Badgers coach Bo Ryan steps down as UW head coach immediately

[station19]

Alvarez wouldn't let Bo name his asst as his successor in the off-season, so Bo did it this way.

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

Wow! Hard to believe that he would step down at this time.

I hope that this is not health related.

Bo Ryan was one hell of a good coach. Period.

But I hope that his legacy will not be tarnished by anything less than what it is.

 

[spackler]

He wants to keep his top 4 B10 streak.
Don't forget all the interviews and press conferences of him acting like a jackass.
GII is right, no whisky fan comes here for entertainment.

 

[cjbfbp]

Arrivederci, Grinch. I greatly disliked you as an opponent, but respected the hell out of you as a coach. Now, please let the Badgers return to the malaise days of Bill Cofield for a generation or two.

Well, that could happen, but probably not for an extended period of time. Ryan established a fairly lengthy habit of winning. While I expect Wisconsin to take a step back in the post-Ryan era and I don't expect them to find another coach who can duplicate his level of success for a long time, I doubt the university and its fans will be content to return to the pre-Bennett days.

 

[Maximus]

Don't forget all the interviews and press conferences of him acting like a jackass.
.

I enjoyed his interview after the Duke game last year. Blaming the refs and letting the country see what a d*ck he is.

 

[Blizzard]

I threw so many darts at my Grinch dart board it has surely worn out. See ya Bo. May we get a coach who leaves such a legacy.

 

[cjbfbp]

- Bo Ryan finished his career losing 2 of his last 3, at home, to in-state foes. That is a fact.

OK, but I don't think that's what will be remembered about him.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Alvarez wouldn't let Bo name his asst as his successor in the off-season, so Bo did it this way.

Bingo, we have a winner. This is so obviously the case here. Bo is a lot of things. One thing he is not is stupid. He's doing this to make sure Greg Gard gets a shot at the job. Clearly Alvarez doesn't want to promise the job to Gard, and as the AD that's 100% his right. I'm not going to knock Bo for his loyalty to Gard.

Next step? Gophers need to make hay while Wisconsin transitions to a new coach. Won't be easy for the next coach to duplicate Bo's success, or even come close to it.

 

[cjbfbp]

I enjoyed his interview after the Duke game last year. Blaming the refs and letting the country see what a d*ck he is.

I agree that he was a difficult man to like. However, as a long-time college basketball fan, I found him an easy coach to respect. I wish Minnesota would have followed Wisconsin's lead by hiring a more mature individual with a long track record of success instead of hiring Pitino.

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

Well done, Bo. Loyal to the end, stepping down to make sure his top assistant gets a crack at the permanent gig.

How bout a bit of loyalty to his players? He bails on his kids at the first sign of failure, and gets to avoid a mediocre record staining his resume? Weak, weak move. These coaches preach loyalty and accountability non stop and then jump ship when it suits them.

Reminds me a lot of the Steve Spurrier retirement this fall.

 

[GophersInIowa]

GII-

I post on this forum about Wisconsin when the thread or comment is about Wisconsin because that is the team I watch the most. You know, so that I have actual knowledge or at least a reasonably formed opinion about what I am saying.

I don't really get to watch enough Gopher football or basketball to post on topics about on field performance or recruiting.

I have said several times previously that I enjoy reading the posts here because they remind me so much of my earlier experiences as a Badger fan. And to be fair to you, I was much more "rabid" when I was the same age as the players than I am now at age 48. Years of being a fan should give you some perspective.

Cheers

Fair enough.

 

[Winnipegopher]

I agree that he was a difficult man to like. However, as a long-time college basketball fan, I found him an easy coach to respect. I wish Minnesota would have followed Wisconsin's lead by hiring a more mature individual with a long track record of success instead of hiring Pitino.

Prior to being hired, both Dan Monson and Tubby Smith had better resumes than Bo did when he was hired at Wisconsin.

 

[BleedGopher]

I wish Minnesota would have followed Wisconsin's lead by hiring a more mature individual with a long track record of success instead of hiring Pitino.

Uhhh, I don't want to turn this into a Tubby thread, but that's exactly what we did when we hired him.

Go Gophers!!

 

[BleedGopher]

Prior to being hired, both Dan Monson and Tubby Smith had better resumes than Bo did when he was hired at Wisconsin.

Bo's resume was much better than Monson's at the time each hired their respective coaches.

Bo had multiple national championships, granted at a lower level. Monson had a great three weeks in March. Not a knock on Dan, as Gonzaga hasn't surpassed Dan's Elite 8 run yet, but Bo was a very respected coach at the time of the hire.

Go Gophers!!

