Longtime head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers, Bo Ryan announced his retirement effective immediately, a surprising move after beating Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
“After months of conversation with Barry Alvarez and his administrative staff, as well as my wife, Kelly, I have decided that now is the right time to step down from the head coaching position here at Wisconsin,” Ryan said in a statement released after the game.
Ryan’s career at Wisconsin can be painted in many lustrous colors, but the statistics speak for themselves. Since taking over in 2001, Ryan has guided Wisconsin to two Final Fours, four Sweet Sixteens, seven Big Ten titles, and 364 wins, while not missing the NCAA Tournament even once in his 14 years at the helm.
Assistant coach Greg Gard, who was on Ryan’s first staff in Madison, has been tabbed to finish the remainder of the 2015-2016 season as the frontman for a struggling UW team. The Badgers sit at just 7-5 on the season and seem destined to miss the Big Dance just one year after reaching the title game.
While Gard will obviously earn a chance to prove himself, Athletic Director Barry Alvarez will likely begin a national search for the coach to replace Ryan on a full-time basis.
One regional name that, at least on paper, seems like a good fit after Bo Ryan announced his retirement would be Ben Jacobsen of Northern Iowa. Jacobsen knows the region well and has proven that he can win in locales without one of the traditional metro areas being next door for recruiting. Virginia’s Tony Bennett was on Ryan’s staff early on in his tenure at UW, presenting a situation where Bennett might see the opportunity to win bigger in Madison than in the ACC.
