The Badgers have their first transfer commitment of the year.
Disclaimer: This piece was written by Connor Whelan, one of our new writers who will help cover basketball and football at Bucky’s 5th Quarter.
Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers landed their first transfer commitment Sunday in Central Arkansas guard Camren Hunter. Hunter has two years of eligibility remaining.
Hunter ranks as a 4-star transfer recruit according to 247 Sports. He did not play in 2024 but averaged 16.9 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on 42.3% shooting in 2022-2023.
Hunter is essentially Chucky Hepburn’s replacement at point guard barring a strong pre-season effort from Daniel Freitag.
Things in Hunter’s game that stand out to me include his agility and passing ability. He uses his size and speed to his advantage and plays well with ball screens. He’s not afraid to go up strong for a lay-up which is something the Badgers lacked last year. They were a very good offensive team but could get into some trouble when no player felt confident enough to drive in and create their shot.
Hunter posted up 11% of his possessions in 22-23, which ranked in the 74th percentile. His blend of confidence in the post and unselfishness when it comes to passing will make him a serious threat to backcourts in the Big Ten.
Hunter shot 31.1% from 3 and attempted about five shots per game. Shooting from beyond the arc is not his biggest strength but it certainly is not a weakness in his game. The Badgers need a guard who is focused on driving in for layups and creating good shots for his teammates, which Hunter can be.
One thing I like about Hunter is his success against high-major opponents. During his two years at Central Arkansas, he has played his fair share of games against Power 6 opponents.
Hunter scored 18 points away at Oklahoma in 22-23 and scored 15 away at Butler in 21-22. He has demonstrated confidence in his style of play not only against mid and low-major teams but also against high majors whom he will be playing against at Wisconsin.
One thing I’d like to see Greg Gard and the Wisconsin staff work on is Hunter’s shot selection. He had multiple games last season where he would go 2-13, and the Badgers need to help Hunter recognize when his shot is not falling and start getting others involved in the offense.
Overall, I think this is a fantastic commitment for the Badgers and Greg Gard, whose off-season started a little rocky with the departures of two starters AJ Storr and Chucky Hepburn.
Wisconsin’s next step in the portal has to be finding a player with size who can contribute and play as an SF/PF, which is an area the Badgers are lacking depth due to Storr and Tyler Wahl’s departures.