Wisconsin point guard Daniel Freitag 'welcomes pressure with open arms'

Time will tell.

Daniel Freitag was all set to learn the ropes at point guard from Chucky Hepburn for a season, but now he finds himself in a position to potentially get the proverbial keys to the car for the Wisconsin basketball team as a true freshman. Or, at the very least, take on a much more significant role.

The surprising news of Hepburn's departure to the transfer portal broke on Thursday afternoon, prompting a call from Badgers head coach Greg Gard to his point guard of the future, reminding him to stay prepared. 

"I spoke to Coach Gard, and his message was a constant get ready to play," Freitag told Badgernotes. "He's been telling me that for a while now, but I've been focused on that since the day I committed."

No matter how you slice it, Wisconsin basketball losing its starting point guard of three years is a tough pill to swallow. With Hepburn's extensive experience, having started 103 career games, his absence leaves a noticeable void in the team. However, in the era of NIL, surprises seem to be the norm; this is now a full-on pay-for-play landscape.

The plan had been for Freitag to spend a year learning under Hepburn's direction before taking over as the Badgers starting point guard in the following season. However, circumstances have accelerated that timeline.