Gary Close, entering his 26th season in Division I, will begin his 10th season with the Badgers in 2012-13. Close was an assistant for 16 years at Iowa and Stanford before joining UW's staff in the spring of 2003.
"From the first time I met Gary at Stanford, I knew he was someone with exceptional teaching and coaching skills," Head Coach Bo Ryan said. "The University of Wisconsin will benefit greatly from his addition to our staff and we are looking forward to working together for many years to come."
M.S. Athletic Administration & Coaching, Arizona St., 1982
Coaching Experience
Assistant Coach, Wisconsin (2003-present)
Head Coach, Regina [Iowa] H.S. (2000-03)
Assistant Coach, Iowa (1986-99)
Assistant Coach, Stanford (1983-86)
Among Close's many responsibilities with the Badgers is coordinating UW's player development workouts. the veteran coach was named one of the top 25 assistants in the country by Rivals.com in 2007.
Close spent three years as the head coach of Regina High School in Iowa City, leading the Regals to two state tournament appearances, and as the Director of Basketball Operations for Championship Productions in Ames, Iowa.
Prior to that, he spent 13 years as an assistant at Iowa under Tom Davis. During that time, the Hawkeyes made nine NCAA tournament appearances, advancing to the Sweet 16 twice and the regional final once. At Iowa he coached 13 future NBA players including B.J. Armstrong, Roy Marble, Acie Earl, Matt Bullard, Ricky Davis and Ryan Bowen. A respected shooting coach, Iowa shot better than 48.0 percent from the field five times during Close's tenure, including a school-record .528 in 1987-88.
During his time in Madison, the Badgers have won three Big Ten regular season championships and two Big Ten tournament titles and have made the NCAA tournament all nine years. The Badgers have also posted the three highest single-season 3-point totals in school history. In 2010-11, the Badgers set a school record with 278 3-pointers made, topping the previous mark of 250 treys in 2004-05. UW also racked up 246 triples in 2009-10.
Close was also an assistant for three years under Davis at Stanford. In his first season, Stanford won 19 games, the most at the school since 1961-62. He was also part of the staff that was responsible for recruiting the Cardinal's all-time leading scorer, Todd Lichti.
A veteran of a number of international tours, Close served as the assistant to Davis on a Pac-10 all-star team that toured Australia in 1985. During the summer of 1995, he served as co-head coach for a Big Ten all-star team that toured in Europe.
Under Close's direction in 1996, the People-to-People Sports team became the first American team to win the Malgrat International Tournament in Malgrat, Spain. In 1997, Close coached a team comprised of current and former Iowa players to a perfect 6-0 record on a six-game tour in Germany.
A native of Moorestown, N.J., Close earned a bachelor's degree in business-agriculture with a minor in physical education (1978) and a master's degree in athletic administration and coaching (1982) from Arizona State. Close, his wife Kellie and their children Sam and Ellen live in Middleton.
