Badgers Add To '08 Class: Ryan Evans

Rumor became reality tonight as Ryan Evans officially announced that he will become a Wisconsin Badger. Evans, a 6'6" wing out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, AZ, is the fifth player in the UW's incoming 2008 recruiting class.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports Evans was chomping at the bit to commit to Bo Ryan's team. He was finally rewarded with a full scholarship, according to Rivals.com. Evans is reportedly a bit raw offensively, but part of that can be attributed to his rapid growth spurt over the past two years.

According to MaxPreps.com, Evans averaged over 18 ppg & 7 rpg to lead Hamilton in both categories. The Huskies compiled a 21-11 record this past season, bowing to Phoenix St. Mary's in the AIA's Class 5A-Division 1 semifinals.

Allotting the last open schollie to Evans means a lot of talented players closer to home will not become Badgers. The complaints about not getting Jamil Wilson might continue on for years, but more disconcerting would be the extremely large class size next year. Signing five players for 2008 means the team will only have two scholarships to offer in 2010, which appears to be another very deep recruiting class. Evening the numbers out by using a few redshirts would only lock up those scholarships an additional year.

With the addition, however, UW could field an entire starting lineup down the road from the Class of 2008 alone.

Perhaps because of the sheer distance between Madison and the Phoenix area, Evans is the most obscure Badger recruit. His recruitment arc was similar to that of Mike Bruesewitz. He was an unknown commodity, until suddenly, a quiet but solid internet buzz grew to indicate an impending commitment.

Video | Photos (Recruiting Planet)

: : :

Brian Butch finished with 9 points in the DiGiorno's College All-Star Game played last Friday at the Final Four, though he did not shoot particularly well. At least he was invited. He did nail a couple of 3-pointers. You can see one (sort of) in CBS' video highlights.