Since 2001, it’s been death, taxes and Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan. Starting after next season, we'll be back to just death and taxes again.
Ryan announced he would retire after the 2015-’16 basketball season, ending a career at Wisconsin that has seen two Final Fours, a .741 winning percentage and an annual trip to the NCAA Tournament.
In his 14 seasons at the helm in Madison, Ryan has posted a .717 winning percentage in Big Ten play, which is the best mark in conference history. During his tenure, the Badgers have never finished below fourth in the Big Ten standings, won four conference regular-season titles and captured three Big Ten Tournament crowns.
As he exits the Kohl Center, he will hope to see the man that has been by his side for 22 years, assistant coach Greg Gard, take the head role.
“I’ve decided to coach one more season with the hope that my longtime assistant Greg Gard eventually becomes the head coach at Wisconsin,” Ryan said in a statement. “I am looking forward to another year with our program, including our players, my terrific assistant coaches, our office staff and everyone who supports Wisconsin basketball here in Madison, around the state and across the country.”
According to Ryan, he pondered retirement in the days after the national championship loss to Duke, and was convinced by athletic director Barry Alvarez to take time to weigh his options. After three months, he arrived at the decision to take one more year.
“I’ve always been told that is not a decision to make right after a season is completed,” Ryan said. “Barry thankfully encouraged me to take some time to think about it and I have done that.”
That year will feature a squad much lower on talent than the previous two seasons, due to the exits of five rotation players, including Wooden Award winner Frank Kaminsky and NBA first round draft pick Sam Dekker. However, it does bring back juniors Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig, two gifted players who could challenge for All-Big Ten honors.
There is little chance Wisconsin will seriously look at possible replacements besides Gard, who has been a key X’s-and-O’s man, scout and recruiter for years under Ryan. He was previously considered for the head coach job at UW-Green Bay in both 2010 and last spring, but instead came back to Madison.
Gard’s in-house status and ability to continue Ryan’s system make him the easy favorite. The only outside candidate that could move the needle is Virginia head coach Tony Bennett, son of former UW head coach Dick Bennett. Like Ryan, Bennett has employed a deliberate but effective system with the Cavaliers and holds the appealing narrative of the prodigal son. However, what Bennett has built in Charlottesville would be difficult to leave and he will also carry a high price tag, things that make him more of a pipe dream for fans.
Instead, it will likely be Gard who replaces the most successful head coach in program history.
Since taking over prior to the 2001-’02 season, Ryan has compiled a school-record 357 wins and guided the Badgers to an unprecedented level of consistent success. Before his arrival, UW had just seven NCAA Tournament and two Final Four appearances to its name, but has seen those totals triple and double, respectively, under Ryan.
His success in Madison is trumped by his accomplishments at Division III UW-Platteville, where he won four national championships and led the Pioneers to a pair of undefeated campaigns in 15 years.
Having accomplished about all there is to do in college basketball, Ryan will hang up his whistle following his 32nd season as a head coach, closing the book on a Hall of Fame-caliber career.
Statement from #Badgers head coach Bo Ryan pic.twitter.com/pVSeO5eATC
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) June 29, 2015
