Greg Gard and the University of Wisconsin basketball program are looking for a replacement for Chucky Hepburn in the transfer portal, and there just so happens to be an in-state option available that could make sense.
Long-time journalist Gery Woelfel reported that the Wisconsin Badgers and arch-rival Marquette are among a handful of schools that have reached out to Texas point guard Tyrese Hunter, who is in the portal. I’ve also heard that Arizona and Memphis are interested in some capacity.
With Wisconsin basketball losing a three-year starter at the point in Hepburn, pursuing an experienced option like Hunter, who was a high school teammate of Badgers guard Kamari McGee, seems worthwhile. Of note, assistant coach Sharif Chambliss also went to St. Catherine’s once upon a time and could be another voice involved in this potential recruitment.
Hunter appeared in 33 games for the Longhorns last season and averaged 11.1 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game on 45.2% from the field and 34.3% shooting from three.
The 6-foot, 175-pound guard was the 2021-22 Big XII Freshman of the Year while at Iowa State but has spent the last two years at Texas. In total, Hunter has appeared in 106 games, all starts.
Coach Gard and the Wisconsin basketball team didn’t pursue Hunter heavily in high school, instead prioritizing Hepburn in the 2021 class. That said, Hunter would check a lot of boxes for the Badgers this offseason. He has an intriguing combination of experience and production.
Hunter will have one season of eligibility and presumably won’t come cheap, but he could serve as a stop-gap option who could mentor incoming freshman Daniel Freitag before he gets the keys to the car in 2024-25.
Wisconsin basketball has been most actively pursuing transfer forwards like Brandon Angel and Matt Cross as of late, but it’s becoming more clear with each passing day that the Badgers will add to their backcourt.
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