The University of Wisconsin will have another large hole to fill ahead of the 2024–25 season after vocal leader and floor general Chucky Hepburn entered his name into the transfer portal Thursday, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, from Tobias Bass of The Athletic.
He’s the sixth player to exit the program this offseason, and certainly the most surprising departure thus far. Hepburn was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention recipient this season and has started in all of his 103 appearances with UW.
While many may be quick to dismiss his accomplishments and contributions to the university by labeling Hepburn a “traitor” or “fake Badger” as has become commonplace in the transfer portal era, it serves to remember a statement Hepburn delivered following the game in which the Badgers honored former assistant coach Howard Moore on March 2.
“Just seeing [the ceremony for Moore] before the game, seeing everybody’s support makes me really proud to wear the Badger jersey,” Hepburn said. “It’s not just a fanbase, it’s not just basketball, it’s not just sports, it’s beyond that … it’s a family.”
The Omaha, Nebraska, native is fresh off arguably his best season in cardinal and white, averaging 9.2 points, 3.9 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game and was the engine that made the Badgers’ offense go. He played a massive role in UW’s Big Ten Tournament run — earning First-Team All-Tournament honors after averaging 17.3 points per game on 69.0 percent shooting with an absurd 17:3 assist-to-turnover ratio across three games.
Though his season statistics don’t jump off the page, Hepburn was an integral piece to the Badgers’ success and took a massive leap forward as a facilitator and decision-maker. He was able to pick apart defenses through his patience as a ball-handler and frequently found open cutters or shooters for good looks.
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Defensively, Hepburn was tasked with guarding the opponent’s best guard game in and game out, and his efforts were rewarded with an All-Big Ten Defensive Team berth. Hepburn was the first player since Devin Harris in 2002–03 to average at least two steals per game, and his All-Big Ten Defensive Team honors were the first by a Badger since Zak Showalter in 2016–17.
A byproduct of Hepburn’s transfer announcement is that the Badgers are likely out of the running for University of Omaha transfer Frankie Fidler — who played high school basketball with Hepburn and was recruited heavily by Hepburn this offseason.
Taking into account AJ Storr’s NBA declaration and recent commitment to the University of Kansas and Tyler Wahl’s graduation, head coach Greg Gard and company will need to fill three starting spots and replace almost 54% of their scoring production from 2023–24.
Specifically at the guard position, John Blackwell, Kamari McGee and incoming freshman Daniel Freitag are left to share point guard duties, while Max Klesmit sits as the only true two-guard on the roster. Jack Robison — the other half of Gard’s 2024 recruiting class — could fill out some minutes at the two-spot, though his 6-foot-6 frame could mean more minutes at small forward.
While a return to UW isn’t technically out of the picture, Badger fans shouldn’t get their hopes up about seeing Hepburn back in Madison next season.
Instead, the waiting game begins. With well over 1,000 players in the transfer portal, there will be plenty of options for Gard to fill out the backcourt. But, fans will be held in suspense before the 2024–25 men’s basketball roster is confirmed months from now.
