UW recruit helps with recruiting

MADISON – Chucky Hepburn’s No. 1 goal for his senior season is to help Bellevue West High School win a second consecutive Nebraska state boys basketball title.

Goal 1A? To convince longtime friend Hunter Sallis to join him in Wisconsin’s 2021 class.

Hepburn is among three players who have committed to UW for the ’21 class, joining South Dakota forward Matthew Mors and Illinois forward Chris Hodges.

Hepburn committed to UW last Sept. 27, helped Bellevue West rally to defeat Sallis’ Millard North team to win the Class A title in March and was ecstatic to see UW extend and offer to Sallis on Monday.

“I’ll probably be talking to him every day about it," Hepburn wrote to the Journal Sentinel on Tuesday.

Sallis, a 6-3, 165-pound guard, has scholarship offers from Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina, Oregon, Iowa and several other schools.

Hepburn and Sallis have been friends since kindergarten, and their meeting in the title game last season was remarkable as Bellevue West scored the final 16 points to stun Millard North, 64-62.

After Millard North’s final shot fell short at the buzzer, Hepburn sprinted to mid-court to celebrate with his teammates. Sallis, meanwhile, bent over at the waist and stared at the court.

Hepburn made sure to reach out to his friend the next day via text and FaceTime.

“That is going to be my brother forever,” Hepburn said.

When a reporter noted Monday night on Twitter that Hepburn likely would start working overtime to recruit Sallis to UW, Hepburn responded.

“Triple OT if need be," he wrote.

Chucky Hepburn is one of three players committed to Wisconsin for 2021.