Lucas: Hepburn pushing through adversity for Badgers
February 04, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Mike Lucas
Point guard facing adversity on and off the court
BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. – Upon returning to the team hotel after the Thursday morning shootaround at the Value City Arena, Chucky Hepburn took the time to outline his plan of attack for that night's game at Ohio State. Some six hours before the opening tipoff, attacking was uppermost in his mind.
"I know my teammates trust me in doing that,'' he said.
Yet in the first half of the previous game, a home loss to Illinois, Hepburn went scoreless, missing all five of his field goal attempts. "I wasn't really looking for my shot,'' he admitted. "In the second half – when I was being aggressive and attacking lanes – I was able to get to where I wanted ...''
After intermission, Hepburn eventually got into attack mode – converting 6-of-9 shots, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, for 15 points. But he misfired on another attempt, making it six misses in a row, before finally making his first basket of the game at the 14:40 mark. The Badgers trailed 32-23.
Initiating the half-court action, Max Klesmit got dribble penetration into the paint before kicking out to Jordan Davis on the rim of the circle. Davis moved the ball to Hepburn at the top of the key. Hepburn took one dribble and dumped it off to Carter Gilmore in front of the UW bench.
With the shot clock running down, Gilmore didn't panic. Instead, he returned the ball to Hepburn who didn't have much time to measure the shot. Or think. With Illinois' Terrence Shannon closing out, he hit a deep 3. Falling back, his momentum carried him into Greg Gard on the sidelines.
Gard was expressionless knowing how much work was left to get out of the hole.
But that triple was the spark that the slumbering offense needed. More so, it jump-started Hepburn, the catalyst in a 15-2 run that carried the Badgers into a 35-34 lead midway through the half. Illinois would roar back and rally for the win. Nonetheless, it was an instructive sequence for Hepburn.
Seated in the lobby of the Columbus, Ohio hotel, he reflected on that possession in which he initially turned down the shot. "Sometimes I tense up and I don't want to shoot the ball,'' he confided. "But that's something my team needs me to do. When I have an open 3, I have to take it.
"That's been part of the emphasis (before Ohio State). Give me the ball and I'll make plays.''
&&&
Some 90 minutes before Thursday's tipoff, UW assistant Dean Oliver talked about Hepburn.
"We just have to open the floor up a little bit more and give him some space to work,'' Oliver said. "And he's got to look at transition a little bit more. A lot of teams aren't going to give him a lot in the halfcourt, so when he gets opportunities, he has got to look to attack more.''
By that, Oliver meant "staying aggressive.'' He went on to explain, "He's used to picking his spots. But now that we've been in kind of a grind here (the Badgers had lost three straight), he doesn't have that luxury anymore. He's got to be aggressive all the time.
"We have made some adjustments to kind of open up the floor – to give him that space to do something. But, again, he just has to stay aggressive. He's talented enough that he can make something happen a lot of times when things aren't there. He can make something be there.''
The Badgers were flawless in the execution of their first three offensive possessions at Ohio State. Hepburn assisted on a driving layup by Connor Essegian. Hepburn grabbed a defensive rebound and Essegian drilled a 3-pointer. Tyler Wahl pushed the pace and Klesmit knocked down a 3.
The latter was a transition basket, a rarity this season. Near the end of the half, Wahl drew an offensive foul on Justin Sueing, a call that so angered Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann that he was assessed two technical fouls and ejected from the game. Essegian made all four free throws.
On the subsequent possession, Hepburn drilled a step-back jumper for the exclamation point on a 43-point first half. In taking a 43-27 lead, it was about as well as the Badgers have played all season. "When we're fluid like that,'' Hepburn said, "everybody was attacking and being aggressive.''
That was especially true of Essegian who had experienced some growing pains against Illinois. In the two losses to the Illini, Essegian was 2-of-10 from the field. He was 0-for-5 at the Kohl Center. It was only the second time he has failed to make at least one basket. (He was 0-for-1 versus Green Bay).
Essegian had 14 points in the first half against the Buckeyes. "From the very first time that he came on this campus to right now, he has taken huge strides,'' Hepburn said. "He moves without the ball very well. He knows where to get open shots. And it makes it easier on a point guard to find him.''
Hepburn can relate to Essegian's transition – the standard ups and downs of competition – in making the jump to the Big Ten. Hepburn started 33 games as a true frosh last season. "Having guys like Brad (Davison) and Johnny (Davis) around to help me was tremendous,'' Hepburn acknowledged.
"Hopefully, I'm there for Connor when he needs me.''
Essegian's impact at the offensive end has not been lost on Hepburn.
"Once he gets going,'' he said, "our team gets going, so we feed off him.''
The Buckeyes limited Essegian to one basket in the second half. Hepburn didn't make a shot from the floor (0-for-5). As a team, the Badgers went the final 7:18 without a bucket which opened the door wide-open for an Ohio State comeback. The saving grace was Hepburn at the free throw line.
