Basketball
If I Were Greg Gard: 2023 Wisconsin Men’s Basketball Offseason
Greg Gard and the Wisconsin men’s basketball program followed up a regular season Big Ten championship in 2021-22 by missing the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in the last 25 years.
This outcome might be more concerning if expectations had been higher entering the season — but results are results, and missing the dance won’t be tolerated at UW in back-to-back seasons. Chris McIntosh expects Wisconsin to compete for Big Ten titles — he’s set a precedent.
Gardo wasn’t coaching for his job last season; that would have been irresponsible and laughably premature, especially considering the contract extension he just earned. However, he’ll need to right the ship heading into 2023-24, or his seat could quickly start heating up.
Knowing the importance of this particular offseason, I will conduct an exercise — where I map out what I would do If I were Greg Gard or, in the future, [insert coach here].
*I will preface what’s next by saying it’s much easier to make these declarations when my decision-making has no ramifications and doesn’t affect personal relationships.
Unlike the men and women who work for the Wisconsin basketball program, my life isn’t affected by how many games the team wins or loses in any given year.
Let’s begin.
Have tough conversations to clear up roster space + regain scholarships
There was plenty of evidence of player development under Greg Gard last season. Look no further than Connor Essegian, Kamari McGee (albeit a slow burn), Carter Gilmore, and Isaac Lindsey. You could easily argue that Steven Crowl, Max Klesmit, and Chucky Hepburn took steps forward too.
That said, an overall lack of depth and talent held Wisconsin men’s basketball back last season. Credit to Gardo for squeezing the most juice from the group he had — but you can only give so much when it’s the roster you built.
I know that’s not entirely fair because of extenuating circumstances (Johhny Davis going pro early, Carlson/Mors/Bowman transferring, etc.). Still, it’s the reality of college basketball, and you can either adapt or die.
So, how do you start to fix a program with depth issues and multiple players holding scholarships that might not be Power 5 talents? Tough conversations.
Step into my office…I’d like to have a word…
Although he has potentially two years of eligibility remaining, Jahcobi Neath was a miss in the transfer portal, IMO. That’s not because of injuries; I just don’t see his style of play meshing with the returning cast. Perhaps an honest discussion about the lack of minutes available heading into next season could lead to a mutual parting of ways.
Second, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with Isaac Lindsey in the short stints we’ve seen him, but unless you’re unable to fill his year-to-year scholarship spot with a better player — that should be a slot Gard looks to fill in the transfer portal (again).
Last but not least, a conversation needs to be had with Chris Hodges. There are myriad reasons he’s behind in his development that don’t need re-hashing, and maybe I’ll eat crow on this one, but I don’t see him panning out. If he can’t even sniff minutes in a season where UW is STARVING for a reserve big man, consider me even more skeptical than I was before.
I’m not typically in favor of recruiting over players — and I doubt UW would. Still, I’d love to see Wisconsin men’s basketball try again at the position with a more established player that can immediately slot into the rotation.
Greg Gard must find Wisconsin men’s basketball a big man at all costs
Jan 23, 2023; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard questions a call during the first half against the Northwestern Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Gard discovered the hard way this past offseason that Chris Vogt may have been fool’s gold. And by that, I mean 7-footers willing to accept a bench role to play Power 5 basketball don’t grow on trees.
“I think we have to add depth regardless [of internal development],” Gard told UW reporters during the season. “I’m not naïve. We have to get bigger, more experienced, stronger, more athletic, whatever you want to throw out there.”
He wanted to add a big man last off-season and failed. Failure isn’t an option this time, or his seat will continue getting warmer until he finds himself searching the want ads for his next job.
Credit to Carter Gilmore for making strides in his development, particularly on defense, to give Wisconsin men’s basketball sufficient minutes off the bench. But you cannot have a 6-foot-7 tweener off the bench in the Big Ten as your top reserve — it’s a recipe for disaster.
When UW goes portaling, come hell, or high water, he NEEDS to find another true center that can play behind Steven Crowl or a power forward capable of playing the five for prolonged periods if need be. It will also help bridge the gap to the talented incoming duo of Gus Yalden and Nolan Winter.
Land Wisconsin men’s basketball a lanky, floor-spacing wing
I said this all last offseason, and I will repeat it again: Wisconsin men’s basketball needs a wing taller than 6-foot-4 to play the “3” and defend other teams’ small forwards.
UW kicked the tires on several wings but didn’t make any headway. Thankfully Connor Essegian emerged the way he did, or the failure to add one would look even worse, considering Jordan Davis wasn’t consistent enough to warrant starter minutes.
Thankfully, an option with in-state ties played himself out of low-major St. Thomas in Minnesota.
I’m talking about Andrew Rohde, a 6-foot-6 wing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who averaged 17.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 44.8% shooting from the field, 32% from three, and 81.5% from the FT line.
There were rumblings throughout the season that Greg Gard and company would make Rohde a high priority if he was available — and there is no doubt that he would fill an immediate long/short-term need within the Wisconsin men’s basketball program.
