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Just...wow...
Didn't see the press conference so I don't know all the details. ..
Final version on #Badgers Ryan (sorry for delay but technology not worth much if it doesn't work): https://t.co/76DG713Yq0
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) December 16, 2015
I suspect if Alverez was willing to name Gard head coach, Bo would have done this long before the season started. This was a move by Ryan to get his man the job. That says a lot about Bo's loyalty and committement to his people.
Also says a lot about his ego.
Can't say enough about what Ryan did for this program, and ultimately he may be right about Gard. Just can't say i like they way he played his cards in the whole retirement thing. Gard is in a tough place here. If this team doesn't make the tournament, does that reflect negatively on him (or do people speculate Bo bailed knowing his streak of top 4 finishes was going to go up in smoke?- heard that, doubt it- see ego above). Ultimately if his heart was not in it all the way, then it was time to go. I was time to go months ago.
This post sounds like I don't appreciate Bo, I do. He's deeply responsible for the Golden age of Badger Basketball. We owe a lot to Bo. I just don't like how it ended because it might hurt the program, and the program was still always bigger than Bo.
Well put Bong
I hope his exit doesn't tarnish his image and legacy because it strikes me as somewhat self-serving. He could have retired after the season was over but I think the reason he did this is at the very least it gives Gard a chance to be the head coach for the end of the season.
Just don't know if Gard is the right guy? Ryan worked because he's Bo Ryan. I know he's loyal but it would be tough for Gard to duplicate his level of success simply because he coached under Ryan and so much of this also deals with recruiting and developing guys.
I don't think it tarnishes anything to much. What Bo did at Wisconsin (and in Wisconsin) was exceptional.
And maybe there was a private reason for retiring now, something simply not for our ears. But at the moment, it feels like Bennett/Soderberg and a coach trying to force his hand to do it his way. Hopefully, instead of Soderberg, we get a Tom Izzo level replacement and the program maintains it's national prominence.
I actually believe that Gard's father being ill played into the timing of this.
I lived through the 70's and 80's of Badger sports....I will always appreciate Alverez, Bennet and Ryan. What they did for Wisconsin fb and bb is amazing.
Wisconsin is now a top 15-20 college basketball program. There are a lot of good coaches that would love to end up in Madison.
In the offseason I don't think it would have been wise to just hand the reigns over to Gard so in a way maybe this is a good thing. See what the guy can do and go from there.
D*mn, gonna miss ya Bo.....happy retirement, and hope your health isn't the reason. On Wisconsin.
justanotherpackerfan posted:I actually believe that Gard's father being ill played into the timing of this.
I lived through the 70's and 80's of Badger sports....I will always appreciate Alverez, Bennet and Ryan. What they did for Wisconsin fb and bb is amazing.
Yup, the new word in Madison is that Barry and Bo put a end of semester 'clause' in his retirement due to Gards fathers illness which from what I understand was fatal.
http://host.madison.com/wsj/sp...81-343b65dd0c7a.html
"Ryan said he would have stepped away back in June had it not been for the fact that Gard’s father was going through an illness. Glen Gard was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, a type of brain cancer, in May and died on Oct. 30."
How does that make sense? If one of his assistants had a parent who might pass away, then the university would be open to giving that assistant more responsibility?
Thanks, Bo and good luck to Gard but I'll be surprised if Gard is really the future for the team. How often does the hand picked successor thing work out? Certainly didn't for Soderberg. This just puts off the rebuilding/retooling when the UW could be making it clear they are in the market for a new top tier coach next year. Things are going to dip down even farther with this strategy before the team starts to trend upwards again.
Doom and Gloom. No chance for an NCAA championship ever.
Tschmack posted:I hope his exit doesn't tarnish his image and legacy because it strikes me as somewhat self-serving.
Dean Smith did the same thing. Can't imagine people will give it much thought, unless Gard goes on to be a smashing success.
Three things.
1. This makes me even more pissed off about the ridiculous officiating to start the first half of the National title game last April. Basically a foul per minute (8 fouls in the first 9 minutes) of the second half on a Badgers' team that averaged 12 fouls per 40 minute game. Several of these on plays in which Duke players launched themselves into defenders on drives to the basket. That should have been Bo's last game and he deserved to go out a winner.
