Bo Ryan retiring end of semester

[keefe]

I don't know.  Bob Johnson would get my vote.

You are absolutely correct

[jesmu84]

https://twitter.com/clubtrillion/status/677150746681438208

@[Mark Titus]Honest question, what would his rep be if he never made the Final Four the last 2 years?

"Good-not-great coach who overachieved with what he had but never contended bc he couldn't adapt to new era of CBB."

I'd say that's pretty accurate. Final fours validated all he had ever done.

[Benny B]

They have agreed to the immediately succession plan, but Barry has done so grudgingly.  Everything I have heard is that he is grumpy about being put into this place where he basically had to put Gard in place.  But this was the only guaranteed way Gard gets a shot at being head coach albiet on an interim basis.

Humor me for a moment.... if you were Barry and had been planning to hire Gard for the past several years, yet were critically concerned about how donors and boosters (who are still sour about the Soderberg hiring and want someone higher profile) may react, how would you portray yourself to the public?  Lay it straight or smoke & mirrors?

Bo is the perfect fall guy... he's the best coach they've ever had and no one can stay mad at him for wanting to retire at his age.  Barry's cachet in Madison has lost its luster over time, and he still has to deal with everyone after Bo heads to Naples.  Gard has been "in waiting" for a few years now, and Barry & Bo couldn't be handling this in front of the public any better. 

Heck, the UW alums in my office are actually looking forward to seeing what Gard can do, just 3-4 months after spouting off about how they will be pissed if Bo's eventual replacement is anything less than Shaka or Tony.

MU Athletics' public relations dept. could stand to learn a lesson here.  Then again, the average UW alum/fan isn't as well-versed in cutting through the BS as we are.

[GGGG]

I don't know.  Bob Johnson would get my vote.

And I would put Barry Alvarez ahead of both of them.

I grew up in Madison as a huge hockey fan, but establishing a college hockey program from scratch in the 1960s was much "easier" than building a mortibund football program from nothing.  And in college athletics these days, football is *MUCH* more important for a P5 school than any other sport.  I mean UW hockey is in tatters right now, and no one really cares.

In fact the only coaches I think that can rival what Alvarez did at Wisconsin in the last 30 years are Snyder at Kansas State, Spurrier at Florida and Bellotti at Oregon.  (Not that I am saying that he is a better coach than Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, etc.  Just that he built something from near nothing.  Those guys didn't.)

I think it is safe to say that the team of Shalala, Richter and Alvarez have everything to do with UW's success in many sports - not just football.  UW's athletic program may have been at the bottom of the B10 before those guys came along.  Last year it was third in revenue behind only Ohio State and Michigan.

[CreightonWarrior]

Will Greg Gard be dedicated to sticking to the running game?

[muballbuster]

Maybe Saul Phillips? He has some tourney experience and is from Reedsburg, WI. and look where he went to school. Funny name good coach.

Saul Phillips
Basketball Coach
Saul Edward Phillips is an American college basketball head coach for the Ohio Bobcats. Phillips is a graduate of University of Wisconsin–Platteville. Wikipedia
Born: October 11, 1972 (age 43), Reedsburg, WI
Spouse: Nicole Phillips
Education: University of Wisconsin–Platteville
Team: Ohio Bobcats men's basketball

[mu03eng]

Humor me for a moment.... if you were Barry and had been planning to hire Gard for the past several years, yet were critically concerned about how donors and boosters (who are still sour about the Soderberg hiring and want someone higher profile) may react, how would you portray yourself to the public?  Lay it straight or smoke & mirrors?

Bo is the perfect fall guy... he's the best coach they've ever had and no one can stay mad at him for wanting to retire at his age.  Barry's cachet in Madison has lost its luster over time, and he still has to deal with everyone after Bo heads to Naples.  Gard has been "in waiting" for a few years now, and Barry & Bo couldn't be handling this in front of the public any better. 

Heck, the UW alums in my office are actually looking forward to seeing what Gard can do, just 3-4 months after spouting off about how they will be pissed if Bo's eventual replacement is anything less than Shaka or Tony.

MU Athletics' public relations dept. could stand to learn a lesson here.  Then again, the average UW alum/fan isn't as well-versed in cutting through the BS as we are.

Benny I love you, but this is deep end crazy even for you.

You are basically saying that Barry and Bo are conspiring to get the fan base to accept Greg Gard as the next coach.  So Greg Gard is so awesome as a coach that they would orchestrate one of the most bizarre conspiracies to ensure the fan base will accept a coach who Barry and Bo already think will be amazing???  If Gard's the guy, Barry makes him the guy, nobody questions Barry in Madison.

[GooooMarquette]

In fact the only coaches I think that can rival what Alvarez did at Wisconsin in the last 30 years are Snyder at Kansas State, Spurrier at Florida and Bellotti at Oregon.  (Not that I am saying that he is a better coach than Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, etc.  Just that he built something from near nothing.  Those guys didn't.)

Agreed. 

