AAU community thinks highly of Ryan, Gard
Recruiting is the lifeblood of college athletics and in the world of college basketball, AAU programs play a big role in the process. Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan has build relationships with a number of coaches across the country. The same is true for assistant coach Greg Gard, the lead recruiter on Ryan's staff at UW.
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With a huge transition underway in Madison, BadgerBlitz.com reached out to a number of AAU programs that have had contact with both Ryan and Gard. The following are responses when asked about their experiences with Ryan, as well as their take on Gard as the new head coach:
Comments from Ritchie Davis, who heads the Wisconsin Playground Warriors AAU program. Davis has had a number of players come through his program who ended up as Badgers, a list that includes Brian Butch, Evan Anderson, Sam Dekker, Bronson Koenig and Brevin Pritzl, among many others. The Warriors also have 2017 UW commit Kobe King, as well as 2018 targets Jordan McCabe, Tyler Herro and Adam Trapp, among others, within their program.
"My experience with coach Ryan throughout the recruiting process was always very direct and very professional. I believe we have had approximately 15-16 players from our program ultimately choose to play for coach Ryan and each of them has a strong admiration for him not only as a basketball coach, but also as a person. Coach Ryan was very open with parents in the recruiting process and I know how much they respected his honesty.
"I will forever remember coach Ryan calling me after accepting the position at UW and wanting to talk about Brian Butch and how much he really wanted to coach Brian. He spent most of the conversation explaining to me which practice drills were going to help Brian at that point in time (2001).
"The relationship between the Playground Warriors and the Badgers continued to grow over time after coach Ryan took over from coach (Dick) Bennett/coach (Brad) Soderberg.
"In regards to coach Gard, he has been ready to lead a high-major program for many years. He is very detail-oriented and a tireless worker. He has been the lead recruiter for UW with all of our players for well over a decade. Our families have often communicated how much they like coach Gard and respected his honesty while being recruited by the staff.
"Coaches throughout our state have admired Greg Gard for years and the relationships he has developed the past 20-plus years with so many people make him the obvious choice to lead the UW program for many years to come. Nobody knows the basketball landscape in Wisconsin better than he does. I look forward to working with Coach Gard and his staff as they continue to recruit our program and the players in the classes of 2017, 2018, etc."
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Comments from Mike Mullins, who heads the Illinois Wolves, a highly-recruited program for Ryan and Gard over the years. The most notable product from that program for the Badgers was all-American Frank Kaminsky.
"Coach Ryan was genuine, direct and possessed a keen sense of self. He was confident regarding his program and that the culture he had established would succeed each year at the highest level; recruiting kids who fit his vision for what his teams need to add year to year. Coach Ryan conveyed that the teaching he and his staff would provide players during their careers at Wisconsin would develop them to their fullest potential both on and off the court. Coach placed as much value on the character of the recruit as the talent of the recruit. Winning was a consistent byproduct of these principles.
"Coach Gard has been instrumental to Wisconsin basketball and its tremendous success working alongside of coach Ryan by establishing a network of recruiting with an interwoven communication platform composed of youth camps, high school coaches and AAU directors that consistently finds players that fit and will thrive in the Badger culture. Coach Gard's ability to impart and teach that system once players arrive on campus is unparalleled. Greg's knowledge of the Big Ten and what it takes to compete for championships and make runs in the postseason makes him uniquely qualified to carry forth the tradition of success that he played a huge role in building at Wisconsin.
"I wish continued success to and fully support coach Greg Gard as the head coach of Wisconsin basketball. He has earned that right at every level of college basketball and I have no doubt that he will continue to do so in a way that will make Badger fans proud. On behalf of the Illinois Wolves staff and players, I wish coach Ryan the best going forward and thank him for his contributions to the betterment of college basketball during his amazing career. Coach has been the definition at every level of coaching he has passed through of doing it the right way. The game of basketball will miss him."
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Comments from Justin Litscher of the Wisconsin Swing, which featured current Badgers Zak Showalter and Koenig, who played his final AAU season (17u) with the Swing.
Often Bo was the closer in recruiting -- "sealing" the deal as the kids have a natural admiration for the legend. First thing that comes to mind with Bo is honest in recruiting. He was always honest and up front with the guys from the Swing. Bo was also a closer in the recruiting process.
"Bo has always been fair to our guys in the process -- attended a lot of Swing games through the years, whether it be when Will Ryan (one of our founders) was coaching Josh Gasser and Trevon (Hughes) or when Tyler Selk (former UW-P player) was coaching Josh and then on to me coaching Zak Showalter etc.
"Bo has always shown support to the local travel clubs whether it be him giving a fist pump as he walks by as we beat a team or joking how he really likes the name of our program. Or him going out of his way to say "hello" and tell me how much he enjoys watching our teams play. Always and ambassador of Wisconsin basketball.
"Coach Gard will be great, he has been doing a lot of leg work in the recruiting process for years and is so respected across the country. Kids like and respect him, as do programs nationwide. I know I have spoke with Bronson and Zak and both are excited for coach Gard to get his chance. He has been ready to be a head coach for a long time and his relationships with the players will help for an easy transition. Coach Gard has a wealth of knowledge and will do great things.
