MADISON, Wis. — Daniel Freitag was a few weeks away from his June 12 move-in date at Wisconsin, and expectations about what he might provide for the Badgers’ basketball program were extraordinarily high. In the wake of Chucky Hepburn’s stunning offseason transfer portal departure for Louisville, Wisconsin’s starting point guard spot was open.
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And Freitag, the highest-rated recruit signed under Greg Gard, was ready to take aim as a true freshman.
“I know promising guys starting spots is something that a lot of coaches have told me they don’t do,” Freitag said then. “But I think for some time now, even before Chucky was leaving, (Gard) said a million times over that he’s bringing me in to play, not to watch.
“Every time I’ve ever said, even accidentally saying, ‘Learning behind Chucky,’ he’s stopped me in my tracks and has said, ‘Learning beside Chucky.’ … I kind of see myself coming in, and if I can have it my way, I’ll show why I can be even the No. 1 option.”
But Freitag, a 6-foot-2 point guard from Bloomington, Minn., never ascended to that level and spent his freshman season buried on the bench. He appeared in 14 games for a total of 27 minutes and on Monday, entered the portal. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Freitag was a four-star player out of high school who was rated in the 247Sports Composite as the No. 11 point guard in the 2024 class. His signing made him the highest-ranked point guard prospect in program history. During preseason practices, Gard said Freitag possessed an electricity and physical ability “that you can’t teach.” But it became clear early in the season that Freitag was far behind other players for a rotational spot.
Sophomore combo guard John Blackwell filled Hepburn’s role at point guard, with senior Kamari McGee earning the backup job and playing nearly 22 minutes per game. In a pinch, Gard used Central Arkansas transfer Camren Hunter before Freitag, who made 1 of 11 shots from the field and missed all six of his 3-pointers during the season.
Gard acknowledged in December that Freitag was “not ready to help us at this point in time” and that there were several players ahead of him. Even with McGee using up his eligibility and Hunter entering the portal last week, there wasn’t a guaranteed role next season for Freitag. Wisconsin needed to bring in veteran point guard help from the portal, which would have challenged Freitag’s opportunities.
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Freitag did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.
Wisconsin, which was picked before the season to finish tied for 12th in the 18-team Big Ten, far surpassed those expectations. The Badgers finished fifth in the league, went 27-10 overall, earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and lost 91-89 to BYU in the second round. Gard has talked during the portal age of needing to build his roster every offseason with “a one-year mindset.” He and his staff have plenty of work to do to put together another NCAA Tournament-caliber team.
Wisconsin loses five of its top seven scorers, including All-America shooting guard John Tonje, who averaged a team-high 19.6 points per game. Forwards Steven Crowl and Carter Gilmore, as well as guards Max Klesmit and McGee, have used up their eligibility. The team figures to be built around Blackwell and fellow junior-to-be Nolan Winter. Blackwell averaged 15.8 points per game, while the 7-foot Winter averaged 9.4 points and a team-best 5.8 rebounds. Other returning pieces from the rotation include forward Xavier Amos and guard Jack Janicki.
Even if Janicki, a walk-on this season, earns a scholarship, that would give Wisconsin just 10 scholarship players for next season. There would be seven returners and three incoming freshmen: center Will Garlock and guards Zach Kinziger and Hayden Jones.
With proposed revenue-sharing, the new roster limit for men’s basketball would be 15. How Wisconsin chooses to handle its roster with walk-ons remains to be seen. But the Badgers need portal help at multiple positions and figure to look much different next season.
(Top photo of Daniel Freitag, left: John Fisher / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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