2018 forward Taylor Currie signs with Wisconsin

One half of the class of 2018 has officially signed with the Wisconsin Badgers’ men’s basketball program.

Michigan product Taylor Currie signed his national letter of intent to play for Wisconsin on Wednesday, head coach Greg Gard announced.

Currie, listed at 6’8, 205 pounds according to the university, verbally committed to the Badgers on Halloween, eight days prior to his official signing. Just 10 days earlier, he announced that the UW coaching staff had offered him.

“Taylor’s recruitment intensified quickly and we could easily see that he fit in well with our culture not only on the court, but off the court and in the classroom as well,” Gard said in a press release from the Wisconsin athletic department. “When he visited Wisconsin, he impressed us with his maturity level and understanding of the process of how to have success as a Badger. I think he has an excellent chance to really develop and excel in our program. Taylor is a very skilled post player with the ability to stretch defenses with his range to the 3-point line.”

Currie is a three-star prospect by 247Sports and Rivals and also received an offer from Xavier.

Prior to his courtship from Wisconsin, Currie initially committed to Michigan and was in the class of 2019. He decommitted from the Wolverines on Sept. 29.

“To show how successful and advanced he is academically, he could have stayed in high school and graduated in the 2019 class,” Gard said in the release, “but decided to accelerate his education with the ability to enter college beginning in the summer of 2018 and start to grow as a student-athlete by competing against the best. He’s both talented and hungry to get better, which are two important qualities we want in the young men in our program. I know he’s really excited to pursue a second straight state championship at Clarkston this year, and then get ready to begin his career as a Badger. We are really excited that he is joining our program and look forward to helping him develop to his full potential as a student-athlete.”

Here’s more on the newest Badger, courtesy of the Wisconsin press release:

A 6-foot-8 forward from Clarkston High School, Currie was a Detroit News All-North Second Team honoree and earned Class A All-State honorable mention in 2017.

Currie reclassified from the 2019 recruiting class to the 2018 class and bypassed his junior year.

The only underclassmen on Clarkston’s roster his sophomore season, Currie started and averaged 9 points (54% FG), 8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Clarkston won the Class A state title in Michigan, its first in school history, after capturing the Oakland Red Conference (11-1) crown with a 27-1 overall record. The versatile, stretch forward finished with six double-doubles on the year, including a double-double in the state semifinal and championship game. In the Class A state title game, Currie finished with 16 points (7-10 FG) and 10 rebounds.

As a freshman, Currie played at Worthington Christian in Worthington, Ohio, before moving and transferring to Clarkston High School. At Worthington, Currie helped the Warriors to a 20-5 record and a District Finals appearance. Currie played AAU Basketball with All-Ohio Red.