament. The writer misspelled PG Nate Zastrow's name, a kid who might have to grow a few inches to become a Badger prospect, but is highly regarded in the high school ranks. As for PG Johnnie Lacy, he's a Milwaukee Public Schools fellow, so your guess is as good as mine as far as Wisconsin's future interest.

- Wisconsin will focus much of it's attention in the 2009 recruiting class on Joseph Bertrand of Sterling, Ill. It looks like he's already generating a lot of interest in Big Ten country.

- Another post on the same Illinois Prep Bullseye website included blurbs on a number of 2008 UW targets, although it sounds Michael Dunigan is dropping off the list like Humphrey.

- And finally, you can see the recruiting showdown in the Land of A Thousand Lakes forming already. New "sheriff" Tubby Smith rides into the Twin Cities and makes a pair of talented young forwards his new obsession. Problem for Tubby is that Wisconsin has two recruiting agents already on the inside! The Wisconsin coaching staff is going to go very hard after at least Royce White and probably Rodney Williams, Jr. also. And so will all of Tubby's other neighbors. (Special thanks to a fine member of the BadgerNation bball message board for pointing the article out.)

Hope you are enjoying the recruiting news ... 'cause it ain't stopping.