 

[Winnipegopher]

Bingo, we have a winner. This is so obviously the case here. Bo is a lot of things. One thing he is not is stupid. He's doing this to make sure Greg Gard gets a shot at the job. Clearly Alvarez doesn't want to promise the job to Gard, and as the AD that's 100% his right. I'm not going to knock Bo for his loyalty to Gard.

Next step? Gophers need to make hay while Wisconsin transitions to a new coach. Won't be easy for the next coach to duplicate Bo's success, or even come close to it.

With all due respect, you guy are nuts if you think this puts Gard in a good position. The only way this is a good strategy is if the Badgers were a good (top 25) team. If Bo's grand strategy was to get halfway into a lousy year and then pass the reins to an assistant who is on contract for only the rest of the year, his strategy failed. He has put Gard in a bad, bad position. If the Badgers go 5-13 in conference, Gard will not get rehired and the Badger fans will be happy about that.

If Bo had resigned after a close loss in the national championship, Alvarez has to promote Gard and give him a real multi-year contract or risk a mutiny.

My take is much simpler. Of all coaches, I cannot think of another that takes losing worse. He knows the team is bad, will not likely get better, and he is tired and 67.

 

[SelectionSunday]

How bout a bit of loyalty to his players? He bails on his kids at the first sign of failure, and gets to avoid a mediocre record staining his resume? Weak, weak move. These coaches preach loyalty and accountability non stop and then jump ship when it suits them.

Reminds me a lot of the Steve Spurrier retirement this fall.

Doesn't remind me of the Spurrier retirement. Spurrier's retirement more like Bobby Knight's.

 

[Winnipegopher]

Bo's resume was much better than Monson's at the time each hired their respective coaches.

Bo had multiple national championships, granted at a lower level. Monson had a great three weeks in March. Not a knock on Dan, as Gonzaga hasn't surpassed Dan's Elite 8 run yet, but Bo was a very respected coach at the time of the hire.

Go Gophers!!

Yes, kind of misremembered Monson's experience. That said D-3 experience generally matters little. Even D-2 coaches rarely become head coaches in D-1. Ryan was a good hire but I suspect was not an overly popular hire at the time. Mike Leaf (minus the creepy stuff) had a more impressive resume at Mankato and nobody came calling for him (although maybe it was because of his personal stuff).

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

Doesn't remind me of the Spurrier retirement. Spurrier's retirement more like Bobby Knight's.

It should. Both legendary coaches creeping up in age. Both flirted with retirement in the previous offseason, before deciding to come back and coach another season. Both jumped ship when they realized they were coaching crap teams and would rather not sit through months of losing.

 

[cfb120]

With all due respect, you guy are nuts if you think this puts Gard in a good position. The only way this is a good strategy is if the Badgers were a good (top 25) team. If Bo's grand strategy was to get halfway into a lousy year and then pass the reins to an assistant who is on contract for only the rest of the year, his strategy failed. He has put Gard in a bad, bad position. If the Badgers go 5-13 in conference, Gard will not get rehired and the Badger fans will be happy about that.

If Bo had resigned after a close loss in the national championship, Alvarez has to promote Gard and give him a real multi-year contract or risk a mutiny.

My take is much simpler. Of all coaches, I cannot think of another that takes losing worse. He knows the team is bad, will not likely get better, and he is tired and 67.

You are wrong. Listen to the presser after the game last night. Bo wanted to retire after last season and hand the program over to Gard at that time. Gard found out in the spring his father was very ill with cancer. Gard wanted to spend time with his father and help him find treatment, so Bo continued to run the team. Gard's father unfortunately passed away in the fall. After talking it over with Gard and Alvarez, it was decided that he would then step down at the semester. Nice try at making him sound like the devil though.

 

[Gopherbbdude]

Bo was one good coach!! that being said, it can only help in recruiting MN players.

 

[mom8pop]

How bout a bit of loyalty to his players? He bails on his kids at the first sign of failure, and gets to avoid a mediocre record staining his resume? Weak, weak move. These coaches preach loyalty and accountability non stop and then jump ship when it suits them.

Have to agree with this. Bo was a very good coach, but this is not a good move. If he is really trying to force Alvarez's hand, he does it at the expense of his players and, as Winniepeg said, does not put Gard in a great spot.

Unless there is more to the story, he took the easy way out and quit on his players.

 

[SelectionSunday]

With all due respect, you guy are nuts if you think this puts Gard in a good position. The only way this is a good strategy is if the Badgers were a good (top 25) team. If Bo's grand strategy was to get halfway into a lousy year and then pass the reins to an assistant who is on contract for only the rest of the year, his strategy failed. He has put Gard in a bad, bad position. If the Badgers go 5-13 in conference, Gard will not get rehired and the Badger fans will be happy about that.

