Wisconsin basketball has recently received some tough news. 2018 recruit Tyler Herro has de-committed from the school and reopened his recruitment.
Wisconsin basketball head coach Greg Gard has been excellent since taking the full-time duties from Bo Ryan just a couple of years ago. Not only has he continued to guide the team to the NCAA Tournament, but he has also reached the Sweet 16 twice and acquired one of the top recruiting classes in Wisconsin basketball history.
The 2017 recruiting class, which was ranked 34th in the country, was sensational for the Badgers, but one cannot say the same about the 2018 class (yet). Although the program received a major commitment last September in top-50 recruit Tyler Herro (Milwaukee, WI), he announced his de-commitment from the school on Oct. 17.
Currently ranked at #36 in the country by 247Sports Composite ranking, Herro would have been the fourth-highest recruit to come to Wisconsin since 2000 (Brian Butch, Joe Krabbenhoft, and Sam Dekker were only high school players rated higher). Prior to making this decision to leave the school, Herro spent plenty of time trying to get other top recruits to join him at Wisconsin.
These top recruits included Wisconsin targets Nate Laszewski and Joey Hauser. Despite efforts from Herro, the two players chose to go to other schools (Laszewski to Notre Dame, Hauser to Marquette). Although missing on these recruits was tough to see for the Badgers, the loss of the commitment from Herro is the most important development for this class.
Thank you! pic.twitter.com/bUKRnyG9s8
— Tyler Herro (@raf_tyler) October 18, 2017
Prior to making his commitment in 2016, Herro was already being targeted by some of the best programs in the country. With his recruitment reopened, the expectation is that Herro will be one of the most highly sought after recruits over the next few weeks before signing day.
Schools such as Duke, Kentucky, Arizona, and Kansas have already locked up their starting point guards for the class of 2018, but adding Herro would give them a top shooting guard to create a dynamic backcourt. According to Jerry Meyer of 247Sports, Herro is hoping to receive an offer from Duke or Kentucky.
As a player, Herro can score from anywhere on the floor as an elite finisher and shooter from beyond the arc. He is a prototypical collegiate shooting guard who stands at 6’4″. He is crafty with the ball and although he is not a tremendously good playmaker, he can be a very serviceable off-ball scorer and secondary playmaker.
Because his recruitment has not been open in over a year, it will be interesting to see which schools reach with offers over the next while. No matter where Herro ends up going, he has the talent to make an immediate impact either as a starter or a great reserve. The expectation will be that he attends another top basketball program in the country.
As for Wisconsin, the current 2018 recruiting class now consists only of Joe Hedstrom, who will be a walk-on in 2018-19 prior to starting his four-year scholarship with the program.
Next: Wisconsin's 2017-18 season preview
In the long run, recruiting has never been the strongest part of the Wisconsin basketball program. Under both Bo Ryan and Greg Gard, the team has focused on player development and recruiting players who want to play in their system. Herro would have been a great player in a Badger uniform and this is certainly tough news, but it should not kill the program too much. Wisconsin still has a great 2017 recruiting class that will start their career this season and there is some time to gather more 2018 recruits.