John Tonje, a standout basketball player from Wisconsin, is on the verge of realizing his NBA dreams after an impressive college career. Each of these pivotal moments have framed his journey. Perhaps the most important moment was a remark by a childhood acquaintance that heated his interest in the game. Tonje has the highest scoring average in the country at 23.8 points per game. With that record-setting performance behind him, he’s expected to be a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Tonje’s path to national spotlight began in an unassuming setting. He honed his skills by himself in local parks around the city and at the YMCAs in his neighborhood. His hard work and dedication to his craft helped him win big. He had a breakout season, posting averages of 14.6 PPG and 4.7 RPG. As a first-year, he was a 3.6-point per game guy. Yet, he took giant leaps and raised his average to 6.6 points per game during his sophomore season.
During his senior year, Tonje became a national recruit and one of the top guards in the court, finishing the season leading Wisconsin with 73 three-pointers. He never scored less than 20 in seven games and scored his highest total of the season—25 points—twice. His most remarkable performance came when he scored 41 points in a game that led the Badgers to an upset victory. This year’s game was extra meaningful. Tonje was phenomenal, going 8-of-14 from the field and knocking down 4-of-6 from three. He tied the NCAA tournament record overall and set a Wisconsin tournament record by making 21 of 22 free throws!
“To be honest, I didn’t realize he had 41 until after the game because he scored in an efficient way,” – Greg Gard
Tonje’s performance not only marked an individual milestone but resonated with his coach, who noted, “He scored at the optimal time when our team needed it.” Those 41 points stand as the fourth-most in Wisconsin school history for a single game.
His journey was not without challenges. Having put up big numbers in the NCAA, in 2022-2023, Tonje had just declared for transfer with hopes of landing at a Power 5 program. This decision was driven by his ambition to take his game to the next level and compete with better talent. Following his transfer, he played for the Cameroon National Team during the FIBA Olympic prequalifying tournament in Nigeria, helping the team advance to the final rounds in Paris scheduled for 2024.
In looking back on his growth, Tonje attributed one comment made by a childhood friend as the beginning of his growth spurt. “My friend Niko says these snacks should only be for guys who played in the freshman A game… That turned me into a maniac in the gym,” he recalled. This internal drive encouraged him to spend thousands of hours in the pursuit of his craft.
“I always thought that working is all you needed to get better at basketball,” – John Tonje
Most impressively, his commitment to growth translated beyond the court, as he spent his time away from basketball developing his skill set. “That year I was off the court at Missouri allowed me to get better at things I didn’t know I needed to get better at,” he stated. So he began keeping a notebook, writing down everything he learned from their practices and film sessions. This habit had a tremendous impact on his on-field knowledge of the game.
Scouts have taken notice of Tonje’s abilities, with one Western Conference NBA scout describing him as “one of those old-school players that can score on all three levels, defend and rebound.” The scout emphasized that Tonje plays within the flow of the game rather than forcing scoring opportunities: “He doesn’t go out there hunting to score. He lets the game come to him.”
As Tonje prepares for the NBA Draft, he has participated in a dozen individual workouts, showcasing his skills to potential teams. His journey is a testament to his talent and his incredible work ethic and dogged determination to keep getting better.
“[NBA dreams] maybe became real to other people after that game,” – John Tonje
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