The Badgers have lost seven players via the transfer portal this offseason. Badgers coach Greg Gard addresses each player's departures from the program.
The Badgers flew him out a day early, arriving Thursday at 11:30 p.m., and Wisconsin assistant coach Sharif Chambliss met him and his step-father at the airport to begin a late-night campus tour before the full visit Friday. Hunter, a transfer guard from Central Arkansas rated four stars by multiple recruiting outlets, could tell in Chambliss’ voice, in Wisconsin coach Greg Gard’s voice — even over the phone.
Losing three-year starting point guard Chucky Hepburn to the transfer portal on April 18 was a challenge. But the “emotional baggage” only made the Badgers’ desire more clear: Hunter was important to them. And there was something about this opportunity Hunter said he couldn’t pass up. So after breaking down film with Gard, the Badgers coach asked if Hunter had any questions.
“Where’s the papers to sign?” Hunter asked Gard. “I’m all in.”
The Badgers landed a commitment from Hunter, the 6-foot-3 guard announced Sunday on Instagram. He’s the first transfer commitment this offseason for Wisconsin, which has lost seven players to the transfer portal (including two starters) and a third starter to graduation in former Badgers forward Tyler Wahl.
Hunter is expected to slide into the starting point guard role vacated by Hepburn, ending Wisconsin’s pursuit of a lead guard in the transfer portal just over a week after it began in earnest.
Following the departure of Hepburn, Wisconsin was in need of a veteran guard to help initiate the offense, a role which was previously likely left to some combination of senior guard Kamari McGee, fifth-year guard Max Klesmit, sophomore guard John Blackwell and incoming freshman Daniel Freitag. Though Hunter joins the Badgers with two years of eligibility remaining, he provides the stability they were looking for.
“My main thing was to get to where I was needed and actually wanted,” Hunter said. “These guys Wisconsin needed a (point guard) to come lead the show. And that's a ‘How can you not?’ thing. … The want was for sure there.”
The two-time All-Atlantic Sun selection (first team his freshman year and third team his sophomore year) was a member of the same 2021 class as Hepburn — though Hunter was an unranked, zero-star prospect — and brings 54 games of college-starting experience with career averages of 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game to a Wisconsin team that has several holes to fill.
Hunter retained his junior-year eligibility, though, because he didn’t play last season for several reasons: He fractured his foot in October, then he sat out the remainder of the season to focus on his mental health following the death of his father around Christmas time last year.
Hunter’s commitment to a Big Ten school in Wisconsin is the latest step in a fast-ascending trajectory for the Bryant, Arkansas native, who had just two offers (Central Arkansas and Oral Roberts) out of Bryant High School in 2021. He committed to Butler after entering the transfer portal for the first time last offseason, but personal family matters and issues with a previous name, image and likeness representation, in part, led to his decision to return to Central Arkansas.
But Hunter assured this decision would stick. He was contacted by around 70 schools since he re-entered the portal on March 7, per On3 Sports. His initial list of teams that were in contact, according to On3 Sports, included Kansas State, Georgetown, Auburn, Missouri, Ole Miss, Boston College, Mississippi State, Arizona State, California, Virginia Tech and North Texas among others.
Hunter took a visit to Saint Louis earlier this week and was engaged in conversations with both Auburn (which was interested in setting up a visit) and Florida State at the time he committed to the Badgers, but ultimately felt he was ready to make a decision.
“I truly believe in coach Gard and his coaching staff, without a doubt,” Hunter said. “It's just time for me to go out there and do my part and put the work in. Because I know they're gonna do their part and coach me.”
With Hunter committed, the Badgers can move on to pursuing a transfer wing and big man with their remaining two open scholarships. Wisconsin had eight departures this offseason — seven via the transfer portal — but only five were on scholarship and the Badgers are also set to add two freshmen in Freitag and forward Jack Robison next season.
Photos: Chucky Hepburn's Wisconsin men's basketball career