Brandon Podziemski

[BCHoopster]

Curious did MU or Wisconsin recruit this kid since he is going to be drafted tonight?  He transferred from Illinois to Santa Clara so there was
a chance you could have gotten him after he left Illinois?  Really would have helped the Badgers!

[Jay Bee]

S U P E R B A R

[jfp61]

I always wanted him at MU . I don't think marquette really wanted him. I think he was offered under wojo and considered for a few months under wojo, and i know he was contacted as a last minute effort under shaka when shaka first got the job before his freshman year, but at that point he wanted illinois.

I don't think MU contacted him last summer having Kam and liking stevie internally. UW i have no clue what they are doing.

I will say, i was listening to a podcast where NBA Draft evaluators were making fun of his dad for always being around and being a nuisance.  The sentiment with college coaches was probably the same.

UW just needs talent, and every talented kid, their parents, or coaches, i have talked to in the state in the past 1-2 years has limited interest in going there for one reason or another.

[Coleman]

UW just needs talent, and every talented kid, their parents, or coaches, i have talked to in the state in the past 1-2 years has limited interest in going their for one reason or another.

Curious in hearing more about this.....

UW was always THE destination for in-state kids under Bo Ryan. MU obviously won its share of in-state recruiting battles (Wes Matthews, Steve Novak, etc.) but it was always an uphill battle for in-state talent. If this has truly changed, I'd love to hear more about why. Is it just a matter of Greg Gard not being Bo Ryan?

[MUfan12]

As the NBA evolved it has made their system seem even more dated.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Curious in hearing more about this.....

UW was always THE destination for in-state kids under Bo Ryan. MU obviously won its share of in-state recruiting battles (Wes Matthews, Steve Novak, etc.) but it was always an uphill battle for in-state talent. If this has truly changed, I'd love to hear more about why. Is it just a matter of Greg Gard not being Bo Ryan?

No idea if this is why, but there was that whole kerfuffle two or three seasons ago where the player was publicly calling out Gard as not caring about his players.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I think it's a number of factors...

...style of play
...high profile decommits (Herro) and transfers (King) from in-state guys
...the current crop of high schoolers were in elementary school when UW was in the Final Four
...geography isn't as important as a factor as it used to be in basketball recruiting. We see this at Marquette.
...Gard is good - but he's no Bo.

[Viper]

I think it's a number of factors...

...style of play
...high profile decommits (Herro) and transfers (King) from in-state guys
...the current crop of high schoolers were in elementary school when UW was in the Final Four
...geography isn't as important as a factor as it used to be in basketball recruiting. We see this at Marquette.
...Gard is good - but he's no Bo.

please win at UW in December. Better dead, than RED!

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I will also add, I bet Gard (like Shaka) doesn't really care where his players are coming from.

[We R Final Four]

I will also add, I bet Gard (like Shaka) doesn't really care where his players are coming from.

Gard brings in several stiffs from Minneapolis burbs every year……..so he does seem to care to a certain degree.

[Tyler COLEk]

I’d say the jury is still out on whether Gard is “good.”

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I’d say the jury is still out on whether Gard is “good.”

Two conference championships and two sweet 16s in eight years of coaching? I think that classifies as "good."

[Jay Bee]

Two conference championships and two sweet 16s in eight years of coaching?

Or, put another way, zero outright regular season B1G championships and in the first two years after inheriting Bo’s program due to his disgusting behavior, made the S16 (crap shoot) but not since

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Or, put another way, zero outright regular season B1G championships and in the first two years after inheriting Bo’s program due to his disgusting behavior, made the S16 (crap shoot) but not since

Right. Which is why I didn't say "great" or even "very good." 

[Dickthedribbler]

Curious in hearing more about this.....

UW was always THE destination for in-state kids under Bo Ryan. MU obviously won its share of in-state recruiting battles (Wes Matthews, Steve Novak, etc.) but it was always an uphill battle for in-state talent. If this has truly changed, I'd love to hear more about why. Is it just a matter of Greg Gard not being Bo Ryan?

I think a lot of that was the connection between first Dick Bennett and immediately following him, Bo Ryan, with high school coaches in the State of Wisconsin.

Bennett started as a high school freshman coach in Wisconsin in 1965, and he coached in the State at every level for the next 35 years without leaving. Ryan started in Wisconsin as an assistant at some D-3 school in Racine in t he mid 70s, that I think is now defunct, and he never left for 40 years.

In the eyes of every high school coach in Wisconsin, Bennett and Ryan have had kind of an "every man" effect on these high school coaches. At one time or another every H. S. coach here has had personal contact with Bennett and/or Ryan-----camps, clinics, speaking, recruiting, networking, etc. If you're one of these high school coaches and Bennett or Ryan show a strong interest in one of your players, there's almost a spiritual or otherworldly desire to deliver the kid to the UW.


Gard has not reached, and may never reach, that cult-like status.

[Coleman]

I think a lot of that was the connection between first Dick Bennett and immediately following him, Bo Ryan, with high school coaches in the State of Wisconsin.

Bennett started as a high school freshman coach in Wisconsin in 1965, and he coached in the State at every level for the next 35 years without leaving. Ryan started in Wisconsin as an assistant at some D-3 school in Racine in t he mid 70s, that I think is now defunct, and he never left for 40 years.

In the eyes of every high school coach in Wisconsin, Bennett and Ryan have had kind of an "every man" effect on these high school coaches. At one time or another every H. S. coach here has had personal contact with Bennett and/or Ryan-----camps, clinics, speaking, recruiting, networking, etc. If you're one of these high school coaches and Bennett or Ryan show a strong interest in one of your players, there's almost a spiritual or otherworldly desire to deliver the kid to the UW.


Gard has not reached, and may never reach, that cult-like status.

