The Badgers had a number of transfers out of the program this year. How did they play in the opener?
The Wisconsin Badgers saw a number of players transfer out of their program this offseason, as six players departed, including high-profile names AJ Storr and Chucky Hepburn.
Storr, Wisconsin’s leading scorer a year ago, elected to move on to the Kansas Jayhawks with hopes of improving his draft stock for the 2025 NBA Draft.
Hepburn, the Badgers starting point guard for the past few seasons, made the tough decision to transfer to the Louisville Cardinals, helping new head coach Pat Kelsey in his transition there.
But, there were a number of transfers overall, so let’s break down how they all fared in their season openers.
AJ Storr: 15 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers
When Storr transferred, many expected him to take a leading role at Kansas, with top scorer Kevin McCullar leaving, but that wasn’t the case during the season opener.
Instead, the guard came off the bench for the Jayhawks, scoring five points in 15 minutes, while shooting 2/5 from the field in Kansas’s 87-57 win over Howard.
Storr had seen more action in Kansas’s two preseason outings, but wasn’t as effective as you’d like, with head coach Bill Self raising questions about his play before the season.
“I think that I have AJ [Storr] messed up at the moment,” Self acknowledged. “He doesn’t know what aggressive looks like.”
That was more related to Self’s “five-second rule”, as the coach prefers constant ball movement and decision-making within a short period, which Storr seems to be adjusting to.
Storr’s starting spot was taken by fellow transfer David Coit, who had eight points and four assists in 22 minutes in the opener.
We’ll see how Storr adjusts in Lawrence, but it probably wasn’t an ideal start for the transfer.
Chucky Hepburn: 21 minutes, 8 points, 4 assists, 1 rebound, 1 turnover
Hepburn played 21 minutes in Louisville’s 93-45 blowout of Morehead State, serving as the team’s starting point guard.
He dished out a team-high four assists and got to the free-throw line five times, sinking all of those attempts. As a result, he had just three shot attempts on the day, including two from deep, of which he made one.
Hepburn will play a key role for Louisville alongside a bunch of transfers, and his output should continue to grow as the Cardinals play tougher opponents in the future.
Connor Essegian: 23 minutes, 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers
Essegian had the best debut of any D-I transfer for the Badgers, getting to play 23 minutes as Nebraska pulled off a 20-point victory over UT Rio Grande.
His 23 minutes were the most of any bench player for the Cornhuskers, and the guard caught fire, shooting 4/5 from the field and 3/4 from deep, resulting in 13 points for the transfer.
Essegian’s style matches Nebraska’s offensive focus well, and he should be a good complement to starter Brice Williams, who poured in 27 points on the day.
Gus Yalden: 10 minutes, 1 point, 3 rebounds, 3 fouls
Yalden’s tenure at Wisconsin was short-lived, as the forward redshirted his freshman year following a series of off-the-court incidents, leading him to transfer out in the offseason.
He played in a reserve role for Seton Hall in their 57-53 win over St. Peter’s in the opener, serving as the team’s ninth man and playing 10 minutes in the game.
It wasn’t the best offensive night for Yalden, who missed both of his shot attempts and went 1/4 from the free throw line, but the forward did have two offensive rebounds on the day.
Perhaps his minutes go up with fewer fouls, as the redshirt freshman had three in just 10 minutes.
Ross Candelino: 3 minutes, 0 points, 1 foul
Candelino transferred to Lipscomb in the offseason after being a walk-on for the Badgers last year, and had a minimal role in the season opener against Duquesne on Monday.
Candelino played three minutes, serving as the team’s 10th man and didn’t record a statistic, other than a personal foul.
Luke Haertle: 29 minutes, 18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 turnovers, 2 steals
Transferring to D-II Winona State, transfer guard Luke Haertle had a nice outing in his debut, working as a starter and playing 29 minutes in the team’s 79-72 win over St. Mary’s (MN).
Haertle had 18 points on 8/12 shooting, working almost exclusively inside the paint, as he also shot 4/5 from the free throw line, serving as the team’s second scorer.
Haertle had a strong rebounding effort too, getting three on the offensive end and six on the defensive end to lead the team with nine.
While his four turnovers led the team, Haertle also had a team-high five assists and two steals in a productive debut at Winona State.