This afternoon, Wisconsin basketball Head Coach Greg Gard participated in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Championship Basketball Series where via Zoom, he broke down elements of the swing offense, what it takes to be a leader, and an in-depth look at how he runs his program in essentially a virtual coaches clinic.
Among the many topics that came up was recruiting, one of the most essential elements for any college program. A few notes stood out as to the type of player that Wisconsin was looking to bring in.
The first word that Gard emphasizes was “coachability.” “Well I think first of all you’re looking for coachability. You know that players at our level, when they come here, there not gonna be the best player on the floor more than likely…You look for the complete player, somebody that wants to learn and get better,” said Gard during the video conference. The adjustment from high school to college was a big factor in that Gard wanted a player that would not be intimated by the level of the Big Ten, but instead lend himself to his coaches in order to get better both individually and as a team.
A quote from Gard that helps to sum up what he looks for in a future Badger had to do with a player asking questions instead of acting like they know all the answers. “You [want] somebody that’s ‘coachable’ and willing to listen and learn…I like players that have more questions than answers.”
Wisconsin basketball’s success is rooted in buying into the team over the individual, and Coach Gard confirmed that today during his video conference.