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Marcus Gill, who heads the All Ohio Red program, which produced current Badger Nigel Hayes.
"To be completely honest those guys had no contact with us in the recruiting process. They dealt directly with the family. I only let Nigel go there because it was a great fit for him with how they played.
"I like Bo Ryan because he is a Division 3 guy like myself. I don't know anything about coach Gard."
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Logan Wynn, who heads Quad City Elite, which produced current Badger Ethan Happ.
I first met coach Ryan the summer that Ethan was going into his junior year. Myself and Toby Whiteman (Ethan's high school coach) brought Ethan to the advanced camp. Bo walked right over to the two of us during the first night and said, "guys, Ethan is going to be a very special player and we are going to offer him.
"He handled it very well and told Ethan to take all the time in the world to do his homework and look at other schools first before making a decision. Ethan knew right away that he wanted to be a Badger. Coach (Gary) Close was the one who first spotted Ethan and he was fantastic as well through the whole process. They handled everything with first class. I have had the chance to have a few phone conversations with coach Gard about other guys in our area and Ethan. I have heard nothing but good things from Ethan about coach Gard. I am happy for coach Gard that he is getting this opportunity. I appreciate Wisconsin's entire staff for everything they have done for Ethan. Again, they are all first class."
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Hank Huddleson from Martin Bros. in Iowa, which produced former Badgers Jason Bohannon and Zach Bohannon:
"With Bo, he has always been great. Very no non-sense on the floor, but I always found him very easy to talk to. I just hope Greg is given a legit chance and people don't see him as a filler just because he has been an assistant.
"I would hope what Bo instilled a good part will hold true in the next change of the guard. Greg has always been good as well and very personable. He is passionate and very thorough, and I wish him the best and hope he succeeds.
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Jason Jesperson from the Wisconsin Playmakers:
"As you know coach is a guy with that aura about him, so there is immediate respect. I grew up in the era when he dominated D3, so, of course, I had that before ever meeting him five or six years ago. What I respected about him was his old-school approach to recruiting. There seemed to be no fluff. You got what you saw, which I really appreciated and frankly, you don't see a lot of that in his business.
"Regarding coach Gard, I have a great respect for him. He has been nothing but first-class and respectful to all our guys. I feel like his personality and his work ethic will bring great things to Wisconsin and I would love to see him coaching there the next 20 years."
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Gavin Sullivan from the Illinois Irish Elite:
Coach Ryan was always first class and was always honest about how he felt about a player. It never took him long to tell whether or not he thought a player would be a fit for his system. I don't think there is a better evaluator of talent and what he could make them into at college -- especially bigs. The thing I will always remember about him besides the intensity he brought during the games was how personable he was in person -- just a genuine guy -- no BS.
"As an AAU director I always saw Gard first then Bo second when it came to scouting games. I think Gard is a great fit and has put in everything necessary to get the job and continuing the success UW has had under coach Ryan. Gard is very well connected on the circuit and I feel that will be a huge benefit for him when it comes to recruiting. I feel Gard will bring a new life -- just younger energy -- to the Badgers without losing the tradition or culture they have established there now.
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Jake Sullivan, President of Kingdom Hoops in Iowa:
"My experience with coach Ryan was always a positive one. The thing you appreciated the most was his direct honesty. He never told anyone what they wanted to hear but rather he told them the truth. You knew you could trust whether you liked what he had to say or not.
"For the most part I have never had experience directly with coach Gard since I have always dealt with coach Close from a recruitment perspective with all of our athletes from Iowa. However, if coach Ryan believes in him then he must be special."
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Greg Stephen of the Iowa Barnstormers:
"For the most part, coach Ryan didn't do a ton of the recruiting over the phone, most of the contact I've had has been with his assistants -- coach Gard or coach Close. Coach Ryan was incredibly respected, though. Not just by the players in our program, but their parents, too. When he was in the gym watching games during the Live periods, it was noticed, and it was often the talk of the gym. The guys that I've had who went on visits to Wisconsin and met him have always left very impressed with how genuine and real he is.
"I think Coach Gard will do an outstanding job. His work ethic and knowledge of the game have always really impressed me, and his loyalty towards the program at Wisconsin is phenomenal. There are some exceptions, but in the days when we see players and coaches jumping from school to school all the time, the assistants and players at Wisconsin are incredibly loyal, and that speaks really highly to me about the culture they've instilled in their program. That might be the most impressive thing about Wisconsin to me."
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Nick Carroll from D1 Minnesota:
"Bo was very straight forward -- never sugarcoated things and always made sure you knew where they stood. That transparency transcends in Greg's approach as he is one of a handful of guys at the high-major level who truly evaluates talent and sees through the popularity contest of other offers and rankings. I think Greg would be a good candidate to keep the culture of the program strong. He knows what it takes to win at a high-major in the Midwest."