Gasser Fills Void At Guard

When Josh Gasser pledged his services to Bo Ryan last Thursday, the Wisconsin filled a big need on its future roster by addressing point guard depth in the 2010 class. The 6'4" Gasser (pronounced Gah-ser) becomes the heir apparent to succeed Jordan Taylor and could give Wisconsin it's tallest option at the lead guard since Devin Harris. Could we see a point guard posting up in the near future?

Conceivably, Wisconsin could be trotting out a starting lineup measuring 6'4", 6'6", 6'6", 6'10" and 6'11" in 2012 based on the six players they have committed for that season right now.

I imagine Badger fans will grow to love the way Gasser plays, bringing a bit of a football mentality to the hardwood. As a former quarterback and defensive back, Gasser knows how to lead a team, but also adds a bit of reckless abandon and a nose for the ball. So it's no surprise that he is a great rebounding guard and gets to the free throw line a lot. Gasser has scored over 21 ppg for the past two season, going 279-for-336 (83%) on FTs in that time.

Word is Gasser is not playing quarterback for Port Washington this fall, so Badger fans can rest a bit easier hoping he avoids the rash of football-related injuries afflicting top hoops players, near and far, this summer.

Gasser chose the Badgers after taking an official visit to Northwestern, and he had scholarship offers from Arizona State, Maryland and Northern Iowa along the way. Naturally, some recruiting services scrambled after hearing about the commitment -- ESPN moved Gasser into their database for the first time and rating him an 89 (out of 100) the very next day. Go figure ...

Here's s snapshot of the future scholarship situation:Until the Vander Blue situation heats up in the next month or two, things might be pretty quiet on the recruiting front for Wisconsin. While the dorm burglary episode kept things around the program interesting, other midwestern basketball powers -- Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Louisville and Kentucky -- were lining up in-home visits for very sought-after talent or hosting them at football games.

Wisconsin reportedly had Blue and Evan Anderson at Camp Randall for the Michigan State game, but word has not trickled out about hosting more "unfamiliar" faces. So we have only third-party reports of who might be interested in UW since our 2011 prospects don't seem to be picking up steam. Awhile back, JJHuddle.com mentioned that the Badgers were in contact with 2010's Anton Hutchins (seems doubtful now) as well as 2011's Markus Crider and Travis Trice.

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Speaking of iPod thefts and their effect on recruiting ... in light of recent events, you would think Wisconsin may have cooled on Illinois swingman Jacob Williams. But apparently, the coaches are still in touch with Williams, though there still is no offer. Williams' AAU teammates Chasson Randle and Nnana Egwu both enjoyed visits to Purdue over the weekend according to Illinois Wolves' head coach Mike Mullins. Randle already visited Ohio State and is setting up an Iowa State visit, while Egwu will be on the Illinois campus this coming weekend. Bo & Co. have their work cut out for themselves with those two.