Evan Anderson's Decision Wraps Up 2010 Class

With Vander Blue committing to play for Wisconsin earlier in the week, Evan Anderson snapped up the last tentative scholarship for 2010 by verballing in favor of the Badgers late Saturday night.

Only a sophomore, Anderson was already one of the most sought after high school players from Wisconsin in years, rivaled only by Brian Butch and 2009 prospect Jamil Wilson in terms of national interest. Anderson reportedly chose Wisconsin over programs like Kansas, Kentucky and Boston College. An impressive score for Bo Ryan ...

The Badgers have had the luxury over the past four years of being one of the larger teams in the nation, with numerous players like Butch, Greg Stiemsma, Jason Chappell, Jon Leuer and J.P. Gavinski all standing 6'10" or taller. Because several of those players (add Dave Mader to the list) were not real threats offensively, people don't realize how fortunate UW has been just having those options out on the floor. By adding Anderson to 2008 signees Jared Berggren and Ian Markolf, Wisconsin ensures that this facet of its roster remains strong.

Anderson can be a defensive presence in the middle, a la Stiemsma, and develop his go-to post moves in the next two years. He will never be a Polar Bear-level outside shooter and he knows he needs to work on his perimeter game. Think of Anderson as a combination of several recent Badgers: the shot-blocking ability of Stiemsma, knowledge of some moves on the block (Gavinski) with athleticism closer to Chappell. That's pretty decent for a player not yet a junior in high school.

Amazingly, with the recruiting classes pretty much set for the following three seasons, Wisconsin has a glimpse of what a Badger starting lineup could look like four years down the road. Both Anderson and Blue fill big areas of need in their class and figure to be prominent pieces for UW as early as 2011.

Potential starting lineup, 2011:
PG - Jordan Taylor, Vander Blue
SG - Diamond Taylor, Wilson, Blue
SF - Robert Wilson/Ryan Evans
PF - Mike Bruesewitz, Berggren, Evans
C - Jared Berggren, Evan Anderson, Ian Markolf