2. I don't know how this is good for Gard. He has an incredibly young team that is currently 7-5 and the Big 10 is loaded this year, at least at the top (#1, #6, and #9 in the country). A good coaching job is probably an overall winning record and that may be too much to ask even if Ryan was still there.
3. If Tony Bennett wants the job how would you turn him down? Shaka Smart is probably not an option since he's in his first year at Texas? Tony Bennett is about as close to a sure thing as you can get. He's won at Washington State and at Virginia. He's your coach for the next 25 years if you hire him.
Tony has a pretty good job and pay package
I can't see getting Tony to leave. If it isn't Gard (I think it probably will be Gard), then Ben Jacobson at UNI would be an obvious choice. Greg Marshall and Archie Miller would be big targets, depending on what other openings there are next year (Like Indiana...). Jaime Dixon would just make make the city of Pittsburg hate us.
I think the situation works perfectly well for both Gard and the university. A clearly talented but inexperienced team is having consistent struggles. How they develop over the course of the next 3 months is an excellent test. As long as they make the sort of progress that Ryan's teams always showed, Gard should be given the chance to prove himself as a recruiter. The Wisconsin standard shouldn't change because of the coach. It wasn't changed for Anderson in football.
Can they find 13 wins necessary to get them to 20 on the season and guarantee a tourney bid? Doubtful, given that 5 of the remaining 19 are against current top 10 teams. If they can get 10 in the B1G and a conference tourney win they should qualify.
El-Ka-Smartypants posted:I can't see getting Tony to leave. If it isn't Gard (I think it probably will be Gard), then Ben Jacobson at UNI would be an obvious choice. Greg Marshall and Archie Miller would be big targets, depending on what other openings there are next year (Like Indiana...). Jaime Dixon would just make make the city of Pittsburg hate us.
Keep an eye on Archie Miller and I think that is a good thought no one would think about. I live in Dayton and watched what he has done the last few years and the dude can flat out coach. I for one would be thrilled to get him.
Keep an eye out for Archie? Nah! Archie is not my type. His wife, on the other hand?
As someone said earlier in the thread, is Gard going to be the next Brad Soderberg (who incidentally is now an assistant at Virginia with Tony Bennett) or is he clearly better than that. Related to that question, is Gard a better choice than Rob Jeter? I have no basis for judging that, but maybe others who see the program on a more regular basis do.
Gard lived in my dorm freshman year at P-ville.
Nice tribute here penned by Frank Kaminsky:
I really don't care what the reasons are for his leaving now. I do know if you were to make a Mt. Rushmore of Wisconsin coaches, the state, not the school, Bo would easily stand beside Lombardi, Holmgren and Alverez. Thanks Coach Ryan for all you have done for the University, the basketball program, Coaches against Cancer, and all the other promo projects you have done for Wisconsin dairy farmers and Wisconsin Tourism.
And don't ever forget, BO OWNS IZZO!!!!!!!
Al McGuire ? He won one out the 2 finals his teams played in and a NIT when that mattered.
Lots of wild rumors in Madison as to why Bo quit. They started BEFORE the season started. Not sure I want to spread them myself.
Cough it up, GL. You can't claim knowledge and then not share. 
Goalline posted:Keep an eye out for Archie? Nah! Archie is not my type. His wife, on the other hand?
I have had the pleasure of seeing her up close and that picture doesn't do it justice. She is Ms. Timesfour material.
Bo ushered in an unprecedented period of success. He's a great coach, and his program was one of the best run in the country.
Greg Gard was the main recruiter for Ryan. He's responsible for most of the good "gets". His success is likely contingent upon this continuing.
The X's and O's won't look too different, I think.
Goalline posted:Lots of wild rumors in Madison as to why Bo quit. They started BEFORE the season started. Not sure I want to spread them myself.
Any updates on these rumors that you care to tell us?
I hope it's not like the rumors Alvarez had to deal with...
SanDiegoPackFan posted:I hope it's not like the rumors Alvarez had to deal with...
The parents of one of my co-workers had a cottage next to one that Alvarez had on Lake Wisconsin. When she was growing up, she was not allowed to go outside after 8 PM because of the stuff that would happen at Alvarez' cottage.
The Bielema stories have to be the best.