Bellevue West grad Chucky Hepburn enters transfer portal

Hepburn, who led the Thunderbirds to the 2020 Class A state title, started all three seasons — 103 games in total — for the Badgers, who made two NCAA Tournaments under Hepburn’s leadership. He’ll have one year of eligibility left.

For his career, Hepburn averaged 9.8 points and 3.0 assists in Madison, though his top quality might be as a defender. He averaged 2.1 steals in 2023-2024 and made the Big Ten All-Defense team.

He saved two of his most spectacular games for last against Purdue and Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament. Hepburn scored 22 against the Boilermakers and 20 against the Illinois, notching three steals in both contests. In Wisconsin’s ugly, lopsided NCAA tournament loss to James Madison, Hepburn battled foul trouble, finishing with eight points and four assists.

Creighton and Nebraska both recruited Hepburn out of high school, but Hepburn committed to Wisconsin in Sept. 2019, more than two years before he suited up for the Badgers. The Bluejays landed their point guard — Ryan Nembhard, now at Gonzaga — in June 2020, while the Huskers, over the years, cycled through several one-year transfers.

NU just added a point guard, Utah transfer Rollie Worster, on Monday. CU has a point guard in Steven Ashworth, who has yet to announce a decision on whether he’s returning for a fifth year of school. Ashworth, a natural shooter, can also play the ‘2’ guard spot, as well.

Hepburn’s decision comes as two of his former Bellevue West teammates, William Kyle and Frankie Fidler, are sorting through their transfer options.

Fidler played three years at Omaha and had whittled his list down to NU, CU, Wisconsin and Michigan State before postponing a planned Monday radio announcement of his final decision.

Kyle, who left South Dakota State after two productive years, has Creighton and Nebraska on his list, along with Wake Forest, where former Millard North star Hunter Sallis — who’s also friends with Hepburn — had a breakout year following his transfer from Gonzaga. Sallis has entered the NBA Draft, but he maintains his final year of eligibility, presumably with the Demon Deacons.

Wisconsin has lost several stars in the offseason. On Thursday, former Badger guard A.J. Storr made official his transfer to Kansas. Another former UW shooter, Connor Essegian, is reportedly visiting Indiana.