Wisconsin Officially Hires Greg Gard As Men’s Coach

Wisconsin Men’s basketball interim coach Greg Gard, who took over the team in December, has been officially hired as permanent coach by UW-Madison athletic director Barry Alvarez, accepting a five year deal.

Wisconsin Removes Interim Tag, Names Gard Head Coach

Gard, 45 took over for longtime coach Bo Ryan after Ryan retired after 14 years with the school following a 64-49 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on December 15. Ryan said he wanted to retire before the season began but waited after Gard’s father Glenn was diagnosed with cancer.

Once Gard’s father passed away, Ryan and Alvarez decided that the time between semesters would be the best time to hand Gard the reigns to a Badgers team coming off back-to-back Final Four appearances, including an appearance in last year’s championship.  Wisconsin was also adjusting to life without first round picks Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky, the 2015 Wooden Award Winner.

After a slow 2-4 start to his interim campaign that included going 1-4 against Big Ten teams, Wisconsin went on a seven game winning streak that included victories over Michigan State, Maryland, and Indiana.  The Badgers also beat then No. 8 Iowa on the road and look to be a good bet to make the NCAA Tournament for the 15th consecutive year.

The Badgers finished the 2015-16 regular season 20-11 (12-6 Big Ten) and awaits the winner of Wednesday night’s winner of Nebraska/Rutgers, who they will play on Thursday.