:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66749326/usa_today_14137793.0.jpg)
The Wisconsin Badgers have one remaining spot in their 2021 recruiting class and are looking to fill it with a shooting guard/sniper type player. 3-star SG Julian Roper (Franklin, Mich.) had been on the top of Greg Gard’s board, but this afternoon Roper announced on his Instagram that he’ll be attending Northwestern.
He is the first commitment in NU’s 2021 class that will probably have five or six players in it when all is said and done.
Roper is a 6-foot-3 and 180 pound junior out of Orchard Lake Saint Mary’s Prep in Detroit, Michigan. He is rated as a high three-star recruit according to both 247Sports and Rivals, but is ranked as the No. 136 player the nation according to the composite. He held other high major offers from Illinois, Ohio State, Alabama, Iowa, Missouri, Northwestern, Cincinnati, Xavier and DePaul.
The prep standout shooting guard took an official visit to Wisconsin back in early November for the Eastern Illinois game, and the football game against Iowa.
His game has improved incrementally over his high school career. As a freshman point guard he averaged 17 points and eight rebounds at Detroit Country Day School. During his sophomore season, Roper was the leading scorer at Country Day School at over 20 points per game prior to transferring to Saint Mary’s where he sat out the remainder of the season due to transfer rules.
Roper played this past season on the same high school team (Saint Mary’s Prep) as Wisconsin 2020 commit Lorne Bowman, a point guard that Badger fans should be very excited about. With Bowman sharing the court, Roper was pushed to the shooting guard position. His new position enhanced his progression as a scorer given his skills, as he poured in over 18 points per game and 7.6 rebounds.
Wisconsin will now move on to another shooting guard target. They currently have offers out to 5-star Max Christie (Rolling Meadows, Ill.) who is going to Duke most likely and 3-star Isaiah Barnes (Oak Park, Ill.) who the Badgers offered a few weeks ago.
The Badgers have the No. 2 rated class in the nation with a trio of 4-star players in Chris Hodges, Chucky Hepburn and Matthew Mors. We will keep you posted as Wisconsin searches for the fourth member of their 2021 class.