Wisconsin women’s basketball lands 2026 in-state star Adaline Sheplee
Top 2026 wing Adaline Sheplee commits to the Wisconsin women's basketball program, giving Robin Pingeton a major in-state recruiting win.
The Wisconsin women’s basketball program just pulled off the type of in-state recruiting win that turns heads.
Rice Lake’s Adaline Sheplee, one of the top 2026 wings in the country, announced she's staying home to play for head coach Robin Pingeton.
According to ESPN, Sheplee is the No. 32 overall player in the nation and a four-star recruit. The 247Sports Composite rated her as the No. 51 player nationally, No. 16 among power forwards, and No. 2 in the state of Wisconsin. That makes her the second-highest-ranked recruit in Badgers women’s basketball history, trailing only Latonya Sims in the class of 1997.
In 27 games, Sheplee averaged 24.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. Defensively, she chipped in 3.2 steals and 1.4 blocks per night, showing a knack for making plays on both ends of the floor.
This is a player who could have gone almost anywhere to play. Sheplee’s offer list stretched coast to coast. High-major programs like Clemson, North Carolina, Miami, Michigan, Oregon, Marquette, Utah, Oklahoma, Louisville, Pitt, Northwestern, and Ole Miss all made their pitch, among others. For much of her recruitment, it looked like she might follow that path, testing herself in another part of the country, in another conference.
But then Wisconsin made its move. Pingeton, fresh off taking over the program, made Sheplee a priority. The relationship started later than most, but it developed quickly. What began as exploratory conversations turned into a clear vision for how Sheplee could succeed in Madison.
"I connected with her [coach Pingeton]," Sheplee said. "I also became excited about her vision, and the opportunity to make a big impact and do something unique in my home state and help the program out.”
Pingeton’s pitch wasn’t just about keeping her in-state. It was about basketball fit. At 6-foot-3, Sheplee is the type of versatile wing who can impact the game in multiple ways as a scoring threat, a rebounder, and a mismatch creator. Wisconsin’s staff laid out exactly where she would fit in their uptempo, aggressive style. They stressed player development and were specific about how they’d grow Sheplee's game during her career.
Sheplee is a well-rounded frontcourt piece who moves well in transition and has a smooth shooting touch. She’s still got room to add strength, which should only make her more effective in the paint, but the tools are there. Combine that with her athleticism and feel for the game, and you’ve got a player whose ceiling should improve as she continues to develop.
For Sheplee, the combination of having an accomplished head coach on the sidelines, a clear role projection, and a style of play that matches her strengths made the decision to stay close to home easier than expected.
Coach Pingeton owns a 585-375 record across 30 seasons, but what really stands out is her track record for turning programs around. At Illinois State, she inherited a team coming off four straight losing years and had them winning 20-plus games a season by Year 4. At Missouri, she took over a program with three straight losing seasons, pushed them above .500 in Year 2, and had them back in the NCAA Tournament by Year 5, starting a run of four consecutive appearances.
The hope now is that Pingeton can bring that same stability and long-term vision to Wisconsin women’s basketball, a program that’s been searching for both.
It also didn’t hurt that the opportunity to give a verbal commitment to Wisconsin came with the chance to represent her home state. She grew up watching the Badgers, surrounded by family who already wore the red and white. Now, instead of just being a fan, she’ll be part of the roster that’s trying to elevate the program into a respectable tier of the Big Ten.
For Wisconsin, Sheplee’s commitment is bigger than one player. It’s a statement. Pingeton is proving that she can keep top-tier Wisconsin talent from leaving the state, even when national powers are calling.
“The one thing I know for sure is we have to lock down the borders if we want to bring women's basketball back to the level of excellence that we all want,” Pingeton said. “We're going to work very hard to keep the best players in this state right here at home at the University of Wisconsin."
Suppose you’re looking for a defining recruiting moment early in her tenure. In that case, this might be it. Sheplee's verbal commitment is the kind of recruiting win that tells the rest of the league Wisconsin is going to be active, aggressive, and intentional in building its roster.
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The stats you gave for her are completely wrong. She actually averaged 23.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4 steals, 3.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game last season.