MADISON, Wis. – University of Wisconsin freshman Daniel Freitag will be the first to say he has not risen to where he is without help.

As a budding high school star, his family supported him as he saved money by buying and reselling athletic wear to buy a basketball shooting machine. Coaches, friends, and area players critiqued and developed his game to make him one of the highest-rated points guards nationally in the 2024 class. His teammates were constantly in the right place to help him overcome a preseason injury to win a state championship last year.

So, before Freitag officially suits up in his No.5 Wisconsin jersey, kicking off a collegiate career with plenty of hype and attention, the 6-foot-3 point guard was brainstorming ways to pay it forward to the people of his old and new community.

“I’ve always had an interest in sharing what I know because I’ve always appreciated it so much when people do the same for me,” Freitag said. “Even though I am coming in as a freshman and haven’t put on the uniform yet, I want to give some knowledge that I wish I had with me at a younger age.”

The best way for Freitag to do that is start his own basketball camp. Partnering with former Wisconsin center Brian Butch, Freitag will hold his first Wisconsin basketball camp on July 31 at Sun Prairie West High School, teaching third-through-fifth grade in the morning and sixth-through-eight grade in the afternoon.

“He is excellent at what he does, so I knew I had to team up with him,” Freitag said of Butch, who last year completed his first season as a team’s color analyst. “I am not going to take a backseat to Brian but definitely a passenger seat with things because of how he knows the camp things.”

Having his ears open has been a theme for Freitag since arriving on campus on the mend, recovering from a spring ankle surgery stemming from a rolled ankle that swelled up like a softball three weeks before the season.

It didn’t bother him much considering he led his team to a 31-1 record and a Class 2A state championship, averaging 26 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2.5 steals per game at Golden Valley (MN) Breck High School. Cleared to participate in all team activities earlier this month was a weight lifted off his shoulders.

“It seriously is so crazy to be a shark in a kiddie pool to a small fish in this big ocean,” Freitag said. “It’s definitely an adjustment. Being a sponge and trying to hear everything that everyone has to say, good or bad, has been my bread and butter. I still have a long way to go but that’s the mentality I have been having, one day at a time and trying to stay patient.”

Preaching patience is easy now with the start of nonconference games three months away, but Freitag won't be eased into things for long.

Freitag was expected to learn next to senior-to-be point guard Chucky Hepburn, a three-star starter for the Badgers who transferred to Louisville for a reported six-figure contract. The Badgers added an experienced point guard in Camren Hunter from the portal to join backup senior guard Kamari McGee, but Hunter is coming off a year that he didn’t play due to a foot injury.

Freitag was caught off guard by Hepburn’s departure about as long as it takes him to bring the ball into the half court.

“(The coaches) called me 10 seconds after I got the news (of Hepburn’s transfer) and that built even more confidence in me,” Freitag said. “I don’t know what will happen with my role, but I’m definitely going to work to get the largest role possible. My favorite basketball is the basketball I’m most involved in. If I can carve out the biggest role possible, whatever that looks like, that’s what I want.”

The same could eventually be said about Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities. Freitag committed to Wisconsin in June 2023, at the infancy of college athletes capitalizing on sponsorship deals and pay-for-play opportunities.

Other than setting up his camp, Freitag says he hasn’t done much marketing of himself for NIL opportunities. He says he is not getting rich off his camps, even if they sold out “10 times over,” but isn’t sticking his head in the sand with the new profitability of the sport.

“I’ve never had a huge care from NIL, but it’s impossible to ignore it,” he said. “I don’t want to say I don’t like it because I like it for myself. I don’t like it for losing a few of my friends to other schools. I was super excited to play with A.J. Storr and Chucky Hepburn. With them leaving, probably for NIL, it hurt, and it still does. I miss those guys a ton.

“I have the idea that if I stay the person I am and stay charismatic, (NIL) will find me. If I do what I need to do on the court, it will double find me. I’ve been focused on becoming the best basketball player possible.”

While doors are quickly opening for Freitag with Wisconsin, his focus now is delivering on his basketball camp and hosting another one in Minnesota. Butch and him are still working out the topics they want to address, but Freitag wants to make sure the message he gives parents and kids resonates beyond one three-hour experience.

“My goal is for every single camper to like me a little bit more after meeting me,” Freitag said. “Kids showing up and parents trusting me with their kids’ time and money, I want everyone to have a great experience. I heard a quote from (Bucks guard) Damien Lillard that not every myth deserves a reaction. I want to instill that not every bad day, bad practice, or rep deserves a reaction. Myself included, kids get down after one bad shot or one bad game. Hopefully, they walk with time they enjoyed and not everything deserves a reaction.”

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