Daniel Freitag playing for Breck School. Photo by Jenni Lilledahl.
Freitag said he was as surprised as anyone else that Chucky Hepburn announced his intent to transfer, but can’t wait for the extra opportunities on the court.
By Nathan Denzin, BADGER STRIPES
It’s been a hectic day for Daniel Freitag, the highest rated point guard recruit in Wisconsin Badger basketball history.
He woke up as the fourth point guard on the roster, behind Chucky Hepburn, John Blackwell and Kamari McGee, but by 1 p.m. he was one of just three.
“AJ just made his decision [to transfer to Kansas] earlier today so I calmed my mom down, and we’re just kind of talking about next year,” Freitag said in an interview with Badger Stripes. “Then my phone started blowing up about a rumor about Chucky.”
The news that Hepburn would transfer away from Wisconsin’s program came as a shock to just about everyone in the Badger universe. Freitag was no different.
“I’m talking with my mom, and we’re just going over, what ifs and, situations that would never happen in a million years – as in Chucky leaving,” Freitag continued. “I look down at my phone again and I have text that says, “the show’s yours.”
Freitag said that conversations with other Badgers would get cold when he would mention the transfer portal, so he learned to stop asking about it. That’s what made the Chucky news “blindside” him.
Head Coach Greg Gard called the recruit minutes after news broke.
“It sounded a lot like conversations we’ve already had – we had that same talk after Connor and AJ,” Freitag explained. “He just told me, if you’re stressed just take a deep breath. [Gard] also emphasized, ‘be ready, the opportunity is there for the taking, so I just have to be ready’.”
He said while he doesn’t want to put numbers on his performance next season, he expects to play a big role in the team.
“If I had a piece of paper with my expectations for minutes, points, rebounds, everything, I think everything just got doubled,” Freitag said. “The expectation, the added pressure, I love it.”
“I think [my excitement level] went from 10 to 1000.”
Badger Stripes is a sports news organization that provides in-depth coverage of Wisconsin athletics. Follow us on Facebook.
