UW basketball adds guard Tai Strickland, center Joe Hedstrom to '18 class

MADISON – Wisconsin coach Greg Gard and his staff on Wednesday officially added two players to the Badgers’ 2018 freshman class. 

Point guard Tai Strickland of Tampa, Fla., and center Joe Hedstrom of Hopkins, Minn., signed letters of intent on Tuesday.

They join forward Taylor Currie, who signed with UW during the early signing period. Currie helped Clarkston (Mich.) to its second consecutive state title earlier this year. 

Strickland, 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, transferred to St. Petersburg High School after starting for two seasons at Tampa Catholic. 

As a senior at St. Petersburg, Strickland averaged 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He helped the Green Devils (24-6) reach the state semifinals, was named first-team All-Pinellas County and the team’s defensive player of the year.

“As a transfer student at St. Petersburg High School, Tai had to fit into a program that was already well-established and set to compete for a state title,” Gard said in a release. “His ability to blend in smoothly with the already established talent and to continue to finish strong speaks volumes about Tai's leadership and personality. 

“Those character traits are what make him the perfect fit for our program. He has already bought into the totality of team and trying to figure out what he can do to help Wisconsin. Our staff was blown away by the high regard his coach, teachers and peers had for him at his high school.”

Hedstrom, 7-0 and 225, averaged 9.6 points per game and helped Hopkins to a 26-2 record and final national rank of No. 38 as a senior. He averaged 12.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game with his AAU team (Minnesota Comets) in 2017.

“Joe’s progress as a player has been trending in the right direction since we first saw him several years ago,” Gard said. “The improvements in his game, combined with how successful he has been in the classroom and community told us he was a great fit for what we are all about as a program.

“His natural size and strength, combined with a hungry attitude to improve, gives him an excellent chance to really develop and excel in our program.”