Chucky Hepburn transfer portal: Star guard commits to Louisville for 2024-25 season

Chucky Hepburn committed to the Louisville Cardinals on Thursday following his transfer from the Wisconsin Badgers. In his three seasons as a starter for the Badgers, Hepburn averaged 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

The guard follows AJ Storr and others in leaving Wisconsin, leaving behind a huge void in the roster.

Speaking of his skill, Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard said:

"He has the ability to take a game over and to make plays. That's the luxury of having a mature point guard."

This description perfectly fits the requirement of Louisville as 247Sports' Isaiah Trotter pointed out in his breakdown of team needs.

"Kelsey needs a veteran lead guard who can get the ball where it needs to go for a Louisville team that plans to shoot a billion 3-pointers."

Chucky Hepburn joins a huge list of transfer signees at Louisville after Reyne Smith and Hames Scott from the College of Charleston, Terrance Edwards Jr. from James Madison, J'Vonne Hadley from Colorado, Aly Khalifa from Brigham Young, Koren Johnson from Washington, and Aboubacar Traore from Long Beach State.

Greg Gard on why Chucky Hepburn transferred from Wisconsin?

When announcing his decision on social media, Chucky Hepburn did not specify the reason for his leaving and said:

"As I embark on this new chapter and enter the transfer portal, please know that my decision is not a reflection of anything lacking at Wisconsin. Rather, it is an opportunity for me to explore new possibilities and continue my journey in pursuit of my dreams."

However, coach Greg Gard had a more direct answer. He was asked about both Storr and Hepburn leaving and Gard pointed fingers at the NIL:

"If anybody in your right mind told any of you guys that you could go triple your income by doing a different job, you would do it in a heartbeat. ... I would tell my kid probably to do the same thing.”

He added:

"The earning power window is really small. When they have those type of opportunities in front of them, that's hard to say 'No' to. So I don't begrudge them at all for that."

Chucky Hepburn was Wisconsin's best defender, and that is on his card at Louisville. The presence of an experienced player on the roster will help the team during a deep postseason run, something the Cardinals will hope for next season.

What do you think of Chucky Hepburn joining the Louisville Cardinals? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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