Chucky Hepburn
| No. 23 – Wisconsin Badgers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | Big Ten Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 9, 2003 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Bellevue West (Omaha, Nebraska) |
| College | Wisconsin (2021–present) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Chucky Hepburn (born February 9, 2003) is an American college basketball player for the Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten Conference.
Early life and high school career[edit]
Hepburn grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and attended Bellevue West High School. A 6-foot-1-inch (1.85 m) point guard, he averaged 15.9 points, 8.3 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 3.8 steals per game as a senior as Bellevue West appeared in the Class A state title. He guided Bellevue West to a Class A state title as a junior averaging 17.1 points, 6.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game.[citation needed] As a sophomore, Hepburn averaged 18.3 points, 5.0 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game.[1] Hepburn won the 2020 Nebraska Mr. Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year.[2]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chucky Hepburn PG |
Omaha, NE | Bellevue West (NE) | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Sep 29, 2019 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81
| ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 123 247Sports: 114 | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
College career[edit]
Hepburn enrolled at University of Wisconsin–Madison after receiving offers from Nebraska, Creighton, Minnesota, Loyola (IL) and Valparaiso.[3]
Freshman season[edit]
Hepburn became the first true freshman to start the season opener since Devin Harris in 2001.[4] He went on to score 13 points in his first career game against St. Francis.[5] Hepburn banked in a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left against #8 ranked Purdue, giving the Badgers a share of the Big Ten regualar-season title.[6] Hepburn was able to profit in the newly implemented NIL after the game-winning shot against Purdue with merchandise named "The Chucky Special".[7] After the regular season, Hepburn was named to the Big Ten All–Freshman Team.[8]
Sophomore season[edit]
Hepburn was asked to take on a larger role in his second season at Wisconsin after Johnny Davis was selected 10th overall by the Washington Wizards.[citation needed] Hepburn started all 35 games and was the Badgers leading scorer (12.2 points per game), 3-point percentage (.405), assists (2.8 APG) and steals (1.5 SPG). The team struggled with injuries midway through the season and Wisconsin missed the NCAA Tournament. Following the conclusion of the regular season, Hepburn was named an All–Big Ten honorable mention selection.[9] The Badgers accepted an invitation to the NIT where Hepburn scored a career-high 27 points in a second round victory against Liberty.[10]
Junior season[edit]
Hepburn came into his junior season and has thrived in the role of facilitator and defender.[11] The previous season, he was looked at by his teammates as the "go to guy" to score late in shot clock or late in games.[11] With the additions of scorers AJ Storr and freshman John Blackwell, Hepburn has been able to refine other parts of his game.[11] Evidence of this is Chucky has put up his best assist to turnover ratio of his career and uptick in steals.[11] Following the completion of the regular season, Hepburn was named All-Big Ten honorable mention by the coaches and named to the All-Defensive Team.[12]
Career statistics[edit]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College[edit]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Wisconsin | 33 | 33 | 31.0 | .388 | .348 | .696 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 7.9 |
| 2022–23 | Wisconsin | 35 | 35 | 32.0 | .377 | .405 | .718 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 12.2 |
| 2023–24 | Wisconsin | 35 | 35 | 33.3 | .429 | .322 | .737 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 2.1 | 0.1 | 9.2 |
| Career | 103 | 103 | 32.1 | .395 | .365 | .719 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 9.8 | |
References[edit]
- ^ "Chucky Hepburn page". MaxPreps. March 12, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ "Chucky Hepburn Mr. Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year". RealGM. April 13, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ "Hepburn". Rivals. September 29, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ "Wisconsin Freshman Likely to Start Season Opener Tuesday". Rivals. November 8, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ "St. Francis (NY) vs. Wisconsin Box Score". sports-reference.com. November 9, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ "No. 10 Badgers nip No. 10 Purdue for share of Big Ten title". apnews.com. March 2, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ "March Madness: The 'Chucky Special' shows how NIL will play in the Big Dance". Yahoo Finance. March 18, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ "2021-22 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Honors Announced". bigten.org. March 8, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "2023 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Honors Announced". bigten.org. March 7, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Rewatching Chucky Hepburn's offensive playmaking reveals strengths, areas to grow". badgersextra.com. July 14, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Chucky Hepburn Loving his Role of Wisconsin Badgers' Facilitator". wisconsin.rivals.com. January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Big Ten Announces 2024 Men's Basketball Postseason Honors". bigten.org. March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ "Chucky Hepburn Statistics". ESPN. Retrieved January 15, 2024.