Four-star power forward commits to Wisconsin Badgers
By Jacob Rude
The Badgers picked up their second commitment for the 2015 class, nabbing four-star big man Alex Illikainen out of Minnesota.
"Per his father Alex Illikainen of Grand Rapids has committed to the Wisconsin Badgers– Ryan James"
More from Big Ten
- Nebraska Basketball: Projected starters and depth chart for 2023-24 season
- Big Ten Basketball: Ranking all 18 programs after adding Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington
- Iowa Basketball: Projected starting lineup and depth chart for 2023-24 season
- Purdue Basketball: Projected depth chart and rotation for 2023-24 season
- Minnesota Basketball: Projected depth chart and rotation for 2023-24 season
Illikainen had offers from a large variety of schools, including Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, and Texas Tech. However, the 6’8″, 225 pound big man settled on the Badgers for his new home, beating out other finalist Iowa for his services.
He was seen as a big Minnesota lean, but after the Golden Gophers landed Jarvis Johnson, Illikainen was forced to re-evaluate his recruitment, leading to his choice today.
He’ll fit the mold of typical Wisconsin big men, with a host of offensive scoring moves and great post-up scoring. What he lacks in physical tools he can make up for in his IQ. His sweet stroke will allow him to fit in smoothly with Bo Ryan and the Badgers.
Illikainen is ranked four stars by ESPN, coming in as the top player in Minnesota. He’ll certainly be a great addition to Ryan’s program. He’ll join Brevin Pritzl, another four-star recruit, in the class. Pritzle is a shooting guard out of Wisconsin who is the #32 shooting guard in the class and the sixth best player in his state.