Greg Gard has taken over as full time coach of the Wisconsin Badgers, officially bringing in a new era in Badger basketball. Leading this charge is 6’2”, 170lb shooting guard, Kobe King. Although King won’t graduate high school until 2017, he is already preparing for his chance to take the reins at Wisconsin.  “I’m making sure to always stay focused, always stay in the gym, and stay out of trouble. That’s a big thing.” King explained.

 

King, a Wisconsin native, attends La Crosse Central High School (La Crosse, WI), which is located only a couple hours away from the University of Wisconsin. But it wasn’t just the location that played a role in his commitment, as he said, “It’s a friendly environment, it’s close to home, I loved all the coaches, and they have good tradition there. Their tradition was probably the deciding factor.”

As a Four-Star recruit, King held offers from 10 schools including Iowa State and Northern Iowa, but in the end, there was no doubt that Wisconsin was the perfect fit. “I knew this is where I want to be. I didn’t want to wait.” King stated.

Now, with the stress of the recruiting process behind him, King will stop at nothing to make sure his game is polished and ready to go for Big Ten action.

 

While many high school athletes may have trouble adapting to the added attention that comes with playing Division 1 basketball, it doesn’t seem like King will have such a problem. His father, Chris King was Kobe’s main influence in starting to play, watching him, as he paved an impressive 16 year basketball career. “I was two years old when I started playing. My dad was my main influence. He hasn’t really been around, but he went to Wake Forest. I always followed him growing up and he’s the reason why I really wanted to play.”   

King’s father played professionally overseas, and while he obviously has the NBA in mind, he wouldn’t be opposed to following in his father’s footsteps. “I just want to take basketball as far as it takes me, whether that means college, overseas, or the pros.” King continued. “I just want to keep playing basketball and enjoy every minute of it.”

 

Although King has already wrapped up the recruiting process, there are still many pressures that he has to face as a highly ranked recruit. Despite the attention, he doesn’t let it consume his thoughts. “Obviously, I’m happy that I’m a high ranked prospect, but at the end of the day, you can’t let it get to your head.” said King.

Dealing with pressure has been something that King has really excelled at. Something that has helped him with this has been his support from his friends and family. “They are all very supportive. I have coaches and family that say, if you don’t ever want to talk to coaches, then I don’t have to. They all been very supportive of my decision and they’ve always been really cool about it in keeping me level-headed.” explained King.

 

As Kobe King continues his basketball journey, it is clear that he has the work ethic and talent to get to where he wants to be. With his Junior season coming to a close, he is definitely a prospect to keep in mind in the next few years. As the first commit for the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2017 Class, Kobe King has shown everyone that he is “The King of the Court”.