Wisconsin head basketball coach Greg Gard received a vote of confidence from athletic director Chris McIntosh and will return for 2024-25, according to a report from BadgerExtra and the Wisconsin State Journal’s Jim Polzin.
This news comes on the heels of many fans calling for change after the Badgers’ 72-61 loss to James Madison in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Related: An early look at the Wisconsin basketball roster entering 2024-25
There was a legitimate argument for Wisconsin to either fire or retain the head coach. As we’ve outlined here on Badgers Wire, the benefits of bringing Gard back far outweigh the possible benefit of getting lucky with the next head coach.
Polzin reports McIntosh and Gard met earlier this week to discuss Wisconsin’s roller-coaster season. A similar meeting occurred between the Wisconsin athletic director and former football coach Paul Chryst in October of 2022, though that meeting let to Chryst’s firing and the eventual hire of Luke Fickell.
Polzin: Greg Gard puts Wisconsin in 'best position', AD says https://t.co/C1z9qmkc7O
— BadgerExtra (@BadgerExtra) March 28, 2024
As reported, this year’s meeting resulted in the longtime Wisconsin coach returning for another season.
2024-25 will be Gard’s 10th season as Badgers head coach. He’ll enter with a 186-107 record (63.5 win percentage) and two Big Ten regular-season titles. All eyes will be on the head coach throughout next season as he and the program look to snap the program’s now seven-year Sweet 16 drought.
Gard and his staff return a promising roster in 2024-25, led by point guard Chucky Hepburn, guards John Blackwell and Max Klesmit, center Steven Crowl and incoming top recruit Daniel Freitag. That core, plus a few big moves in the transfer portal could set the Badgers up for a great season.
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