Former UW Badgers Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes went undrafted last night, but both will at least get a shot in the NBA, according to media reports.

Koenig will stay close to home and play in the NBA’s summer league with the Milwaukee Bucks, according to Basketball Insiders reporter Michael Scotto. He rolled his ankle during a workout with the team last month, but must have done enough before that to make a good impression.

Koenig helped lead the Badgers to four straight Sweet Sixteens, most famously with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to beat Xavier in 2015.

He’s also become known as a force off the court, an ardent supporter of and activist for the Ho Chunk Nation, of which he is a member. He dedicated that 2016 win to “all my Natives out there,” and visited the Standing Rock protests earlier this year.

Hayes, meanwhile, will join the New York Knicks, according to Jordan Strack, a sports reporter in Hayes’s hometown of Toledo, Ohio.

 

On the court, Hayes had an excellent career tallying over 1,600 points, 700 rebounds and 290 assists in his career and becoming just the third player in Big Ten history to reach those marks in all three categories.

During his tenure, the Badgers reached at least the Sweet Sixteen all four years.

Hayes also has become known as a force off the court. He is one of the most vocal college basketball players on issues of race and equity, and has boldly pushed for student-athletes to be paid.

Hayes was also the fourth finalist for the Senior CLASS award in school history. The award honors community service among college athletes. Alando Tucker won the Senior CLASS Award in 2007, Jon Leuer was among the final 10 for the award in 2010-11, and most recently Frank Kaminsky was a finalist in 2014-15. Other Badgers have been candidates for the award, including Hayes’ teammate Bronson Koenig (2017), Jared Berggren (2013) and Marcus Landry (2009).