In a little under two years as head basketball coach at UW-Madison, Bo Ryan has firmly established himself as one of the premier coaches in college basketball. Sitting at 21-6 and first place in the Big Ten, Ryan has the Badgers poised to win their second straight conference championship and another NCAA tournament invitation.
The success UW has had under Ryan may be a shock to many, considering that the team is full of youth and inexperience, but the players and Ryan will be the last to tell you that it was unexpected.
\He's a guy that won't settle for anything less than being the best,"" freshman forward Alando Tucker said.
Tucker is just one of the players who has excelled under Ryan's swing offense, which allows every player to touch the ball and has left many Big Ten defenses looking for answers.
""In the game of basketball there is a simple premise that you start with. If you get more shots than the other team, your chances of being successful greatly increase,"" Ryan said. ""You do this by not turning it over and getting second and third shots on the offensive boards.""
The Badgers take advantage of this strategy by averaging only 10.4 turnovers a game, which is the best in the Big Ten and second overall in the country.
While he runs a successful offense and stingy defense that allows a conference best 58.6 points per game, Ryan's dedication to the program and his motivation to improve his players is what has inspired his team to be mentally prepared for every game.
""Players have to understand that you are in it for them,"" Ryan said. ""If they think for one second that you are coaching just for yourself and for your ego then you're not going to get players to respond.""
One player who has seen his share of coaches is senior guard Kirk Penney, who has become a complete player under Ryan's offense. Under his third coach in four seasons at Wisconsin, Penney is having his most complete season, averaging 16.5 points, six rebounds and 3.15 assists per game.
""He has such a competitive edge which is unparalleled,"" Penney said. ""It's been a pleasure playing for Coach.""
From 1984-1999, Ryan was the head coach at Division III UW-Platteville, where he won four national championships and eight conference titles. After Platteville, Ryan coached UW-Milwaukee to two winning seasons before coming to Madison.
In his first season at Wisconsin, Ryan became the first UW head coach to win the Big Ten Coach of the Year award and was the winningest first year head coach in school history. A career record of 423-122 (.776) makes Ryan the most successful Division I head coach with more than 15 years experience in terms of winning percentage.
With Ryan's inspirational attitude, UW players and fans alike can expect great things from the Badgers and a coach who will always put his team before anything else.
""To me, I consider the University of Wisconsin the ultimate coaching job, in that I'm at a university in a part of the country that I have grown to love, and at an institution that is respected the way that Wisconsin is in the academic field, and to be in a state like Wisconsin,"" Ryan said. ""To get a chance to be a head coach here is the ultimate.\
