There was only about 3 minutes of “What if?” A conversation before the situation became reality for University of Wisconsin men's basketball point guard signee Daniel Freitag.
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Freitag wondered along with his mother when he saw a rumor on Twitter early Thursday afternoon that Badgers point guard Chuckie Hepburn might soon be among the first to enter the transfer portal.
“We were talking about things like, 'Wouldn't it be weird if these rumors were true?'” Freitag said. “'Well, I wonder what that means to me.'”
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The dynamic 2024 lead guard was hired as the Badgers' point guard of the future, but he was supposed to get a year of learning from Hepburn before that. But “30 seconds” after news of Hepburn's entry into the portal was confirmed on social media, Wisconsin coach Greg Gard called Freitag. Now things have changed.
“Overall, it was just nagging, 'Make sure you're ready, it's coming soon and you've got a good chance,'” Freitag said. “So I told him, 'I'm all for it. I'm preparing, and I'm continuing to prepare.'”
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That wasn't the last call Freitag received that day, as Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabenhoft also spoke with Freitag late Thursday afternoon. What happened Thursday was the worst moment for the Badgers, losing a point guard who started 103 games in three seasons just as he was feeling like he was playing the best basketball of his career.
But for Freitag, it was the closest comparison to the day he committed to Wisconsin, the day his phone exploded nonstop. While Badger supporters were quick to hand over the proverbial keys to the program to Freitag, the freshman had a more pragmatic perspective — “With no one older and smarter than you, you're just trying to keep the fire going.'' I think it's kind of stupid to throw it in there,” Freitag said.
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The Badgers have several players like that on their roster. That includes rising senior guard Kamari McGee. Both players are recovering from surgeries to repair lower-body injuries (McGee broke his foot, Freitag broke his ankle), and Freitag was texting him throughout Thursday. Freitag had successful surgery on April 5 and is expected to be fully mobile within “a few weeks” and back to playing basketball by the time Wisconsin reconvenes for summer training. There is.
But the Badgers staff also is working to reach out to point guards in the transfer portal, primarily those with only one year of eligibility remaining, in hopes of maintaining a multi-year situation at Wisconsin, which coach Freitag expected to enroll Thursday. He also spoke positively about But Freitag doesn't expect that to change anything.
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He himself admitted that at first he thought he would learn from Hepburn's example. But Freitag said Thursday that the Badgers have been consistent in that they learn alongside him. So adding a new point guard to the mix doesn't change things. And with AJ Stowe going to Kansas, Wisconsin suddenly needed a wing-scoring guard as well.
But if he's the one who has to take over primary facilitator duties (as Hepburn did as a freshman in 2021-22), he said he's ready. As a senior at Bloomington-Jefferson High School in Minneapolis, Freitag was the No. 1 prospect. He noted that he could be a No. 2 or No. 3 option in some cases.
However, after transferring to Breck High School, This season for Minnesota Golden Valley, he has been able to play off the ball, on the ball, in facilitation, and on defense, and even more than scoring could impact his team's eventual victory in the MSHSL. I was able to give. Class AA state championship winning season.
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“I think that puts me in pretty good shape for whatever role they want me to play,” Freitag said. “Whatever they want me to do, I can take on. I welcome any role with open arms possible.”
Of course, there are still some unanswered questions for the Badgers considering Hepburn's departure. Wisconsin was already looking to replace Stowe with graduate forward Tyler Wall. With Hepburn's departure, 60% of the starting lineup from a season ago will change.
But Freitag said there's still plenty of consistency needed to keep the Badgers committed.
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“Honestly, as long as the guards are there, I’m there,” Freitag said. “If Guard is still there and he treats and talks to me the same way he has for the past three years, I can't think of a situation where I would decide to leave.”
Photo: Chucky Hepburn's Wisconsin men's basketball career