Who could the Badgers go after in the transfer portal to replace Chucky Hepburn?
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.
Chucky Hepburn’s decision to transfer took many Wisconsin Badgers fans by surprise.
Hepburn has cemented himself as one of the premier guards in the Big Ten through his relentless on-ball defense and massive clutch shots for Wisconsin, including a game-winning three against Purdue to win the Big Ten regular season in 2022.
Luckily for the team and fans, the transfer portal has many strong replacement options. I want to highlight three of those guards here.
Tyrese Hunter
Tyrese Hunter started all 33 games for the Texas Longhorns last season and averaged 11.1 points per game on 45.2 percent shooting, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.
Hunter came through in the clutch for the Longhorns last season, by scoring 13 points in the Round of 32 against No. 2-seeded Tennessee and making a game-winner against No. 9 Baylor as time expired.
Hunter’s aggressiveness in the paint and ability to create shots for his teammates are both aspects the Badgers need to improve on going into the next college basketball season. The Badgers lacked a true facilitator on offense even when Hepburn was on the court, and Hunter could be the player to fix that very issue.
Hunter is a very highly-ranked player in the transfer portal who could bring both tournament experience and athleticism to Wisconsin.
Hunter also has current ties to the program, having played high school basketball with Kamari McGee at Racine St. Catherine’s in Racine, Wisconsin. Both the Badgers and Tyrese Hunter could benefit from a triumphant return to his home state.
Seth Trimble
Seth Trimble has the most upside of any of the guards on this list.
Trimble was solid as a reserve for the North Carolina Tar Heels last season, averaging 5.2 points per game on 47 percent shooting. Trimble stands at 6’3” and could bring much-needed size to the Badgers squad.
In addition, Trimble is a tremendous defender, which the Badgers struggled with last season. Hepburn was also named to the All-Big Ten Defensive team last season, so replacing him with another strong defensive guard makes total sense.
I like Seth Trimble’s game a lot and watched him play a ton at North Carolina. I like how he would be transferring into Wisconsin with two years of eligibility remaining and could be a starter for multiple seasons in Madison.
I also think the fact that Trimble was named Mr. Wisconsin Basketball during his senior season at Menomonee Falls could give the Badgers a good chance to land him.
Jaeden Zackery
Note: Zackery has committed to Clemson.
Jaeden Zackery is another transfer guard who grew up in Wisconsin.
The 6’2’’ junior from Boston College averaged 11.3 points per game on 48.4 percent efficiency, while also shooting 40.5% from beyond the three-point arc.
Zackery is a lesser name than the other two candidates but still could bring a lot to this Wisconsin team. He plays hard on the defensive side of the ball and averaged 1.8 steals per game last season, which could help replicate the turnovers that Hepburn created through steals last season as well.
Zackery’s ties to Salem, WI, and his stellar two-way play could be a target for Greg Gard and the Wisconsin staff.