He’s a wing with the ideal size to play the “3” that can score the rock and has multiple years of eligibility remaining.
I’d be on the phone with the boosters, ensuring the right amount of NIL money was in place to bring Rohde home at all costs.
Adding someone like Rohde to a guard/wing rotation consisting of Connor Essegian, Max Klesmit, and Jordan Davis would make for a rock-solid group and a near-perfect fit stylistically.
Enter the transfer portal season with a clean slate of playing time to offer
It was clear that Greg Gard and his coaching staff went into transfer portal season with a rough allocation of minutes in mind before they went garage sailing.
That’s one of several reasons that UW struggled to land any big fish. For that to change this offseason, everything needs to be on the table — no promises to anyone.
The Wisconsin men’s basketball program has several clear-cut needs and is only a few players away from competing for a Big Ten title in 2023-24.
UW’s foundation is solid, but to strengthen the roster — you can’t go into meetings with portal kids searching for greener grass and say you have 10-15 minutes to promise them no matter how they perform.
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Head coach Greg Gard has been at the helm of the Wisconsin basketball program since 2015, taking over for legendary coach Bo Ryan midway through the season.
Coach Gard has had a successful tenure thus far, leading the Badgers to six NCAA Tournament appearances in his first eight seasons, winning two Big Ten regular season titles and two league Coach of the Year awards.
However, one issue that has plagued Gard and his staff nationally is their inability to bring in high-end talent consistently.
While Gard is considered an elite talent evaluator, as evidenced by the success of players he recruited and played a hand in developing, like Jordan Taylor, Ethan Happ, Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker, and Johnny Davis, he has struggled to close the deal on some of the top recruits in the country despite the programs early involvement.
It’s on Gard to ultimately close the deal with recruits, and he could certainly stand to be more aggressive, but it’s worth acknowledging that Wisconsin basketball could benefit from making a change on his coaching staff if the athletic department is willing to fork over the money.
Why Greg Gard Should Consider Making a Change on His Staff
First things first, I’m not suggesting any Wisconsin coach get fired because we’re privy to a select tidbit of information. We’re not present behind closed doors to know the coaches’ relationships with players or their role in developing some of the young talents.
That said, we have access to a small amount of Wisconsin basketball recruiting information from 247Sports that I found interesting + worth discussing.
Assistant coach Dean Oliver, who has been on staff since 2017, has secured a verbal commitment from four players (Taylor Currie, Lorne Bowman, Connor Essegian, and John Blackwell) that he served as the lead recruiter.
For comparison, associate head coach Joe Krabenhoft has landed 14 commits during that same time frame. And Sharif Chambliss, who is entering his third season on staff, has yet to secure a verbal commitment, although he’s made strong inroads in the Milwaukee metro area, which has tremendous value–especially in the 2025 in-state cycle.
Adding Context to the Wisconsin Basketball Recruiting Situation
Now, the context in this situation is important because coach Oliver isn’t acting as the lead for players in traditional strongholds like Wisconsin and Minnesota. Instead, he’s communicating with players who often know very little about the program and would have to travel much further than Krabbenhoft’s targets to visit campus.
These assignments are certainly no easy task, but at the end of the day, if that’s your role, then you need to execute well enough for Coach Gard to get those recruits on campus for visits and have the chance to close on recruits.
Not saying that coach Chambliss should get a pass here because it’s time to start seeing some returns from him as well. Still, Dean Oliver hasn’t been able to bring in impact recruits outside of Connor Essegian consistently (I can’t emphasize enough how great of a find he was).
But I think it’s fair to say that from a fan perspective, you’d like to see more success from your assistants on the recruiting trail. Closing rates are unimportant without context, and we ultimately have no idea how good at recruiting anyone is or isn’t. Still, the more challenging assignments have led to few wins outside of more common recruiting areas.
Some Thoughts on Wisconsin Basketball Recruiting
Mar 28, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard looks on during the first half against the North Texas Mean Green at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Suppose Wisconsin basketball decides it needs to allocate more resources to recruiting. In that case, I think Greg Gard would benefit significantly from prioritizing a coach outside his network, which has built a reputation as a top-notch recruiter.
Hiring an assistant coach known for his recruiting prowess could be the boost the Badgers need to elevate the program’s ceiling and work their way into the mix for some of the higher-ranked prospects in the country.
I firmly believe that Gard is an excellent in-game coach who gets the most production out of his players. Since taking over the Wisconsin basketball program, Gard has led the Badgers to the highest win total among Big Ten teams. He has also compiled the third most conference wins, despite averaging the No. 9 recruiting class in the B1G during that timeframe.
Still, his roster management and talent evaluations more recently have left the program with questionable depth and need an overall upgrade in talent from top to bottom.
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 Greg Gard agrees and decides to make this move. Still, it’s certainly an idea worth considering because if Wisconsin can elevate its recruiting efforts even marginally, It could get the Badgers back on track and over the hump.
Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Dillon Graff on Twitter @DillonGraff.
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