Badgers' new director of recruiting, scouting has solid track record

Wisconsin men's basketball has hired Isaac Wodajo as its new director of recruiting and scouting, the school announced Wednesday.

"We are excited to welcome Isaac Wodajo to our staff, and having him in this position makes Wisconsin basketball stronger," head coach Greg Gard said in a statement. "Since the offseason began, I have worked to evaluate the changes in college athletics while making sure that the makeup of our staff best fits the various needs of our program. Isaac has a standout work ethic and he has gained invaluable experience at a variety of schools in a number of areas of the game – coaching, operations, scouting, and recruiting – making him an excellent fit for our program.

Wodajo brings eight years of experience working for a college basketball program to Madison. Beginning as a graduate assistant for Texas under coach Shaka Smart from 2017 to 2019, Wodajo worked closely with Mo Bamba and Jaxson Hayes, who both developed into NBA players.

Following his three-year stint in Austin, he acted as an assistant coach for Wabash Valley College, a junior college. After three seasons as the associate head coach, he was promoted to full-time head coach in August 2022. At only 30 years old, he led his team to a 17-13 record.

He left after 11 months as the top guy and became the special assistant to Northern Kentucky head coach Darrin Horn, where he helped the program with recruiting, scouting and player development for one season.

For the Badgers, Wodajo will "direct recruiting oversight, scouting, on-campus visits, and recruit evaluation, while also assisting Gard and the coaching staff," according to the release.

As a Milwaukee, Wisconsin native, he got his official start in the coaching world as a Wisconsin men's basketball camp counselor and coach in 2016, so it has come full circle as he returns to the program less than 10 years later.