That all makes a lot of sense actually.

I agree with Sultan that Gard has been "good," not great. I hated Bo, but he was a great coach.

I would love it if Bucky remained "good" at basketball....in the sense that we should beat them every year, but they aren't a drain on our SOS or NET rankings.

[Lennys Tap]

I think a lot of that was the connection between first Dick Bennett and immediately following him, Bo Ryan, with high school coaches in the State of Wisconsin.

Bennett started as a high school freshman coach in Wisconsin in 1965, and he coached in the State at every level for the next 35 years without leaving. Ryan started in Wisconsin as an assistant at some D-3 school in Racine in t he mid 70s, that I think is now defunct, and he never left for 40 years.

In the eyes of every high school coach in Wisconsin, Bennett and Ryan have had kind of an "every man" effect on these high school coaches. At one time or another every H. S. coach here has had personal contact with Bennett and/or Ryan-----camps, clinics, speaking, recruiting, networking, etc. If you're one of these high school coaches and Bennett or Ryan show a strong interest in one of your players, there's almost a spiritual or otherworldly desire to deliver the kid to the UW.


Gard has not reached, and may never reach, that cult-like status.

Dribbler

Perfect summation - well done

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I think a lot of that was the connection between first Dick Bennett and immediately following him, Bo Ryan, with high school coaches in the State of Wisconsin.

Bennett started as a high school freshman coach in Wisconsin in 1965, and he coached in the State at every level for the next 35 years without leaving. Ryan started in Wisconsin as an assistant at some D-3 school in Racine in t he mid 70s, that I think is now defunct, and he never left for 40 years.

In the eyes of every high school coach in Wisconsin, Bennett and Ryan have had kind of an "every man" effect on these high school coaches. At one time or another every H. S. coach here has had personal contact with Bennett and/or Ryan-----camps, clinics, speaking, recruiting, networking, etc. If you're one of these high school coaches and Bennett or Ryan show a strong interest in one of your players, there's almost a spiritual or otherworldly desire to deliver the kid to the UW.


Gard has not reached, and may never reach, that cult-like status.

I think this is accurate, but I think you have to combine this with the reduced role of the high school coach in basketball recruiting IMO. The AAU program has been more important for awhile and I think it continues to grow in importance.

[Uncle Rico]

I think a lot of that was the connection between first Dick Bennett and immediately following him, Bo Ryan, with high school coaches in the State of Wisconsin.

Bennett started as a high school freshman coach in Wisconsin in 1965, and he coached in the State at every level for the next 35 years without leaving. Ryan started in Wisconsin as an assistant at some D-3 school in Racine in t he mid 70s, that I think is now defunct, and he never left for 40 years.

In the eyes of every high school coach in Wisconsin, Bennett and Ryan have had kind of an "every man" effect on these high school coaches. At one time or another every H. S. coach here has had personal contact with Bennett and/or Ryan-----camps, clinics, speaking, recruiting, networking, etc. If you're one of these high school coaches and Bennett or Ryan show a strong interest in one of your players, there's almost a spiritual or otherworldly desire to deliver the kid to the UW.


Gard has not reached, and may never reach, that cult-like status.

Part of it is also the assistant coaches.  Based on talking to some of the people going through the AAU/HS system with kids playing the last 8-10 years, it certainly seems the relationships aren’t strong.

It’s not that they’re bad, but I don’t get the sense they look at Madison the same way you described was once the case and part of it is on the shoulders of the assistants.

I think Chambliss was brought back to work that angle in recruiting but I’m not sure he has the relationships in the state. 

They did get Johnny Davis but I wonder how many programs were willing to bring his brother along

[bilsu]

Or, put another way, zero outright regular season B1G championships and in the first two years after inheriting Bo’s program due to his disgusting behavior, made the S16 (crap shoot) but not since

Or put it another way Gard is 2-0 vs. Shaka.

[79Warrior]

Right. Which is why I didn't say "great" or even "very good."

lol

[4everwarriors]

Kon's a winner too, hey?

[avid1010]

I think a lot of that was the connection between first Dick Bennett and immediately following him, Bo Ryan, with high school coaches in the State of Wisconsin.

Bennett started as a high school freshman coach in Wisconsin in 1965, and he coached in the State at every level for the next 35 years without leaving. Ryan started in Wisconsin as an assistant at some D-3 school in Racine in t he mid 70s, that I think is now defunct, and he never left for 40 years.

In the eyes of every high school coach in Wisconsin, Bennett and Ryan have had kind of an "every man" effect on these high school coaches. At one time or another every H. S. coach here has had personal contact with Bennett and/or Ryan-----camps, clinics, speaking, recruiting, networking, etc. If you're one of these high school coaches and Bennett or Ryan show a strong interest in one of your players, there's almost a spiritual or otherworldly desire to deliver the kid to the UW.


Gard has not reached, and may never reach, that cult-like status.

I knew a lot of HS Bball coaches for many years....nearly every one of them liked and admired Bennett.  Nearly every one of them found Bo to be an arrogant POS...though he backed it up. 

My understanding is Decker wanted MU and Buzz didn't want anything to do with him/his family...and Frank the tank developed past anyone's hopes.  Bo had to have a little luck to have the post season success he had (no different than TC with Wade), but he could coach. 

Gard is in serious trouble.  I honestly hope he remains just relevant enough to keep his job...if you have to pick a coach to recruit against in-state he is about as good as it gets for MU.

[The Lens]

I know a lot of HS coaches as well.  Many love Bo.  He always made time for the WBCA.  Never heard one coach describe him as arrogant. 

My coaching friends have by in large liked Bo, Buzz, Wojo & Shaka.  Crean (predictably) was the outlier who everyone hated.  Not hard to argue. 

[4everwarriors]

Crean sucks