With 24 seconds left, and the Badgers clinging to a 62-60 lead, Hepburn stepped up to the stripe. "Every playmaker wants the ball in their hands,'' he said of the situation. Hepburn made both free throws but not before each shot nearly rimmed out. Nothing comes easy for this group.
"I knew they were going in,'' Hepburn insisted. "Somehow.''
Smiling, he added, "As long as it goes in, that's all that matters.''
That Hepburn smile was missing during the three-game losing streak. There were mitigating circumstances, though. Sandwiched around road losses at Northwestern and Maryland, Hepburn had to deal with real life adversity; the one-year anniversary of Vincent Burns' death in Omaha, Nebraska.
"It was definitely tough for me … not really having the time to think about what was happening,'' said Hepburn, whose close friend – a brother – was fatally shot on Jan. 24, 2022. Burns was 20. "Life goes on so fast, I never really had a chance to sit down and think about it … until that Tuesday … the 24th.''
Burns was an undersized, 6-foot guard at Omaha Northwest High School.
"I just wanted to be the type of player that he was,'' said Hepburn, who starred at Bellevue West. "He didn't care who he was going up against. He was always one of the smallest players on the floor and he'd guard the biggest. He was physical and didn't have any fears. I loved that about him.''
Burns always reminded Hepburn, "Stay focused, and go hard.'' Hepburn has a tattoo that reminds him of something else. "Hard times don't last – that's a big quote in my life,'' he said. "It was definitely a tough week for me. But my coaches and teammates have been there for me.
"I'm glad that I've got 16 brothers and a coaching staff to support me like that.''
The Badgers resume play Sunday night against Northwestern at the Kohl Center. There were 17 lead changes – to go along with 11 ties – in their first meeting which the Wildcats won, 66-63, in Evanston. Despite five assists and 0 turnovers, Hepburn made just 4-of-16 shots. He had 12 points.
"We went through a phase where people were hurt,'' Hepburn noted. Klesmit, for instance, didn't make the trip to Northwestern because of an injury and the Badgers were 0-2 without him. They were 0-3 without Wahl. "Everybody is back healthy now and it's time to get rolling.''
After going 2-6 in January, the Badgers are relying heavily on their Core 3 – Wahl, Hepburn and Steven Crowl – to reverse the course of their season in February. "I'm in a better position than I was last year,'' Hepburn said, "knowing they want me to score more and make more plays.''
Or as Oliver put it the other night, "We have to let his talent come out.'' The plan of attack.
Â
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. – Upon returning to the team hotel after the Thursday morning shootaround at the Value City Arena, Chucky Hepburn took the time to outline his plan of attack for that night's game at Ohio State. Some six hours before the opening tipoff, attacking was uppermost in his mind.
"I know my teammates trust me in doing that,'' he said.
Yet in the first half of the previous game, a home loss to Illinois, Hepburn went scoreless, missing all five of his field goal attempts. "I wasn't really looking for my shot,'' he admitted. "In the second half – when I was being aggressive and attacking lanes – I was able to get to where I wanted ...''
After intermission, Hepburn eventually got into attack mode – converting 6-of-9 shots, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, for 15 points. But he misfired on another attempt, making it six misses in a row, before finally making his first basket of the game at the 14:40 mark. The Badgers trailed 32-23.
Initiating the half-court action, Max Klesmit got dribble penetration into the paint before kicking out to Jordan Davis on the rim of the circle. Davis moved the ball to Hepburn at the top of the key. Hepburn took one dribble and dumped it off to Carter Gilmore in front of the UW bench.
With the shot clock running down, Gilmore didn't panic. Instead, he returned the ball to Hepburn who didn't have much time to measure the shot. Or think. With Illinois' Terrence Shannon closing out, he hit a deep 3. Falling back, his momentum carried him into Greg Gard on the sidelines.
Gard was expressionless knowing how much work was left to get out of the hole.
But that triple was the spark that the slumbering offense needed. More so, it jump-started Hepburn, the catalyst in a 15-2 run that carried the Badgers into a 35-34 lead midway through the half. Illinois would roar back and rally for the win. Nonetheless, it was an instructive sequence for Hepburn.
Seated in the lobby of the Columbus, Ohio hotel, he reflected on that possession in which he initially turned down the shot. "Sometimes I tense up and I don't want to shoot the ball,'' he confided. "But that's something my team needs me to do. When I have an open 3, I have to take it.
"That's been part of the emphasis (before Ohio State). Give me the ball and I'll make plays.''
&&&
Some 90 minutes before Thursday's tipoff, UW assistant Dean Oliver talked about Hepburn.
"We just have to open the floor up a little bit more and give him some space to work,'' Oliver said. "And he's got to look at transition a little bit more. A lot of teams aren't going to give him a lot in the halfcourt, so when he gets opportunities, he has got to look to attack more.''
