MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin’s first offseason domino fell Sunday, as sophomore Connor Essegian announced on X, formerly Twitter, that he was entering the transfer portal with two seasons of eligibility remaining.
The move comes two days after the Badgers season ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the third straight game Essegian was a healthy scratch, and two weeks after telling BadgerBlitz.com that he was not planning on transferring.
“First off, I would like to say thank you Badger Nation for everything,” Essegian wrote. “These last two years in Madison have been nothing short of amazing. This place has helped shape me into the person I am today. The city and the university will forever have a special place in my heart. Thank you to all the fans and the community for your unconditional love and support. You took me in your own and I am forever grateful for that.
“Thank you to my teammates who have become part of my forever family and for the relationships and memories we’ve created. Thank you to the coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to play at the highest level. Thank you to my friends and family for supporting me through this difficult process.”
The only scholarship prospect from Wisconsin’s 2022 recruiting class, Essegian was a spark off the bench before eventually working his way into the starting lineup over the final 19 games of the season. He averaged 11.7 points per game, set the school record for made three-pointers by a freshman (69), and was named to the conference’s all-freshman team. He figured to be a key piece of UW’s plans moving forward.
That changed in part with the addition of A.J. Storr from the transfer portal, who earned a starting spot over Essegian during camp. In the season opener, Essegian was landed on and suffered a back injury just over five minutes into his season. The lingering effects of the back injury caused Essegian’s play to suffer, starting with glaring lapses defensively and eventually bleeding into his offensive game.
"We can't afford to let him play through it," Gard said of Essegian in mid-December. "The stakes are too high in terms of what this team wants to accomplish."
Even with Essegian’s departure, the Badgers are expected to be deep at the guard position next season. Starters Chucky Hepburn and Max Klesmit are expected back, as are primary guard reserves Kamari McGee and John Blackwell. Like Essegian, Blackwell made the conference’s all-freshman team and set the Wisconsin freshman record for three-point percentage, hitting 30 three-pointers at 45.5 percent.
UW also signed four-star point guard Daniel Freitag – rated the country’s No.114 overall prospect - in November.
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