Notes: Point guard Chucky Hepburn pushing for time as a true freshman

Following a season in which Jonathan Davis flashed and found consistent playing time immediately during his first year on campus, freshman Chucky Hepburn is making a similar push to get on the floor right away.

Greg Gard and the coaching staff have been impressed with the former three-star guard from Nebraska. But the Badgers also know there will be growing pains, especially with what is asked of point guards at UW.

“Much like being a quarterback in football, being a point guard in basketball is not an easy task, specifically for a freshman because he has to digest a lot of information. But Chucky’s handled it very well,” Gard told reporters on Monday. “I want to temper expectations a little bit because he’s a freshman, but he’s approached every day wanting to learn. He’s been very eager to continue to learn and get better and we’ve liked what we’ve seen so far.”

Hepburn, 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds, hasn't been shy since practices have gotten underway. Along with learning to play the point guard position at the college level, he'll also have to learn how to defend in the Big Ten.

The early returns are encouraging for a player who will likely be asked to come in and play right away.

"Chucky brings a vision and a feel to the floor that we’ve had with a few guys around here in the 20 years I’ve been here that have that same natural feel, and that’s one thing that jumps out about Chucky," Gard added. "He’s a natural at it.

"He’s very instinctive - he’s really good with the ball, he’s got a great vision, he’s really good at ball screens, he knows how to play and understands how to play the position. And as I mentioned earlier, you see some of that in (Lorne) Bowman, too."

With the departure of veterans D’Mitrik Trice, Micah Potter, Nathan Reuvers and Aleem Ford, among others, Brad Davison is the lone returner who has been a vocal leader in the past. His return will likely ease the leadership transition for Davis and Tyler Wahl, both of whom are naturally more often soft spoken.

“I’ve said it many times, he’s (Davison) one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around in 30 years of coaching, so it’s good for him to be able to mentor some younger guys,” Gard told reporters on Monday.

Wahl, who is now entering who junior year, saw the floor right away but is stepping into a new role. The step, according to Gard, was made early in the offseason when the team returned to the weight room following the postseason.

“I think Tyler has grown more and more comfortable in that position of having his own voice and understanding that it is his time and Johnny’s time, along with Brad to help this younger group grow. And that’s something he’s wanted," Gard said. "He’s really been excited for this time and this opportunity to help lead the younger guys. He’s done a really good job with it so far but as he’s learned really quickly being a leader is not easy and I think he’s grown as he’s gone through the last four or five months in that position."

Wahl, 6-foot-9 and 221 pounds, mentioned that he’s been taking guys aside during practice and generally been more vocal.

“It’s been a little natural," Wahl said. "A little something I’ve had to work on. Just about being more confident to take people aside and talk to guys.”

With Davis, Wahl and Davison the lone returners with playing experience, transfers Chris Vogt and Jahcobi Neath have been valuable for the youth of the squad. Vogt has appeared in 88 games with 50 starts for Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati. As for Neath, the talented guard has played in 50 games and started in nine contests for Wake Forest.

“The other two that have helped because of their experience and what they’ve seen in their careers are Chris Vogt and Jahcobi Neath,” Gard detailed. “Guard play was one area we wanted to add some depth and with Jahcobi and talking to coaches that he had played for, he checked a lot of boxes. Same thing with Chris Vogt - we wanted to add experience, especially up front to be able to help our younger guys develop.”

Hepburn is a likely candidate to step in and join Davison and Davis in the backcourt, but the group also lost reserve Trevor Anderson, who transferred to Valparaiso. Along with Hepburn, Neath and redshirt freshman Lorne Bowman will likely garner playing time this season at guard.

During the transfer process, the coaching staff let Neath know they envisioned him playing both backcourt spots in Madison. Gard noted that Neath has been "better than we thought on film when we evaluated him."

Bowman was highly touted coming out of high school as a three-star guard from Detroit. The Michigan native is back after taking a leave of absence this past year. Now after getting physically right in the time between July and September, Gard is starting to see the player they recruited.

"Within the last week really have started to see the Lorne Bowman that we recruited two or three years ago," Gard said. "I think the confidence is going and physically he looks much better, he’s able to do more things. He’s playing more like what we saw when he was in high school and AAU. Obviously he’s still a freshman and there’s still learning to be done, but he’s in a much better place than where he was In July.

"Just hoping he keeps moving forward. The biggest thing for me with him is making sure he’s happy and healthy and in a good place."