Wisconsin Badgers head men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan will coach the team one more season in hopes of longtime assistant Greg Gard succeeding him. Sports Illustrated’s Brian Hamilton reported Ryan’s decision after earlier reports suggested that he was ready to retire.
Breaking: #Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan will coach one more season with hope that longtime assistant Greg Gard takes over after that. #Badgers
— Brian Hamilton (@_Brian_Hamilton) June 29, 2015
It’s certainly understandable as to why Ryan would want to retire. He turns 68 years old in December and has accumulated a career record of 740-228 in a college head coaching career that dates back to 1984 and includes stops at Milwaukee and Division III Wisconsin-Platteville as well as Wisconsin.
Given how his time in Madison has resulted in seven trips to the Sweet Sixteen, three to the Elite Eight, two to the Final Four and one to the championship game, with three Big Ten Championships as well, it only makes sense that Ryan would want to go out on a high note.
Moreover, Ryan retiring knowing that Gard would take over for him should make the decision easier. Gard has been one of his assistants since 1993 and knows the swing offense, making any transition out of the Ryan Era automatically smoother.
Ryan himself has yet to make a statement on his future, but Campus Sports will update this story as more details become public.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports