MILWAUKEE – As the confetti saturated the air and fans poured onto the floor, Brad Davison was in heaven. The University of Wisconsin super senior was a freshly minted two-time Big Ten champion on the night of March 1 and reacted as such, jumping with joy while hugging teammates, family, and friends. But through the chaos, he was looking for a familiar face.

And as he made his way down the quickly erected postgame stage, sporting a new conference championship t-shirt and hat, Davison found who he was looking for, wrapping Badgers head coach Greg Gard in a bear hug. It was a fitting moment since Gard was hunting out Davison at the same time, wanting to share a moment with a player who, arguably, has meant more to him than anyone he’s coached.

“Brad has done so much for this program,” Gard said. “He’s come in here and had a leadership voice from almost day one as a freshman. He’s evolved his game. He’s been a great leader. I can’t say enough about what he’s done for our program. He’s a special one in that regard in terms of not just the production, but everything else that comes with him as a person.”

Wisconsin’s two recent Big Ten championships could not have been more unexpected. In 2020, the Badgers finished the season on an eight-game win streak with only seven scholarship players, overcoming countless incidents of off-the-court adversity. This year, UW had to replace six seniors and was a preseason pick to finish 10th in the league.

The only constant has been Davison playing hard and Gard leading the charge, and the two are inevitably tied at the hip because of it.

“We’re all a byproduct of the head of the snake, our coach,” Davison said. “I think he’s done a great job of keeping it fun, continuing to push us and challenge us but also encourage us, support us, and let us know how talented we can be.”

Davison came to Wisconsin for a summer team camp in eighth grade, immediately jumping on the coaching staff’s radar. He was a good outside shooter with a versatile skill set, Gard remembers, but he played with toughness, a bedrock of the Badgers’ programs over the years.

Davison displayed that tenacity throughout a challenging 2017-18 season, a low point in the program over the last 20 years that ended with a 15-18 record. Departures from the previous season, injuries to key players during the season, and multiple misses in recruiting created a void of high-level talent. Davison might not have been ready to play, in part because of a shoulder that frequently popped out of its socket during games, but he played every game and led the team in minutes.

His determination was admired around league circles that year, but as he grew older and his never-quit attitude remained, he drew scrutiny from the outside world. His coach did, too, mostly for always being in his corner.

Gard has been one of Davison’s biggest defenders, willing to die on the hill of criticisms to defend him for any questionable action that happened on the court or when he feels the guard is unfairly judged.

He came to his defense in 2020 when Davison was suspended one game for the league after a flagrant-1 foul called against him at Iowa, feeling the league’s review and subsequent suspension in the days after the game was unjust and agenda-driven. He forcefully defended his character, especially since the league’s statement referred to Davison’s “pattern of similar behavior.”

One year later, Gard broke his usually reserved demeanor when he publicly criticized the hook-and-hold rule and how the officials had applied it to Davison, a play that shifted momentum in a 77-73 loss at Iowa last season. He called it the “Brad Davison rule” and said implying the rule had become “a joke.”

“I feel bad for Brad Davison,” he said. “The kid is a great kid, plays his ass off. But he continues to get screwed by this … It has become sickening.”

Months after voicing his appreciation of his coach’s words, Davison offered support that summer when the public began to question Gard’s leadership. A leaked edited audiotape was released in June of a meeting where last year’s seniors shared criticisms of Gard’s individual player relationships, coaching style, and the overall direction of the program.

Davison was the only senior who had decided to return by the time the audiotape was released, an ugly peek behind the curtain that put a target on Gard’s back.

“It’s difficult to hear things, see things, and read things people are writing that ultimately aren’t a part of our program, that don’t know what goes on each and every day,” Davison said. “That’s something I’ve learned over the last four years is that you can’t believe everything you read, everything you hear, because their perception isn’t reality. As tough as it was to hear that stuff about coach, different things about our team or myself individually, the people that really matter are inside our locker room.”

Gard admitted that the tape galvanized the locker room, a group that “encircled the locker room” when they discussed the recording. It also brought Gard closer to the players on a personal level, checking in on their mental welfare or course load. He appeared more relaxed and jovial, became a better coach, and his players took his teachings and embraced learning, growing, and competing. Those three traits have been instilled partly by Davison’s presence.

The result was a team that went 15-3 in games decided by two possessions or fewer, that went from a predicted 10th place finish to co-conference champions, and Gard winning Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for the second time in three seasons.

“It’s a goal in life to be a better person,” junior Tyler Wahl said. “I think Coach Gard has done a great job getting to know everyone. He’s done a great job coaching us. We just got a new group and a fresh start. I think the upperclassmen who have been here and see that are thankful that Coach Gard has really looked in the mirror and been great this year. He’s taken this team to a place where not many people thought it could go to … with a team coming together behind him.”

Afterall the COVID restrictions placed on players last season, Davison left on a family vacation following the conclusion of the season. Before he left, he told Gard he wanted space to talk to those in his inner circle, pray, and reflect before deciding if he wanted to play a fifth season. The two didn’t talk for three weeks.

“(Coach Gard) cared more about me as an individual than as the starting guard,” Davison said. “(The staff) wanted me to make sure I made the best decision for me, and they did a great job of asking questions and that I was in the right mind space.”

His mind at ease, Davison has had a career year. Entering tomorrow’s NCAA Tournament opener against Colgate, he’s averaging 14.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and is first in school history in games played (159), started (155) and 3-point field goals (299).

A second-team all-conference selection by the coaches, Davison is shooting 45 percent from 2-point range after shooting 28.0 percent in that category last season.

“Nobody is more grateful than Brad Davison,” Gard said. “I can’t say enough about him and what he’s done. He’s helped keep this program on track toward championships. On the court, off the court, classroom, the kid is a phenomenal leader. He’s got a servant’s heart. You see that how he talks, and he walks to walk, too.”

Five days after their emotional postgame hug, Gard and Davison shared another one prior to tipoff of the home finale. It was Senior Day, the second time Davison was honored by UW. The two have shared 100 wins together (and are hoping for six more) but the tears shed were more about where they had been than where else was left to go.

It was a realization that Davison and Gard pushed each other to be better, and how they brought Wisconsin basketball along with them because of it.

“I look over my career here, we’ve had some incredible highs and some really tough times that go way beyond the basketball court,” Davison said. “It’s really bonded us together to where there’s a trust factor there. It’s a relationship I really value and appreciate all the things I’ve learned from him. We’ll forever be connected moving forward not just because I played for him, but because of the relationship that we’ve developed over the past years, especially the past six months.”

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