Although he's a little outside the 30-year window, it's similar to what Schnellenberger did at Miami.  Hired in '79 to lead a team that hadn't been to a bowl since 1967, they went from a sub-.500 program to National Champions in 5 seasons.

[GGGG]

Agreed. 

Although he's a little outside the 30-year window, it's similar to what Schnellenberger did at Miami.  Hired in '79 to lead a team that hadn't been to a bowl since 1967, they went from a sub-.500 program to National Champions in 5 seasons.

Good call.  And I should give some of Oregon's success to Rich Brooks too.

[Pakuni]

Good call.  And I should give some of Oregon's success to Rich Brooks too.

And Florida's success to Charley Pell who, though he was a notorious cheater, took the Gators from 0-10-1 his first season to four straight winning seasons, including 9-2-1 his final year. Pell led a similar turnaround in his two years at Clemson.

[Benny B]

Benny I love you, but this is deep end crazy even for you.

You are basically saying that Barry and Bo are conspiring to get the fan base to accept Greg Gard as the next coach.  So Greg Gard is so awesome as a coach that they would orchestrate one of the most bizarre conspiracies to ensure the fan base will accept a coach who Barry and Bo already think will be amazing???  If Gard's the guy, Barry makes him the guy, nobody questions Barry in Madison.

It was a hypothetical... the point is that what Barry and Bo are saying publicly may not be what's actually being discussed behind closed doors.  It doesn't have to be a full-blown conspiracy.  It could simply be - as I said - the management of expectations (i.e. public relations).

Sometimes, making the right decision forces you to eschew the popular one, and sometimes you have to stretch the truth and/or put on a bit of a show for your constituency in order to ensure a soft landing, especially when you're dealing with boosters and donors who could put the brakes on your revenues on a whim.

[willie warrior]

Best coach Wisconsin ever had. Goes for all sports.

Terrible situation for Gard. Unless he wins immediately (and I can't see better than 9-9 in league, that might even be overly generous) he'll be let go. Does he get another shot right away? Might not be as easy for a guy who couldn't make it work as a HC versus a guy who was a hot young assistant.

Never cared for Bo, but you are right about him being the best coach, Brew Guy did tons with many times limited talent.
People are saying he did it now to get Gard the job. Maybe so. Not sure Alvarez sees it that way. He likely already has some candidtes in mind, probably including Gard. Likely Bennet and others.

[willie warrior]

While certainly Bo's objective, I don't think Barry is in a corner at all.  He'll do a comprehensive search.

Agreed.

[muwarrior69]

Bennett's contract was re-worked to try and keep him away from Becky:

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball-news/4649272-tony-bennett-uva-contract-ncaa-basketball

The taxpayers pockets run deep.

[willie warrior]

Kurt Russell gave Booth the final bye as they waded into the stream. The guy deserved it, too. Pretty poor shooting.

[Benny B]

The taxpayers pockets run deep.

Love him or hate him, it doesn't bode well for UW that Scott Walker is governor.

[willie warrior]

Buzz to Wisconsin

This would be great fun. Just think of the gnashing of teeth of the Buzz slurpers when MU and UW play. Root for MU or continue to slurp on the buzz? Oh the agony!!

Doubt if Wiscy would be that dumb.

[brewcity77]

Love him or hate him, it doesn't bode well for UW that Scott Walker is governor.

Bennett is making around $2M with a $3M buyout. They'd have to fork over at least $5.5M the first year, while at the same time matching or exceeding Chryst's contract. Even if Bennett was interested, which I highly doubt, I just can't see how they'd justify that expenditure.

[willie warrior]

How about Michelle O's brother? That would be a perfect fit for commie land.

[Pakuni]

Gary Parrish's candidates (all fairly obvious):
Greg Gard
Tony Bennett
Ben Jacobson
Saul Phillips
Bryce Drew
Wayne Tinkle
Rob Jeter

[GGGG]

Gary Parrish's candidates (all fairly obvious):
Greg Gard
Tony Bennett
Ben Jacobson
Saul Phillips
Bryce Drew
Wayne Tinkle
Rob Jeter

Wayne Tinkle???  Because he was born in Milwaukee?  I can't think of any other reason why Parrish would think he would be considered.

[JWags85]

Gary Parrish's candidates (all fairly obvious):
Greg Gard
Tony Bennett
Ben Jacobson
Saul Phillips
Bryce Drew
Wayne Tinkle
Rob Jeter

Wayne Tinkle would feel like Gary Anderson 2.0, I can't see the Red Nation being pleased with that

[Skatastrophy]

Gary Parrish's candidates (all fairly obvious):
Greg Gard
Tony Bennett
Ben Jacobson
Saul Phillips
Bryce Drew
Wayne Tinkle
Rob Jeter

Yikes. Underwhelming.

[BrewCity83]

Wayne Tinkle!  I want Wayne Tinkle!  Imagine the headlines....

[lessthannick11]

The taxpayers pockets run deep.

Why don't Wojo or Buzz show up on this list?