UWGB men's basketball gets commitment from Arrowhead's Mac Wrecke, a top 2023 state prospect

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball team has had a very good week when it comes to the future of the program.

The Phoenix received a verbal commitment from Hartland Arrowhead senior guard Mac Wrecke on Monday, five days after it landed Neenah guard Cal Klesmit.

The duo widely is considered two of the best five to seven prospects in the state for the 2023 class, with the 6-foot-5 Wrecke ranked as high as third overall.

UWGB coach Will Ryan and his staff have been interested in Wrecke for more than a year and offered him a scholarship in June.

Wrecke also had NCAA Division I offers from Horizon League rival UW-Milwaukee and Wofford.

The offer from the Panthers was extended in December by former coach Patrick Baldwin, who was fired in March after five seasons.

Wrecke had a conversation with an assistant coach at the school, but he doesn’t believe new coach Bart Lundy was planning to make an offer.

He also likely wasn’t interested in waiting for one, considering he wanted to decide his college future before his final prep season so he could concentrate on competing for a state championship.

It was the same situation Wrecke’s future Phoenix teammate, incoming freshman guard Jack Rose, experienced earlier this year.

Rose had an offer from UWM during Baldwin’s tenure before it became obsolete with the new hire, and he eventually committed to UWGB in May.

Perhaps the Panthers’ losses will be the Phoenix’s gains.

RELATED: UWGB coach Will Ryan: 'No animosity' after losing potential star Kamari McGee to UW

“I felt like the coaches did a really great job of building a good relationship with me,” Wrecke said of Ryan and his staff of Jared Swanson, Freddie Owens and Brandon Pritzl. “They have always been in contact, and I just felt like it was the right place for me where I’d have the most opportunities. I just felt most at home.”

Per NCAA rules, Ryan is not allowed to comment on potential recruits until they sign a letter of intent.

But there is little question he’s getting a big-time scorer.

Wrecke averaged a team-high 20.7 points as a junior for Arrowhead last season, leading the Warhawks to a 19-7 mark before losing to Middleton in a WIAA Division 1 regional championship.

Wrecke scored a game-high 21 points in the loss, accounting for 52.5% of Arrowhead’s scoring. It came one game after he put up 30 points in a regional opener against Verona.

He has been a key player for the team since his freshman season and has averaged double figures in each of his first three years. It includes a career-high 24.9 points per game as a sophomore.

Wrecke has scored 1,494 career points while displaying an ability to shoot effectively from anywhere on the court, which is something the Phoenix could have used last season.

He has a career 48.7% shooting percentage and has shot 39.9% from 3-point range.

Wrecke likes the Wisconsin flavor UWGB features on its roster. Klesmit and Wrecke will be the ninth and 10th players from the state when they arrive on campus next summer.

He said he has played against Klesmit in the past, attended basketball camps with Rose, and had the opportunity to watch UWGB junior guard Nate Jenkins play at Kettle Moraine while growing up.

“I’ve been really looking them over the last couple of years,” Wrecke said. “They have gotten a lot more commitments from in-state, and I think that’s really great. I think they are building something really special."

Wrecke’s interest in the school wasn’t diminished despite UWGB going 5-25 last season and 13-42 the past two. He believes better times are ahead, and he wants to be part of it.

“It doesn’t scare me,” he said. “Their new players they have got coming in, me coming in, Cal, I think we can all bring something to the table that can really help the program and help the team win.”

Wrecke’s role with the Phoenix wasn’t discussed too much, but he trusts the staff will find a way for him to contribute.

“I feel like I can do a lot of things,” Wrecke said. “Defensively, I can guard lots of positions. On offense, I can finish. Shoot.

"I feel like there are a lot of places I can fit in.”

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: UWGB men's basketball lands Mac Wrecke, a top 2023 Wisconsin prospect