Wisconsin Basketball Searching for the Ideal Assistant Coaching Fit

Greg Gard decided it was time for a shake-up within the Wisconsin basketball team’s coaching staff, leading to Dean Oliver’s departure after seven seasons with the Badgers program.

“It was my decision to make a change on the staff and move forward,” Gard said. “Coach Oliver did a good job for us, but I have to continue to move forward and push this thing forward. We’re not gonna stay in maintenance mode. We’re going to keep getting better and push it.”

The coach’s decisiveness raises the question: What specific qualities should the Wisconsin basketball head coach seek in his next assistant?

Building a roster nowadays is more complex than ever, so my primary focus would be finding someone with a proven track record on the recruiting trail. No disrespect to Oliver, but 247Sports only recognizes him as the lead recruiter of four players who eventually joined the Badgers.

The context here is worth acknowledging because Coach Oliver wasn’t primarily recruiting players from traditional strongholds like Wisconsin and Minnesota. Instead, he communicated with and pursued players with limited knowledge about the program and had to travel further to visit.

Wisconsin Men’s Basketball Missing an Ace Recruiter 

Coach Gard’s tenure has been fruitful. He’s made seven NCAA Tournament appearances in nine seasons, won two Big Ten regular-season titles, and received two Coach of the Year awards from the conference. However, one reoccurring challenge for Gard and his staff has been their inability to consistently attract high-end talent.

Gard ultimately has the responsibility of sealing the deal with recruits, and there’s undoubtedly room for him to be more assertive. But as we’ve seen with the hiring of Badgers legend Kirk Penney as the Wisconsin basketball ‘offensive coordinator,’ Gard is willing to evolve with the times. That’s why making the right hire could be a needle-mover for the Badgers.

Suppose Wisconsin men’s basketball decides to allocate more resources to recruiting efforts. In that case, I think Gard would benefit immensely from prioritizing a coach outside his network. Ideally, that person would have strong connections with some of the bigger AAU programs.

While player development and fresh coaching perspectives are also important, it’s clear to me that recruiting is the program’s largest area for improvement. Gard has done an excellent job recruiting to fit their system, but with that style of offense changing, now might be the time to bring in someone to better help sell that vision.

“He’s night-and-day cooking this offense; he’s been a godsend,” Gard said of Penney. We’ve jumped 123 spots in KenPom, we were top six in the country at one point. Our goal is to be top five in the country.

“Now we can really specifically recruit to it, now we can be intentional…players love it, our efficiency went up with every returning player. Max [Klesmit], Chucky [Hepburn], Steve [Crowl] all jumped. And our scoring jumped. That isn’t by accident. We’re just at the surface of what we’ll do with this moving forward.”

Ideally, the new assistant would encompass all the qualities mentioned, but finding someone who fits the bill might not be easy. If such a candidate exists, they’re likely in high demand and would come with a hefty price tag for Wisconsin basketball. Who knows, they might even be willing to pay said price tag to get over the hump.

Of course, bringing in a new assistant coach is not a guaranteed solution to Wisconsin basketball and its perceived recruiting woes. It will still be up to Gard and his staff to build relationships with recruits, sell them on the program, and close the deal.

Only time will tell if Coach Gard agrees and decides to make a big move. Still, it’s certainly an idea worth considering because if Wisconsin basketball can elevate its recruiting efforts even marginally, It could get the Badgers back on track and over the hump.