Adam Zagoria is reporting that Menomonee Falls junior J.P. Tokoto will make his college choice on Friday, March 4. Tokoto is the most intensely recruited prep basketball player from Wisconsin since Brian Butch nearly a decade ago.
Bo Ryan offered Tokoto a scholarship almost two years ago after the conclusion of his freshman season. It is safe to say that Ryan has put as much effort into recruiting Tokoto as he has any other prospect at Wisconsin, making frequent visits to the Menomonee Falls gym. The athletic swingman is averaging 20 ppg this season for the Indians (11-11), who play their opening round game vs. Waukesha South in the WIAA Division 1 state tournament this Saturday.
The accelerated timing of this announcement and the fact that Tokoto returned from his visit to North Carolina last week indicates that he may be leaning toward Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels officially extended a scholarship offer to another prized Wisconsin recruit, 2013 PG Bronson Koenig, two Fridays ago. Tokoto joined Koenig on the UNC campus over the weekend of Feb. 19 and stayed for a few extra days, since he apparently has family in that area as well.
Tokoto will choose from a final list of eight schools, while unconfirmed rumors have him choosing between just Wisconsin, North Carolina and Maryland. Tokoto was not in attendance at Wisconsin's final home game on Sunday, but was planning to meet with the Badger coaching staff once more before his decision.
While North Carolina appears to be the leader at the moment for both Tokoto and Koenig, getting a firm decision from Tokoto at this time will bring some closure one way or another. If Tokoto spurns the Badgers, they still have a full year to uncover their final 2012 recruit. A commitment to the Badgers would complete UW's two-man class that already features a verbal from Sheboygan's Sam Dekker. Tokoto, Koenig and Dekker are all AAU teammates with the Wisconsin Playground Warriors.
No other offers have been made for either the 2012 or 2013 classes. That shows you just how important keeping these two recruits in-state is to the Wisconsin staff. The Badgers had previously extended an offer to sophomore shooting guard Kendall Stephens, but he recently picked his father's alma mater, Purdue, over Illinois and Wisconsin.
Even if Tokoto does not pick Wisconsin, the commitments of Dekker along with Jarrod Uthoff and Traevon Jackson for next season have the Badgers covered at the 2-4 positions. Not to mention that other 2011 Wisconsin recruits have also been making waves recently. Badger signee George Marshall led his Brooks Prep teammates to a Chicago Public League title by beating a star-studded Whitney Young squad on Feb. 18. The next day, Frank Kaminsky's big game led No. 2 Benet Academy to an upset of No. 1 Simeon.
Look for another full Recruit Review soon that will recap the last month of action for each committed Badger recruit.