MADISON, Wis. – Greg Gard had seen enough that the Wisconsin head coach stopped practice immediately earlier this season.

There have been many instances over the last eight years for Gard to halt a drill to emphasize a teaching point, but this time was purely for financial reasons after seeing Isaac Gard knock down a couple of three-pointers on the scout team.

“I said, ‘Guys, would at least guard him because pretty soon his mom is going to call and want a scholarship for him,” Greg said.

That practice in the middle of a conference grind has been one of many bright spots for the Gard family this season since Isaac joined the Badgers as a walk-on. The middle of three kids and the only son, Isaac has embraced his role as a 6-2 guard impersonating some of the best the Big Ten has to offer.

“It’s hard to soak it in,” Isaac said. “I’ve tried to take a step back at times and try to realize how special this is. I know how special this is. It’s really cool. It’s a lot of fun coming in and learning from him every day. It’s been a lot of fun.”

But for anyone who cries nepotism, Isaac’s road to being a Badgers' walk-on has been far from smooth. The pandemic was in full swing during his 2021 senior season, and Isaac’s Oregon team was limited to 14 games with no home games allowed in Dane County. He still started every game and averaged 9.6 points, but it was more a stressful experience than an enjoyable one.

He considered walking on at UW-Platteville and playing for his uncle, Jeff Gard, but wanted to be involved in some way with the Badgers. He spent the first semester last season at Madison College before transferring to Wisconsin in January 2022. With his dad having a roster spot open for a walk-on, the opportunity was extended.

“I had wanted to be here as a player or a manager, something here probably over anything else,” Isaac said. “I had always known this was an option if there was a spot.”

While it was an easy decision for Isaac, it was a little tougher for Greg. As he weighed whether to bring his son into the program, Greg reached out to several people in his profession, including his opponent on Wednesday in Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, who has coached his oldest sons Connor and Patrick the last four seasons.

The overwhelming answer from his colleagues: you must do it.

“For me, personally, I always thought it would be a neat thing to do, the right thing to do,” Greg said. “Everybody I’ve talked to about it, literally, called me an absolute fool if I didn’t do it. You get one chance in life to do something like this.”

Isaac had a sampling of his dad’s coaching style before. When Isaac was in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade, Greg helped his son and his friends put a travel team together to play in-state events. The name was the “County M Cagers,” derived from the road that connected the player’s towns and from the nickname that was given to basketball players at the turn of the century when many courts were surrounded by chicken wire.

“It was a blast,” Greg recalled.

Due to NCAA rules, the elder Gard couldn’t coach his son once he got to middle school. It also coincided with Gard being promoted to interim head coach in December 2015 following the in-season retirement of Bo Ryan.

Isaac grew up only knowing his father to be a coach at Wisconsin, so the change in job titles wasn’t viewed as a life-altering change for him. It was always viewed as a job – a high-demanding job – that required his dad’s full attention. And while his dad missing games or activities could cause resentment, Isaac never viewed it as such.

“There’s a lot that goes into it,” Isaac said. “He’s been here for as long as I can remember, so I’ve pretty much been used to it. I haven’t known it any other way.”

If anything, Isaac has viewed it as memorable. He watched from the stands as his dad’s teams beat Xavier in the 2016 NCAA Tournament and upset No.1 Villanova a year later, a pair of games that sent the Badgers to the Sweet 16. He’s been to so many games over the years he couldn’t count if he tried.

It’s why he said the best moments this year have been away from the court, especially on the road. Having traveled few times with his dad, Isaac enjoys the late-night conversations between father and son talking basketball.

“I’ll stop by his hotel room and just talk with him for a while, about the game or anything,” Isaac said. “It’s something we haven’t been able to do because I haven’t been on the road with him all the time. It’s pretty cool to see what he’s up to the night with watching film or preparing for the next game.

“It definitely makes it a lot more fun because I am a part of it. He’ll talk about something that’ll happen that maybe I’ll see on the court, and it’s fun because I am a part of it and can add to the conversation. But when we get home or off the court, he’s back to dad mode. He’s the super nice guy that I love.”

Greg calls his son a “calculated, quiet, sharp individual.” He’s only played in three games for Wisconsin, missing his only attempt, but has blended in well with a young roster. It has made a season filled with inconsistent play and close losses tolerable in a way because the two are getting to spend ample time working together.

“It’s been an awesome experience,” Greg said. “To walk in every day and see your son, you don’t make up for lost time. As a coach and people in the profession, you sacrifice things, and your family is on the short end of the stick in a lot of those things. It’s cool to have him around, and he enjoys being a part of this time. He’s gotten better. That’s one thing as a coach evaluating him. He’s gotten bigger, stronger, and it’s been fun to watch him dive in.”

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