Wisconsin forward John Tonje easily smiles when he reflects on his unlikely journey as a mediocre-at-best high school freshman to a projected second-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
Predicting Tonje’s current position back then would have been scoffed at. Now, Tonje is getting the last laugh. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward was selected by the Utah Jazz in the second round (53rd overall) Thursday.
Once a freshman B-teamer and a sophomore who scored fewer than two points per game, Tonje transformed himself into one of the best high school players in Nebraska through relentless work and unshakable faith. He earned a Division I scholarship and overcame injuries. A breakout season in his final year of college led to a dozen NBA individual workouts leading to the draft.
Tonje credits his ascension to a childhood friend’s comment after one of his high school basketball games. As a freshman, all of Tonje’s group of friends played on the A team. They all gathered at Tonje’s house after one of those games.
“So, my mom hands us all snacks,” Tonje recalled. “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. From that point on, I was trying to get to another level on the court.”
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Tonje began his climb by working on his game alone in the neighborhood park and by playing every day at the local YMCA. His effort led him to averaging 13 points and 4.2 rebounds as a starter on the varsity as a junior.
In the summer before his senior year, Tonje switched from an AAU team he played on for several years to an elite AAU team that drew the attention of college scouts. The team, however, had its core group, which limited Tonje’s time on the court.
“I’d come back from these long AAU trips and my parents would ask if I received any offers,” Tonje said. “And I’d see friends posting on Twitter about their offers. I’d be happy for them, but I also wanted to play at the next level, too.”
Tonje got to that level with a memorable senior season at Omaha Central. His 23.8 scoring average and 73 3-pointers led the state. He set the school single-season scoring record and led the team to a runner-up finish in the state tournament. But he only received one Division I scholarship offer.
“Only one school believed in me,” Tonje said about Colorado State. “So, signing with them was an easy choice.”
But Tonje’s start at Colorado State was far from easy. As a freshman, he averaged about eight minutes and 3.6 points. He improved to 6.6 points the following season.
As a junior, Tonje started 12 of 30 games and averaged 9.1 points and 3.0 rebounds as Colorado State made its first NCAA tournament appearance in 11 years. He scored a season-high 20 points (making 7-of-8 shots) in the Rams’ come-from-behind win against Northern Colorado.
As a senior, Tonje started all 33 games. He averaged 14.6 points and 4.7 rebounds. He scored more than 20 points seven times and a season-high 25 twice.
“Playing at Colorado State was an amazing experience,” Tonje said. “It’s a place where I really learned the game and grew so much as a player and person.”
Tonje said he entered the transfer portal in 2023 because of his desire to play at a Power 5 school. Unlike in high school, this time he was heavily recruited by major schools. He signed with Missouri.
But he was slowed by a right foot injury he suffered in the offseason. That summer he played for the Cameroon National Team during the FIBA Olympic prequalifying tournament in Nigeria. He helped Cameroon advance to the final rounds of the qualifying tournament in Paris in 2024.
After surgery on his foot that fall, Tonje decided to gut it out. He played sparingly in eight games with Missouri and averaged 2.6 points.
“I tried to speed up my recovery because I couldn’t entertain the idea of a sixth year [of eligibility],” Tonje said. “I just felt I needed to come back and play, but [looking back] I needed more time to recover.”
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And here was Tonje back in a position where he had to prove himself and bounce back from another date with adversity. As before, he relished the opportunity, but this time came with a different approach.
Tonje said he never had the opportunity for basketball to slow down and change his focus.
“I always thought that working is all you needed to get better at basketball,” Tonje said. “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.”
That included becoming a better teammate by encouraging them, watching game film, watching more film of basketball greats, and learning from watching practices.
“That’s when I started keeping a notebook and writing down things I saw in practice, or what I saw on film,” Tonje said. “I was reading my Bible, self-help and positive-thinking books. So when I got back on the floor, I checked all the boxes. Everything was set to go.”
Fully healed, Tonje transferred to Wisconsin for his final year of eligibility. He didn’t waste time making his presence known in the Badgers’ fourth game of the season — a sold-out game at the Kohl Center against No. 9 Arizona.
The game was a celebration of Wisconsin’s 2014 and 2015 Final Four teams. Tonje’s family and close friends were in attendance.
“We watched them on film blowing people out,” said Tonje about Arizona. “We had to be on our A game. I remember everyone being a little nervous. I knew I had to bring my best and be aggressive.”
Tonje scored 41 points to lead the Badgers to the upset victory, shooting 8-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, and 21-of-22 from the free-throw line. The 21 made free throws set a Wisconsin record and Tonje’s 41 points were the fourth-most in school history in a single game.
“To be honest, I didn’t realize he had 41 until after the game because he scored in an efficient way,” Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard said. “He scored at the optimal time when our team needed it.”
Tonje’s scoring display didn’t go unnoticed. It wasn’t the first time NBA scouts had a chance to see his scoring ability — a mix of 3-point efficiency and a knack for getting to the free-throw line by drawing fouls on drives to the basket.
“He’s one of those old-school players that can score on all three levels, defend and rebound,” said a Western Conference NBA scout. “He doesn’t go out there hunting to score. He lets the game come to him. If someone’s open, he’ll pass it to him. … Whoever drafts him is going to get a basketball player. He’s going to take a job away from someone.”
For Tonje, the performance was more than just numbers on a box score. It was a full-circle moment for the high school kid once buried on the freshman B team, and who barely scored as a high school sophomore.
Now, his NBA moment has arrived.
“[NBA dreams] maybe became real to other people after that game,” Tonje said. “But for me, that game showed me that I was on the right track and the work and sacrifices I’ve put in were actually paying off.”
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