NCAA Basketball rewind: Most impactful coaching hires after 2016 season
By Joey Loose
7. Greg Gard (Wisconsin)
With all their recent success, it’s hard to imagine that Wisconsin was absent from the NCAA Tournament for almost half a century prior to their impressive run of the last few decades. Under former coach Bo Ryan, the program had achieved greater success, making Final Four runs in both 2014 and 2015. His sudden retirement during the 2015-16 season had paved the way for Greg Gard.
A native of Wisconsin, Gard had spent his entire career coaching successfully in the state of Wisconsin. A former high school coach, he then joining Ryan’s staff at Wisconsin-Platteville in 1993, beginning 22 years of working under the Hall of Famer. Gard followed him to Milwaukee in 1999 and to the Badgers in 2001 before taking over the program himself in December 2015.
The Badgers chose to retain their interim head coach after a Sweet Sixteen run in 2016. Gard led the Badgers back to another Sweet Sixteen the following season. They’ve yet to get back to the Final Four, but Gard has kept the Badgers afloat in an always difficult Big Ten. Even with recent reports and criticisms against Gard, he’s kept Wisconsin as a Big Ten and national contender for the near future.