From his junior season with Kaukauna High School to his grassroots season with All Wisconsin, Elijah O’Claire has continued to greatly improve his game. The 6’9” post has shown the upside to be among the top big men in Wisconsin’s 2027 class.

In his junior season, O’Claire averaged only 2.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per game for Kaukauna. This was in limited minutes while playing behind all-state Andrew Jensen, who is now playing for DePaul. While not making a large impact in this season, it does tell the full story of the potential of O’Claire with the great strides in his game over the past several months.

The great upside of O’Claire’s game was very evident this July at both the NY2LA Grassroots Invitational and Summer Jam tournaments. He has a unique blend of abilities to be an impactful player, especially on the defensive side. This includes his great size at 6’9” with a strong build but is also very mobile at his size. This was clear with his shot blocking ability maneuvering well all around the paint contesting shots. This is in addition to being mobile enough to get out to the perimeter to block shots as well as defend ball screens. His offensive game has also shown plenty of growth as well. O’Claire scored it effectively on rolls and put backs in addition to growing range on his jumper hitting some threes this summer. Next up in the rising senior’s game, he is looking to improve his play in the paint as well as his basketball IQ.

With the growth in his game, O’Claire has started to get himself on the radar of college coaches. This has mainly been with in-state division three programs. Though if his game continues this upward trajectory, look for scholarship level programs to get involved in his recruitment.