By SAM LANCE
KANSAS CITY — The goal for Wisconsin commit Zach Kinziger when he arrives in Madison is rather simple: propel the Badgers back to the Final Four.
Wisconsin hasn’t been there since 2015, where big man Frank Kaminsky led the Badgers to the national title game. Wisconsin fell to Duke, 68-63.
“I’m just going there to win,” Kinziger told ZAGSBLOG.com. “There’s all of this NIL, this money that’s going on in college nowadays. People are questioning some loyalty and what people’s true intentions are when they are coming to the school they are coming to. But I’m just trying to put on for my home state fans and put Wisconsin basketball back in the Final Four like it was a couple years ago.”
Kinziger — the 6-foot-3, 175-pound guard from De Pere (WI) and the Team Herro Nike EYBL AAU program — is an in-state product. And he’s looking to bring more in-state kids with him to Wisconsin.
One player in particular is Kinziger’s AAU teammate and a top-30 prospect in the 2025 class, Davion Hannah.
“We’re trying to push hard for him,” Kinziger said. “I haven’t talked to many [prospects] outside of Wisconsin, but they are really trying to recruit the in-state kids hard. Because that’s who the fans a lot of times want to see is in-state kids, so I’m really trying to push hard for them.”
The Badgers already have two commits from Wisconsin in Kinziger and top-200 center Will Garlock, who attends Middleton High School. Hannah attends Nicolet in Milwaukee and would be another solid addition to the Badgers’ 2025 class.
“Obviously Davion’s a tremendous player,” Kinziger said. “But he’s also a great teammate, great off the court. So I’d love to have him at Wisconsin and play with us. Not only because he’s an outstanding player, but because he’s good to be around. A good teammate and good locker room person.”
Kinziger and Hannah have both been productive this summer for Team Herro and will seeking a Peach Jam crown in July. In his most recent EYBL session, Kinziger averaged 11.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 44% from 3-point range.
“I think most people look at me as more of a shooter as my primary skillset,” Kinziger said. “But I think I’m a little underrated in my ability to get by defenders, my handle and getting to the rim. So I have a pretty diverse skillset, especially when teams try to run me off the line quite a bit. Then I can playmake myself. I think my athleticism is underrated.”
At Wisconsin, Kinziger projects as a lead guard or two guard.
“I think that’s what they like about me,” Kinziger said. “I can play the one and the two. Kind of be diverse. I know they have Daniel Freitag coming in right now, so I think they like the idea of us kind of splitting the one and two. So we’ll see when I get there. That’s one thing that’ll be good. Whatever the game needs, the team needs at the time, I can fill that.”
Living only two hours away from campus, Kinziger has taken several unofficial visits to Madison. He plans on taking his official visit when Wisconsin football plays Alabama at home on Sept. 14. Kinziger’s brother just graduated Wisconsin, so he’s been able to see plenty of the campus.
“It’s a great place to be around,” Kinziger said. “Great facilities there. All the people there — I know tons of people that go there. That’s just a perk of being in-state.”
The guard is ranked the No. 128 overall prospect in the class of 2025 per 247Sports. Kinziger said from his first phone call with Greg Gard, he knew what home was.
“I’m excited to go down there and play for them next year,” Kinziger said. “It was pretty much a no-brainer where I should be at.”
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