The drought is over.
Eight years after Milwaukee King's Otto McDuffie received a scholarship to play basketball for the University of Wisconsin, the Badgers have reeled in another City Conference player.
Coach Dick Bennett has received an oral commitment from Lawrence "Freddie" Owens, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound guard who is entering his senior year at Milwaukee Washington.
NCAA rules prohibit Wisconsin from commenting on a recruit until it receives a signed national letter of intent. The first chance Owens can make his commitment official will be during the early signing period Nov. 11-18.
"It's the perfect fit for me," said Owens, who plans to major in computer science. "It's close to home. My family can come and see me play whenever they want and it's a good school, top 10, in terms of academics. It has a great computer program.
"There wasn't really anything to think about for me."
Besides being the first City Conference player to commit to Wisconsin since 1991, Owens is the first Washington product to play for the Badgers since 1980 when Robert Jenkins, a three-time letter-winner, finished his career.
The latest Purgolder to choose Wisconsin is a relative unknown.
Owens wasn't a full-time varsity player until his junior season and didn't receive all-conference recognition in the 14-team City Conference.
But he did display the ability to hit clutch shots and played well in big games. The left-hander averaged 12.8 points and 3.3 assists per game for a Washington team that was ranked among the state top 10 for half the season.
Among his highlights last season was a 22-point performance in an 83-77 overtime victory against Waukesha South, a team that reached the semifinals of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament.
"His strengths are that he's physically strong," Washington coach James Gordon said. "He works hard, he has a great shot, he's as quick as anyone and he can get to the basket."
During the off-season, Owens has gone through drills with Tracy Webster, a former guard at Wisconsin, and Curtis Weathers, who runs Stay in the Game, an organization that helps kids receive athletic scholarships.
By the time he played in Wisconsin's camp June 16-18, Owens was ready.
He led his team to a second-place finish and was selected to the play in the all-star game.
One day later, he was offered a scholarship.
"I didn't know they were watching me like that," Owens said. "I was just playing my game."
Owens said Bennett envisions him as a point guard. He plays on the wing at Washington.
"He sees me creating things, creating my own shot," Owens said. "He said he liked the way I approached the game."
Owens also received a scholarship offer from Division I Youngstown State. Since June 21, the first day college coaches are allowed to make telephone calls to players entering their senior year, he has been contacted by Marquette, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Bradley, New Hampshire and a handful of Division II programs.
He would have committed to Wisconsin last week but Bennett asked him to think about it more over the weekend.
Thursday he sounded like someone who was sure of his decision.
"There aren't any concerns at all," Owens said. "It's a perfect fit for me, like I said before."