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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — It's been nearly a year since Greg Gard got his shot at becoming the men's basketball coach at Wisconsin. His long-time mentor, Bo Ryan, stepped down on Dec. 15, 2015 and Gard, the associate head coach, took over on an interim basis. The promotion became a full-time gig on March 7, shortly after Gard guided the Badgers to a third-place finish in the Big Ten Conference and shortly before UW advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. Gard has a veteran-laden club capable of another deep national tournament run. He took a moment before a recent practice to talk about opponents he'd like to get on the schedule, the most unsung member of his staff and that time he came close to taking another coaching job in-state before his current opportunity came along.
What's the closest you came to leaving Wisconsin before Bo retired?
"Probably the second time that Green Bay came."
When was that?
"Ironically, that spring before I got the job (with the Badgers). Right after the second Final Four."
What was your state of mind then? Were you impatient?
"No. We just didn't know what would happen. That was probably the closest. I really had a good meeting with the athletic director (Mary Ellen Gillespie). We clicked. I've always gone into those types of meetings, interviews, and I'm also interviewing them, trying to feel them out, too, and see if this is somebody I really want to work for. She said all the right things. She answered the questions the right way. It was going to be in the state. There was a lot of plusses to it."
Why aren't you in Green Bay then?
"Great question. Probably a week or less after I said no, my dad was diagnosed with cancer here (Glen Gard died Oct. 30, 2015). We've thought about that as a family; yeah, you could be here or there. I'd had two interviews that spring — Bowling Green and Green Bay. I don't know. Financially was probably the tipping point. (Gillespie) couldn't take the steps. We had a (salary) number and she couldn't get there as hard as she tried. Things happen for a reason."
What's your favorite moment as a recruiter?
"I couldn't say one specific kid because that would tick off all the other kids. I think the favorite moment — it's not a specific moment — is just developing the relationships over the years. I have players and parents that still stay in contact with me that didn't come here and play just because we had a good relationship. For whatever reason, they chose not to come to Wisconsin. We get told no a lot more than we get told yes. I think everybody does. It's very competitive. You like to get that phone call that says, 'Hey, I'm coming to Wisconsin.' But my favorite part of recruiting is the relationships you had to build throughout the years."
Is there a specific opponent you want to schedule?
"Hmmm. I'd love to play in Phog Allen at Kansas. That would be neat."
Are you trying to make that happen?
"We're trying. I always thought another one would be Gallagher-Iba at Oklahoma State. We've talked about that one, too. As I get older, I have an appreciation for the history of the game and the places. Obviously we've played in some very neat ones, like the Palestra (Pennsylvania) and Cameron Indoor (Duke). We've been to some very historic ones. Another one would be Pauley Pavilion (UCLA) … Rupp Arena (Kentucky) would be another … I'd probably put Phog Allen, Pauley Pavilion and maybe Gallagher-Iba as my top ones."
Who's the most unsung member of your staff?
"A.J. Van Handel, our video coordinator. He lives and breathes Wisconsin basketball. He's here at 3 in the morning during camp doing things. Prior to camp, he's accessible most hours of the day. He puts in a ginormous amount of time and effort and really cares about what he's doing."
How has team chemistry changed since last season?
"I think we've learned to appreciate moments and experiences and people. Part of that is going through experiences and moments with those people. I've read just about everything that comes out of (UW football coach) Paul Chryst's mouth and I know we march to the same drummer. Almost everything that comes from him resonates with me. That's what I appreciate. I've told our team, 'This is pretty neat. That Syracuse game was pretty fun, wasn't it?' I've said, 'You're going to come here 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 years from now and you're not going to think about the points you scored. You're going to think about the moments, the experiences, the locker room after a win, the tough times you had to go through and the people you were with and how they supported you. That's what you're going to remember. You're not going to remember you scored 1,000 points or had 500 rebounds or that type of thing.' It's going to be those other things that they don't understand right now, but as they take that next step and get further away from this, they'll have a great appreciation."
Is there a bad habit you kicked?
"I used to be a Mountain Dew fiend. I had one yesterday and I couldn't even stomach it. I had to toss it. Too much sugar."
What's the oddest job you've done to make money?
"When I was an Iowa County deputy, I would chaperone dances and wedding receptions. Kind of the Rent-A-Cop. I did that. That was a little odd, especially if you saw people you really knew show up to that dance and you're there in your uniform."
What's the biggest public misconception about student-athletes?
"That they're robotic and programmable and they should perform at the same level every day or every night. I think people forget that they're human. They think, whether it's individual or team, that they're automatically out-of-the-box, snapped together erector sets that (should) give an instantaneous high-level performance. They don't realize all the other components that go on the other 22 hours of their day. There's a humanistic element that totally gets lost. I feel bad because I think social media and everything has thrown gas on that fire storm. We're all in the world of instant gratification. The fans are, too. When a player or team doesn't meet expectations, so to speak, they're up in arms (saying) 'Why not?' There are a lot of variables in these kids' lives that they're trying to navigate through. Most people, unless you're on the inside every single day, have no idea how much the (kids) have to deal with in terms of balancing their daily life and the outside expectations."
