Louisville basketball receives a commitment from Chucky Hepburn, a point guard who started 109 games at Wisconsin.
There’s a common thread among every transfer that Louisville basketball head coach Pat Kelsey has landed:
They are proven winners.
It started with the additions of College of Charleston guard Reyne Smith and center James Scott. The narrative continued with the additions of versatile wings Terrence Edward Jr. and Javonne Hadley, as well as redshirting big man Aly Khalifa. Louisville also landed experienced guard Koren Davis from Washington.
Now Louisville basketball has added Wisconsin point guard Chucky Hepburn.
Almost every player joining Louisville’s roster so far was a member of an NCAA Tournament team this season.
Hepburn is no exception. In his three seasons with the Badgers, Wisconsin went 67-37 (0.64 winning %). Hepburn played in and started 103 of the 104 games in that time frame.
Here’s NBA Draft Junkies breakdown of Hepburn’s game.
Strong physical scoring point guard
Good athlete; has sneaky hops and explosiveness
Plays with a high level of confidence
Tough, loves to play through or initiate contact
Can create off the dribble and get to his sweet spots on the floor
Loves to get to his mid range pull up
Plays with pace and is always in control
Prefers to drive to his left
Competitive fire; loves to compete and brings energy
Good decision maker
Draws fouls at high rate
Efficient scorer in high school
Defends with passion; quick hands.
The last point is perhaps the most important one for Louisville basketball fans wondering what they will get out of the rising senior.
Hepburn is a tenacious on-ball defender who has become a fan favorite because of his defensive presence. He has 161 career steals, including 73 in 2023-24.
He is also has a great assist-to-turnover ratio. He dished out 3.18 assists for every turnover that he had this season, which was an integral part of his team’s success.
CBS Sports ranks Hepburn as the 18th-best player in the portal, calling him a “reliable floor general and defensive pest.”
Evan Maya had this to say about Hepburn: “The 6-foot-2 guard is a career 36.2% 3-point shooter and earned Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors in the 2023-24 season while averaging 2.1 steals. He rated as the Badgers’ most-efficient player and No. 2 defender this past season.”
With the addition of Hepburn, Louisville basketball now has multiple tenacious defenders at the guard and forward positions.
The Cards have a core of players that can play well off of each other on both ends of the floor.
Kelsey and company are killing it in the portal, and there is still more to come.
In the meantime, check out our comprehensive transfer portal tracker.
Here’s what Louisville’s roster looks like as of 4/25/2024.
