Monona Grove High School standout Alex Zwart will attend UW-Platteville and play basketball for the Pioneers, UWP Coach Paul Combs announced today.

Zwart, a 6-foot-6 forward, is a two-time all-conference selection. He earned second team honors after leading the Silver Eagles to the WIAA Division 2 championship game as a junior and first team honors as a senior after averaging 12.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He was a three-year letterman, helping MG to a 49-22 record over that span.

Zwart's versatility could lead to him making an immediate impact on the Pioneer program. Although primarily a forward,he recently won both the Badger North-South All-Star Game and the Kyle Reigsted Memorial Classic three-point shooting contests.

"We've been following Alex's progress for the last few years, with his run to the state championship game and his overall improvement in his game," Combs said. "Alex has a lot of upside. He comes from a winning program, and he's the type of student-athlete we want at UW-Platteville. It's a perfect fit."

The National Honor Society student, chosen to represent his school at Badger Boys State, will major in civil engineering. He is the son of Mark, a former Illinois State player, and Sue Zwart.

"He's from a very supportive family, and he's a good kid," Combs said. "He'll make a positive impact right away on and off the floor for us."

Zwart will join a Pioneer team that is coming off an injury-plagued 13-12 season. The Pioneers were 6-1 and ranked 13th in the nation before a rash of injuries altered a promising year. UW-Platteville should have a fully-recovered squad to begin play on the Bo Ryan Court in 2007-08.