ESPN recently released a list of the top 40 college basketball coaches under the age of 40, and Wisconsin Assistant Coach Joe Krabbenhoft made the cut. Krabbenhoft came in at no. 30 overall on the list. The highest-rated Big Ten coach on the list was Richard Pitino, Minnesota’s Head Coach, who came in at sixth overall in the rankings.
Krabbenhoft is a former Badger player who wore the red and white from 2005-2009 under Bo Ryan. Following his collegiate career, the Badger standout made international stops as a professional that included Spain and Greece before ultimately beginning his coaching journey. In the 2012-13 season, Ryan hired Krabbenhoft to be the UW video coordinator and the rest is history. It should not be long before the former Badger gets a chance to become a head coach at the division one level.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello weighed in on Krabbenhoft in the article. “A former Wisconsin forward, Krabbenhoft played professionally for a couple of seasons before returning to the Badgers as a video coordinator under Bo Ryan. He cut his teeth as an assistant coach at South Dakota State but was back in Madison under Greg Gard in 2016. Krabbenhoft is key in player development and is an active recruiter.”[lawrence-newsletter]
Wisconsin’s staff had a phenomenal season amidst adversity like no other both on and off the floor. Coach Krabbenhoft was a major reason why the Badgers were able to become Big Ten regular season champions.