By that, Oliver meant "staying aggressive.'' He went on to explain, "He's used to picking his spots. But now that we've been in kind of a grind here (the Badgers had lost three straight), he doesn't have that luxury anymore. He's got to be aggressive all the time.
"We have made some adjustments to kind of open up the floor – to give him that space to do something. But, again, he just has to stay aggressive. He's talented enough that he can make something happen a lot of times when things aren't there. He can make something be there.''
The Badgers were flawless in the execution of their first three offensive possessions at Ohio State. Hepburn assisted on a driving layup by Connor Essegian. Hepburn grabbed a defensive rebound and Essegian drilled a 3-pointer. Tyler Wahl pushed the pace and Klesmit knocked down a 3.
The latter was a transition basket, a rarity this season. Near the end of the half, Wahl drew an offensive foul on Justin Sueing, a call that so angered Buckeyes head coach Chris Holtmann that he was assessed two technical fouls and ejected from the game. Essegian made all four free throws.
On the subsequent possession, Hepburn drilled a step-back jumper for the exclamation point on a 43-point first half. In taking a 43-27 lead, it was about as well as the Badgers have played all season. "When we're fluid like that,'' Hepburn said, "everybody was attacking and being aggressive.''
That was especially true of Essegian who had experienced some growing pains against Illinois. In the two losses to the Illini, Essegian was 2-of-10 from the field. He was 0-for-5 at the Kohl Center. It was only the second time he has failed to make at least one basket. (He was 0-for-1 versus Green Bay).
Essegian had 14 points in the first half against the Buckeyes. "From the very first time that he came on this campus to right now, he has taken huge strides,'' Hepburn said. "He moves without the ball very well. He knows where to get open shots. And it makes it easier on a point guard to find him.''
Hepburn can relate to Essegian's transition – the standard ups and downs of competition – in making the jump to the Big Ten. Hepburn started 33 games as a true frosh last season. "Having guys like Brad (Davison) and Johnny (Davis) around to help me was tremendous,'' Hepburn acknowledged.
"Hopefully, I'm there for Connor when he needs me.''
Essegian's impact at the offensive end has not been lost on Hepburn.
"Once he gets going,'' he said, "our team gets going, so we feed off him.''
The Buckeyes limited Essegian to one basket in the second half. Hepburn didn't make a shot from the floor (0-for-5). As a team, the Badgers went the final 7:18 without a bucket which opened the door wide-open for an Ohio State comeback. The saving grace was Hepburn at the free throw line.
With 24 seconds left, and the Badgers clinging to a 62-60 lead, Hepburn stepped up to the stripe. "Every playmaker wants the ball in their hands,'' he said of the situation. Hepburn made both free throws but not before each shot nearly rimmed out. Nothing comes easy for this group.
"I knew they were going in,'' Hepburn insisted. "Somehow.''
Smiling, he added, "As long as it goes in, that's all that matters.''
That Hepburn smile was missing during the three-game losing streak. There were mitigating circumstances, though. Sandwiched around road losses at Northwestern and Maryland, Hepburn had to deal with real life adversity; the one-year anniversary of Vincent Burns' death in Omaha, Nebraska.
"It was definitely tough for me … not really having the time to think about what was happening,'' said Hepburn, whose close friend – a brother – was fatally shot on Jan. 24, 2022. Burns was 20. "Life goes on so fast, I never really had a chance to sit down and think about it … until that Tuesday … the 24th.''
Burns was an undersized, 6-foot guard at Omaha Northwest High School.
"I just wanted to be the type of player that he was,'' said Hepburn, who starred at Bellevue West. "He didn't care who he was going up against. He was always one of the smallest players on the floor and he'd guard the biggest. He was physical and didn't have any fears. I loved that about him.''
Burns always reminded Hepburn, "Stay focused, and go hard.'' Hepburn has a tattoo that reminds him of something else. "Hard times don't last – that's a big quote in my life,'' he said. "It was definitely a tough week for me. But my coaches and teammates have been there for me.
"I'm glad that I've got 16 brothers and a coaching staff to support me like that.''
The Badgers resume play Sunday night against Northwestern at the Kohl Center. There were 17 lead changes – to go along with 11 ties – in their first meeting which the Wildcats won, 66-63, in Evanston. Despite five assists and 0 turnovers, Hepburn made just 4-of-16 shots. He had 12 points.
"We went through a phase where people were hurt,'' Hepburn noted. Klesmit, for instance, didn't make the trip to Northwestern because of an injury and the Badgers were 0-2 without him. They were 0-3 without Wahl. "Everybody is back healthy now and it's time to get rolling.''
After going 2-6 in January, the Badgers are relying heavily on their Core 3 – Wahl, Hepburn and Steven Crowl – to reverse the course of their season in February. "I'm in a better position than I was last year,'' Hepburn said, "knowing they want me to score more and make more plays.''
Or as Oliver put it the other night, "We have to let his talent come out.'' The plan of attack.
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