Wisconsin Basketball: Breaking down the 2018 recruiting class

Joe Hedstrom – Hopkins, MN

Center | 7-foot-0 | 225 lbs | No. 383 overall

Even though Joe Hedstrom had several other Division-I offers, he chose to attend Wisconsin on a 4-for-5 scholarship. This means that he will spend his first season as a walk-on prior to taking up a scholarship in each of his last four seasons. Because of this, it seems as though Hedstrom will be a bit of a project for the Badgers’ coaching staff as they look to develop him into a future rotation player down the road. And this is something that Hedstrom certainly seems open to (247Sports):

"“That chip that I play with on my shoulder, I’m willing to do anything like dive for rebounds and make a box out every time. As I continue to develop my skills and my body, I’ll be able to bang around with those guys inside. I would love to develop my shot a little bit but I have a nice strike. Those things never go away either if you can shoot it. Just play hard, that’s the biggest thing I can bring to any program. That’s what I am excited to do, whatever it takes to win.”"

As a player, Hedstrom has a fairly long way to go in terms of development still but has a balanced skill set. He understands the importance of being able to stretch the floor as a big and runs the floor better than most of his size. In addition to just being tall, Hedstrom is a fundamentally sound rebounder on both ends of the floor and rarely forces the issue offensively. He does a great job functioning within a system and that could help his fit with the Badgers right away.

While I won’t go as far as to say Hedstrom is the future starting center in Madison, he could potentially get there if he develops in the right way. He seems to have the right attitude heading into his career and already boasts excellent size and speed for the center position.