In his third season at Wisconsin, guard Chucky Hepburn hopes to do more with less

MADISON – A starter from Day 1 at Wisconsin, Chucky Hepburn has played in an integral role in his first two seasons in the program.

The point guard from Omaha, Nebraska, hopes to give more with less this season.

Less weight.

“My goal was 190,” Hepburn said Wednesday during the team’s media day at the Kohl Center. “This is probably the healthiest I have been at Wisconsin.”

Hepburn played at 211 pounds as a freshman and helped UW win a share of the Big Ten regular-season title. He was down to 205 by the end of last season and accelerated his efforts in the offseason, dropping another 15 pounds.

“He knows he can be faster, more explosive … endurance,” head coach Greg Gard said. “All those things. This hasn’t just started this year. He has been working on this.

"He really has changed his eating habits, immensely. Even going back well into last year, before last year. It has taken time. This just didn’t happen overnight. This has been a plan of his, over probably the last 12 to 18 months.”

Chucky Hepburn's body transformation is similar to Montee Ball's

Hepburn's transformation sparks memories of the changes tailback Montee Ball made before the 2011 season.

Ball played at 236 pounds as a sophomore in 2010. He was stocky, reliant more on power than quickness and speed.

When he reported for camp in 2011 he was down to 210 pounds. He was lean, quicker and more elusive.

Jim Snider, the team’s strength and conditioning coach, orchestrated Hepburn's plan.

Hepburn has cut out all dairy products. One of the benefits, Snider explained, is that milk can cause inflammation. And Hepburn had issues with inflammation in his right knee.

“It is no secret he has had issues with that knee,” Snider said, “so we wanted to decrease the inflammation and that way he perform at a higher level and not has as much achiness in the joints.

“It makes a huge difference. Guys give me hard time when I come and say no milk. They say: ‘What do you mean, no milk?’

“I ask them: ‘Do you want to move like a cow?’”

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Chucky Hepburn's right knee is pain free

Hepburn noted he suffered a knee injury last season at Michigan and from that point on the inflammation was a constant problem.

Cutting out milk and all other dairy products was an easy choice.

“I know where I want to go in life and I know I want to be able to play at the highest level,” said Hepburn, whose diet includes more lean meats and salads. “To be able to cut that out was an easy decision. It was either that or struggling with my body.”

Dropping pounds was only part of the plan. Snider didn’t want Hepburn to see a decrease in strength.

“The nice thing about Chucky is that he has a pretty good natural strength base to begin with,” Snider said. “He plays a little more physical style so we were trying to figure out ways to help him defensively.

“He is pretty gifted laterally, but his first few linear steps were a little bit off. So, we were just trying to make sure he could keep his force up and make him a more efficient mover.”

Hepburn is lighter, feels quicker and has more stamina. He believes the changes will allow him to get to the basket quicker, which should lead to a higher shooting percentage on drives. He also hopes UW, with more scoring options this season, can push the pace against teams.

“My senior year in high school we played fast all the time,” he said. “I was a lot faster, able to get the ball down the court. We pressed the whole game and we pushed the ball. I want to get back to that shape and I think I’m right there.

“I’m a different person with a whole (new) body.”

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin basketball guard Chucky Hepburn improves diet, drops weight