Wisconsin men’s basketball star John Tonje was taken 53rd overall in the 2025 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz last Thursday night.
Despite only transferring to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the 2024-25 school year, it was this breakout season that put Tonje in the sights of NBA scouts. He spent his first four collegiate seasons with Colorado State, the only D1 offer he received out of high school. When the COVID-19 pandemic offered him a fifth year of eligibility, he transferred to Missouri. There, Tonje played just eight games before a foot injury sidelined him, leaving him with a medical redshirt and a sixth year of eligibility.
Tonje made the most of his lone season in Madison, totaling 724 points, the second-highest scoring season in school history. A First Team All-Big Ten player and Second Team All-American, he also broke the school records for points in an NCAA tournament game (37 against BYU), single-season free throws made (231) and free throw percentage (90.9%)
His return to Utah is an ironic twist of fate, given it was Provo, Utah’s BYU that sent the Badgers home in the second round of the NCAA tournament in March.
Tonje is joined in Utah by former Wisconsin teammate Steven Crowl who, despite going undrafted, signed an Exhibit-10 contract with the Jazz, giving him the opportunity to earn a roster spot by playing in the NBA Summer League.
