The University of Wisconsin women's basketball program doesn't need to do a lot of recruiting this year, but the Badgers landed a good one Thursday when 6-foot-5 Emily Ashbaugh of Woodinville, Wash., gave her oral commitment.
Ashbaugh, ranked No. 62 in the nation by the Blue Star Recruiting Index, chose Wisconsin over Stanford, UCLA, Oregon and Northwestern.
"Wisconsin has what I want academically," said Ashbaugh, who has a 3.95 grade-point average (out of 4.0) at Redmond High School and plans to study biochemistry at Wisconsin.
"It's a long way from home but it doesn't seem that far because my grandparents live in Middleton and I have a bunch of cousins in Minnesota. My mom even went to Wisconsin for 21/2 years before they moved out here. It felt good to be (in Madison) - safe and homey."
Ashbaugh, the only player from Washington at the Nike All-American camp in Indianapolis last summer, averaged 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots per game in her junior season. The Wisconsin staff also likes Ashbaugh's quickness in her post defense.
Ashbaugh, who was named to Street and Smith's All-American team, led Redmond to the Washington State tournament last season. Ashbaugh might be the only recruit the Badgers sign for next season.
"We don't have a lot of scholarships available, so frankly we can be very selective," said UW coach Jane Albright. "I would say this is it for now, at least for the early signing period."
The Badgers have just three seniors on their roster, guards Dee Dee Pate and Kelly Paulus and inside player Missy Konieczny.