If Bo had resigned after a close loss in the national championship, Alvarez has to promote Gard and give him a real multi-year contract or risk a mutiny.

My take is much simpler. Of all coaches, I cannot think of another that takes losing worse. He knows the team is bad, will not likely get better, and he is tired and 67.

Agree to disagree.

Bo doesn't think Alvarez will give the job to Gard. If Bo thought Gard was going to get the permanent job, Bo would have stepped down after last season. Bo obviously didn't receive a guarantee from Alvarez that Gard would get the job, so he coached on. Retiring now, quitting now, however we choose to phrase it, he's doing it so Gard gets a chance to be the head coach at the University of Wisconsin. Look at it the other way. ... what if Gard turns this season around for the Badgers? That could happen, though it will be difficult with the Badgers' brutal B1G schedule. Bo figures it's better for Gard to get a chance (rest of this season) than no chance at all.

We can't forget about how much power Alvarez has in Madison. More than Bo, despite Bo's accomplished career at UW. Bo is still #2 in Madison. I'd argue "mutiny" is a strong word as well. I'm guessing there's a good share of the UW fan base that wouldn't mind seeing Alvarez look outside the program for his new coach. Why wouldn't he, with UW's current status as one of the elite programs in the country? Some really good coaches will want to take over at an elite B1G basketball program.

 

[bemidjigopher]

You are not paying attention

You spend a lot of time on here for a badger fan

 

[gopher7]

I agree that he was a difficult man to like. However, as a long-time college basketball fan, I found him an easy coach to respect. I wish Minnesota would have followed Wisconsin's lead by hiring a more mature individual with a long track record of success instead of hiring Pitino.

He obviously was a good coach and got every ounce of talent from his players, but because of how he constantly worked the refs, 'respect' is never a word I'll use to describe him. Bully, and maybe d*ck are more like it.

 

[cjbfbp]

Uhhh, I don't want to turn this into a Tubby thread, but that's exactly what we did when we hired him.

Go Gophers!!

Yes, and Tubby was a more logical hire than Pitino. I have no regrets about the firing of Tubby, but people should remember that he was moderately successful here. Only once in six years did his team fail to win 20 games or more and he never had a losing season. If the Pitino tenure lasts 6 years, I'm fairly confident that his 6 year record will not match Tubby's.

Don't get me wrong, hiring an experienced individual with a track record of success is no guarantee of future success and expecting to hire a Bo Ryan under that model is like expecting to draft a Tim Duncan with a top 5 draft pick, but when you hire someone who hasn't had enough trial and error and learning from mistakes, you increase the risk of failure.

 

[scher215]

Yes, and Tubby was a more logical hire than Pitino. I have no regrets about the firing of Tubby, but people should remember that he was moderately successful here. Only once in six years did his team fail to win 20 games or more and he never had a losing season. If the Pitino tenure lasts 6 years, I'm fairly confident that his 6 year record will not match Tubby's. Don't get me wrong, hiring an experienced individual with a track record of success is no guarantee of future success and expecting to hire a Bo Ryan under that model is like expecting to draft a Tim Duncan with a top 5 draft pick, but when you hire someone who hasn't had enough trial and error and learning from mistakes, you increase the risk of failure.

I like the Pitino hire and think it was a great way to go. But you are right. The inexperience means a higher risk of failure as well as I'd add, a potentially longer wait for success as they grow and learn. Pitino was a risky hire. I liked the risk taken and the youth and hoping to develop him. Now we just need it to pay off, fingers crossed it still does.

 

[bemidjigopher]

I haven't checked over there in awhile, but it seems, at least on the football board there, there's always somewhere between 1 and 4 threads related to the Gophers or Gopherhole on the front page.

So much for them thinking were not rivals

 

[GopherRock]

Doesn't remind me of the Spurrier retirement. Spurrier's retirement more like Bobby Knight's.

Wasn't Bobby Knight very publicly fired by then-President of IU Myles Brand? There's a big difference between quitting in your postgame press conference and being fired mid-season.

 

[cjbfbp]

He obviously was a good coach and got every ounce of talent from his players, but because of how he constantly worked the refs, 'respect' is never a word I'll use to describe him. Bully, and maybe d*ck are more like it.

You're confusing "respect" with "like." You respect what a person accomplishes or a person's abilities. You "like" or "dislike" someone's personality. Ryan's accomplishments weren't due to "working refs." Ryan's accomplishments were due to shrewd recruiting; player development; and practice, practice, practice.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Wasn't Bobby Knight very publicly fired by then-President of IU Myles Brand? There's a big difference between quitting in your postgame press conference and being fired mid-season.

Knight at Texas Tech. Quit/stepped down during the season even though it was already announced his son would be his successor.