The Wisconsin Badgers had a busy week in the transfer portal last week, landing George Washington guard Trey Autry, Miami (OH) wing Eian Elmer, and Hofstra center Victory Onuetu.
On Wednesday, they made the latest addition to their 2026-27 season, landing and signing in-state freshman Josh Manchester, the school announced.
Manchester, a native of Mt. Horeb, finished his high school career with 2,534 points, the 10th-most in Wisconsin state history. That included averaging 30.1 points per game as a senior while leading Mt. Horeb to a conference crown. As a junior, Manchester did one better, averaging 31.1 points a game while taking Mt. Horeb to another conference championship.
The 6’3 guard is the third true freshman to join Wisconsin’s roster for the 2026-27 season alongside fellow in-state recruit LaTrevion Fenderson and Australian guard Jackson Ball.
“We’re excited to have Josh join our program,” Badgers head coach Greg Gard said. “As we continue to intentionally build out our roster, it’s vital to have players in a variety of roles. Josh appreciates and understands the work and development that his role will require. He’s got a competitor’s mindset paired with a knack for scoring as witnessed by him being amongst the top 10 scorers in Wisconsin high school history.”
“He comes from an excellently coached high school program and a basketball family. I recruited Josh’s dad, Paul, to UW-Platteville from La Crosse Logan High School where Paul played for his father, Tom, in 1995. It’s truly amazing how this profession and game can bring people full circle more than 30 years later! Josh is really fired up to be a Badger. We can’t wait for him to arrive on campus this summer and get to work preparing for the coming season. We’re looking forward to helping Josh launch his college career!”
