MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin point guard Chucky Hepburn, a three-year starter, has entered the transfer portal, The Athletic confirmed on Thursday. Heburn’s departure will have a significant impact on the Badgers’ program under Greg Gard.
Hepburn appeared in 103 career games, all starts, and averaged 9.9 points per game. Last season, he earned All-Big Ten honorable mention and was named to the all-defensive team, as well as the all-tournament team. His 3.2 assists-to-turnovers ratio ranked second in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament but lost its opening-round game to James Madison and finished 22-14 after being ranked No. 6 in the AP Top 25 poll in late January. Hepburn, who did not respond to a text message Thursday seeking comment, will have one year of eligibility remaining and figures to be among the more sought-after points guards in the transfer portal.
What this means for Wisconsin
This already has been an offseason of considerable change for Wisconsin, and Hepburn’s departure means Gard has even more pressure to fill out his roster through the portal and be competitive in the Big Ten next season. Hepburn is the second starter to leave the program, joining A.J. Storr, who initially declared for the NBA Draft but has chosen to transfer to Kansas.
Wisconsin also lost shooting guard Connor Essegian, who started as a true freshman two seasons ago but had a lesser role last season and is in the portal. Forward Gus Yalden and guards Isaac Lindsey, Luke Haertle and Ross Candelino also have transferred, though Lindsey was the only player from that group to score any points last season.
As it stands, Wisconsin has three open scholarships available for next season, even with the additions of freshmen Daniel Freitag and Jack Robison in the 2024 recruiting class. Wisconsin has not added a transfer portal player yet, but the Badgers have been actively pursuing several options. The most notable and public recruitment was for forward Frankie Fidler, who visited campus and has Wisconsin in his top four. Fidler was Hepburn’s high school teammate.
Wisconsin needs a point guard to replace Hepburn, a scoring wing to replace Storr and potentially a big man to fill out depth. The only two true point guards on the roster are Kamari McGee and Freitag. McGee averaged 2.1 points per game last season with 13 steals, 11 assists and eight turnovers. Freitag is the highest-rated recruit of the Gard era. The last freshman to start at point guard for Gard was Hepburn.
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(Photo: Brad Penner / USA Today)
