Wisconsin’s basketball program has picked up its first verbal commitment of the 2023 recruiting cycle. John Blackwell, a combo guard out of Michigan, is heading to Madison.

Blackwell is a 6-foot-3 combo guard who held offers from 8 other programs. He picked Wisconsin over Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Oaklan, Rhode Island, Toledo and VCU.

Per 247Sports, Blackwell is ranked as a 3-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class. He’s listed as the No. 4 player out of Michigan and is a Top 30 combo guard for the cycle.

Wisconsin is coming off a strong campaign in the 2021-22 season. The Badgers claimed a share of the B1G regular season title for the second time in three seasons, finishing with a 15-5 record in conference play.

Head coach Greg Gard just completed his seventh year with the program. In that time, Wisconsin is 144-78 with 5 NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of B1G regular season titles.