Last year, Camren Hunter was the first transfer addition for Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard.
One year later, the junior guard is the first player to enter the portal for the Badgers, who just wrapped up a 27-10 season. Hunter will have one year of eligibility remaining at the school of his choice.
After Chucky Hepburn's departure via the portal last winter, Hunter was expected to compete for a starting role during the 2024-25 season. Instead, he played in just 11 contests and averaged 2.1 minutes per game during a season in which he battled both illness and injury.
In terms of the impact, Hunter had the potential to be a depth piece in the backcourt next season. Instead, the Badgers will have to replace him, in addition seniors Kamari McGee and Max Klesmit.
On paper, the Badgers return John Blackwell, who handled some point guard duties as a sophomore. Freshman Daniel Freitag, who played minimally this past season, is also set to return, with Zach Kinziger joining the roster this summer. Wisconsin will almost certainly look for backcourt help via the portal in the coming days and weeks.
Last year, Hunter entered the portal on March 18, 2024 after Central Arkansas parted ways with head coach Anthony Boone. Rivals ranked him as a four-star prospect out of the portal.
A two-time selection to the Atlantic-Sun's all-conference team at Central Arkansas, Hunter didn’t play last season after suffering a foot injury in October of 2024. As a sophomore in 2022-23, he averaged 16.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals. He made 50 three-pointers, shot 78.6 percent from the free-throw line, and scored in double figures in 27 of 30 games while playing a team-best 33.9 minutes per game.
Starting all 30 games as a true freshman, Hunter averaged 14.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 44.7 percent from the field.
He entered the portal following his sophomore season and committed to Butler before ultimately deciding to return for a junior season that was wiped out. Butler was again one of the schools heavily pursuing him, along with Florida State, St. Louis, and West Virginia before the UW visit.
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