Women’s basketball signs four top-ranked recruits
November 20, 2018 | Women's Basketball
Two of the state’s top players join Badgers in 2019
The signees include Sydney Hilliard, a 5-foot-11 guard from Monroe, Wisconsin; Julie Pospisilova, a 6-foot-1 guard from Prague, Czech Republic; Sara Stapleton, a 6-foot-3 post from Blaine, Minnesota; and Tara Stauffacher, a 5-foot-11 wing from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.
All four athletes are ranked among the top 150 players in the country for 2019 by Blue Star Index – Pospisilova (39th), Stauffacher (90th), Stapleton (135th) and Hilliard (146th) and collectively the recruiting class is ranked 18th in the country.
Hilliard aids Monroe to state tournament appearances
Hilliard is a three-time all-conference performer for Monroe High School for coach Sam Mathiason and a two-time all-state honoree. As a junior, she set Monroe High School's single-season scoring record with 558 points and also broke the school's career scoring record. Hilliard led the Cheesemakers to back-to-back Wisconsin State tournament appearances in 2017 and 2018. She averaged 22.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in the 2017-18 season, which led to a 2018 All-Area Player of the Year award and a USA Today First-Team Wisconsin selection.Hilliard played with Wisconsin Academy during AAU season for coaches Reggie Williams and Max Ethridge. She impresses in the classroom as well, as she's a member of the high honor roll.
Coach Tsipis on Hilliard: "Sydney is following in her father's footsteps, as he was a standout baseball player at Wisconsin. She has led her team to the Resch Center for state championship play each of the last two seasons, has been recognized as an all-state player, and already holds the Monroe High School scoring record after her junior year. Sydney is a versatile guard that can play at the point, can play off the ball, and just has a great swagger to her game that Badger fans are going to love. We are thrilled that a great player from our state is staying home and we are thrilled to welcome Sydney and the Hilliards to our family!"
Pospisilova multi-year member of the Czech National Team
Pospisilova plays with two club teams in Prague – ZVVZ USK Praha and USK Praha – and has plenty of international experience as she also competes on the Czech National Team.In 2017-18, she led the Extra League with 16.1 points per game while adding 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game, leading her team to the Czech Championship. In the First League, Pospisilova averaged 14.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
She has played on the Czech Republic National Team since 2014, competing in five European Championships, winning gold medals in 2015 and 2018. In 2016-17, Pospisilova was part of a student exchange program at Downers Grove North High School in Illinois, where she averaged 13.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for coach Stephen Bolt. Pospisilova joins a long list of former Badgers who played for coach Jerald Davis' nationally recognized Chicago Hoops Express Nike Blue Star Travel team.
Coach Tsipis on Pospisilova: "Julie Pospisilova joins our family from the Czech Republic and while she has spent the last two years overseas, she also spent a year in the United States at Downers Grove North High School. Julie has played at the national level as well as internationally with the Czech Republic's National Team, and both have given her tremendous experience playing against high-level competition all around the world. This past summer, her National Team won the U20, Group B championship and she was one of the top overall players in the tournament. Julie is a perimeter player who can shoot it from deep, is a very unselfish passer, and has really improved on the defensive end. We are so happy she has found her new home here in Madison!"
Stapleton to provide strong inside presence
Stapleton's impact in the paint has led to a Prospect Nation post player ranking of No. 24 in the country. She is a two-time first-team all-conference selection for coach Jill Becken at Centennial High School in Circle Pines, Minnesota. She averaged 11.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game as a junior and is currently just 19 points shy of 1,000 points for her career. She also holds school records for blocks in a single game (9) and career (91).Stapleton was recently named to the 2018-19 Minnesota Miss Basketball Watch List by Breakdown Sports. She is also a three-year member of the honor roll and has received the Conference Athletic Academic Award for three seasons. Stapleton competed for the nationally recognized Minnesota Stars AAU team led by coaches W.H. Nelson and Jammal Guy.
Coach Tsipis on Stapleton: "Sara Stapleton is a post player from the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area who will be a great addition to our frontcourt. Sara is a tremendous back to the basket player. She's already set the school record in shots blocked and she played at a very high level in both high school and AAU. Sara is somebody that will give us an inside presence that's so critical in Big Ten play. We are thrilled to welcome Sara and the Stapleton family to Wisconsin!"
One of the state's best players joins the Badgers
Stauffacher is a versatile wing who was a three-time first-team all-conference selection and three-time offensive player of the year at Beaver Dam High School, after scoring the most 3-pointers in school history. She was also named Division 2 All-State after helping her Beaver Dam High School team to back-to-back Wisconsin State Championships for coach Tim Chase. Stauffacher is a talented three-sport athlete, as she's a four-year letterwinner in volleyball, even earning first-team all-conference honors. Plus, she was a three-year letterwinner in track and field. She has been named to the high honor roll every semester of her high school career and is a member of the National Honor Society.Stauffacher starred for the Wisconsin Lakers for coach Mike Elles on the AAU circuit, which culminated last summer as their team won the 2018 BlueStar National Championship.
Coach Tsipis on Stauffacher: "We're very excited to have Tara Stauffacher join our family! Tara has been a key contributor to the Beaver Dam High School team that has won the last two State Championships. She will end her career most likely as a four-time all-conference player and two-time all-state selection. Tara is a talented, hard-working player who has a work ethic that can't be matched. We look forward to having her toughness and blue-collar mentality on our team. She is undoubtedly one of Wisconsin's best players, so it's really important that she is staying home to play at the University of Wisconsin. We are ecstatic to welcome Tara and Stauffachers to the Badger family!"
