The Wisconsin basketball staff hosted a rising 2026 in-state forward for an unofficial visit and possible put a foot in the door moving forward.
Zavier Zens, a 2026 small forward, plays for Wisconsin Lutheran in Milwaukee and has long watched the Badgers on television. Zens received the opportunity to tour the campus and step foot on the Camp Randall Stadium ground. The forward is a rising star within the state of Wisconsin and has quickly become someone the program wants to keep an eye on.
The unofficial visit with the Wisconsin basketball program was first reported by Mark Miller of the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook.
Zens has recently begun taking unofficial visits with one such trip occurring with Northern Iowa days ago. The forward also hit the Drake campus for an unofficial visit after receiving a scholarship from each program. Zens does not yet have a scholarship in hand from the Wisconsin basketball program, but certainly is a top candidate to earn one at the moment.
With an unofficial visit completed, the Wisconsin Lutheran forward is beginning to see his recruitment truly takeoff. Zens has continued to level-up on the court and envisioning what the recruit could do at the next level is no longer hard to see.
Zens recently impressed during live play in Ohio for the Wisconsin Playground Club of the UAA circuit, where the guard struggled at first but improved as play went on.
The recruitment of the forward has been taken to another level recently, with programs such as Drake, Northern Iowa, Wyoming, and Miami of Ohio among others. The forward recently landed on the radar of the Wisconsin basketball program after putting together a great season.
The Badgers see potential in Zens on the court and the vision for the forward involves allowing the recruit to play to his strengths.
Had a great unofficial visit today at the University of Wisconsin. Thank you coaches for giving me a chance to get on campus. #gobadgers pic.twitter.com/gShZLiDbF8
— Zavier Zens (@Zavier44) June 5, 2025
During his three years of varsity basketball, 2026 F Zavier Zens (6-7) has scored 908 points, played on two state championship teams and helped Wisconsin Lutheran to an overall record of 81-7. He averaged 22.2 ppg and 6.1 rpg as a junior for the D1 state-champion Vikings.
— Mark Miller (@WisBBYearbook) June 5, 2025
On the court, the 6-foot-7-inch forward is a physical finisher at the rim and a capable scorer from multiple levels. Zens attacks the rim with ease and seems to consistently float to the basket without allowing a defender to make contact. When Zens has the opportunity, the forward is not afraid to initiate contact and drawl the foul at the rim.
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