Gard, Players Surprised by Kobe King's Decision, but Ready to Press Forward

MADISON, Wis. – Prior to the start of his third season, a healthy and motivated Kobe King spoke glowingly about a program he never wavered his commitment to. Nine days ago, he took to Instagram to post three pictures of him shooting, driving and cheering in his Wisconsin uniform.

On January 25th, he said he was done.

Prior to his team’s practice in preparation for Monday night’s road game at Iowa, King – a redshirt sophomore guard – told the Wisconsin coaches and players that he was taking a leave of absence, an announcement that nobody saw coming.

“Everybody was pretty shocked,” guard D’Mitrik Trice said. “Everybody was a little bit confused.”

King’s absence on Monday was described as the University as “personal reasons.” Players who spoke after Monday’s game didn’t share their interactions with King either. Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard declined to get into specifics of their player-coach meeting and messages left for King by Rivals.com have not been returned.

“The best step for my future basketball aspirations, as well as my love for the game, is to immediately step away,” King said on Instagram in what has been his only statement. “This has been a very tough decision for me, however after spending almost 3 years in the Wisconsin program I have realized that this program is not the right fit for me as a player and person.”

Trice could sense something was amiss during Wisconsin’s 70-51 blowout at Purdue last Friday. King went scoreless on his five shots in 27 minutes and, according to Trice, was emotional in the locker room.

“You could physically see that,” Trice said. “He was physically crying, tears coming down his face at halftime and after the game. Talked to him a little bit after the game. I could tell he was pretty upset.”

King’s departure leaves a huge void in Wisconsin’s rotation for the final 10 games of the Big Ten season. Wisconsin (12-9, 5-5 Big Ten) coming off back-to-back road defeats and preparing for a game against No. 14 Michigan State on Saturday at the Kohl Center.

After averaging 5.2 points in an injury-shortened true freshman season (fractured patella bone in his left knee) and 4.2 points in 34 games as a reserve last season, King started the first 19 games this season and was averaging a team-best 12.6 points per game in conference games. In two seasons, King was averaging 14.1 points per Big Ten game and shooting 55.2 percent from the field.

Of UW guards, King is considered the Badgers’ best option to create his own shot, score off the dribble and to catch and shoot. His 159 shots were the most among UW’s guards through 19 games.

“It’s about playing our game with the guys we have who are still here,” senior Brevin Pritzl said. “It’s going to be a loss missing Kobe and what he brought to the table for us, but that’s on us to come together as a team, make up for whatever isn’t there or whatever is lacking. It really just comes down to sticking with each other and uniting, playing with that same intensity and fire that we show.”

King is the sixth scholarship player to leave the program with eligibility remaining since Gard took over for Bo Ryan in December 2015 and the third since the end of last season (redshirt freshmen Taylor Currie and Tai Strickland). He orally committed to the Badgers in September 2015 and stayed committed to Wisconsin after Bo Ryan retired 12 games into his 15th season. Barring a waiver, NCAA transfer rules would require King to sit out all next season and give him one season of eligibility in 2021-22.

If there was an axe to grind, it wasn’t seen Thursday. Expressing frustration with the timing of King’s decision in a statement Wednesday, Gard said he would do whatever his possible to assist King moving forward. Trice was among multiple current UW players who tweeted his support on social media for King, calling him “another brother, another friend.”

While UW will be another man short for the remainder of the season, the goals have not changed as far as the players are concerned.

“All you can do is support your brothers,” Pritzl said. “Every day you come in to work and keep the same mentality. You are always focused on the goal at hand. For us, it’s fighting to win the next game, staying true to our game plan … We can’t sit here and worry about it. There are things we have to get ready for and get focused on."