Wisconsin Basketball Thread 2020 - 21

[nodakfan17]

There’s not a great place to put this, so I’ll stick it here.

 

Pat Baldwin Jr. chose UW-Milwaukee over Georgetown and Duke and will now play for his father (and a Horizon League title). He’s a potential NBA lottery pick.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/college-basketball-recruiting-five-star-prospect-patrick-baldwin-jr-chooses-milwaukee-over-duke-georgetown/

[MrTPlush]

Lol, since in person recruiting wasn’t allowed he just went upstairs and did zoom calls with his dad.

[stoutdude04]

Lol, since in person recruiting wasn’t allowed he just went upstairs and did zoom calls with his dad.

 

Is this true, or are you making a joke? Both are funny. Just curious.

[MrTPlush]

Lol, since in person recruiting wasn’t allowed he just went upstairs and did zoom calls with his dad.

 

Is this true, or are you making a joke? Both are funny. Just curious.

 

That is what the article said. I am sure they just talked face to face most of the time, but probably did the zoom to make sure they could leave a trail of following proper protocols.

[SomewhereInTime]

Time to close this thread and open up the UWM 2021 - 22 Thread. We don't need to worry anymore about mid majors like Wisconsin-Madison or Marquette who can't recruit with the big boys in this state.

[nodakfan17]

Time to close this thread and open up the UWM 2021 - 22 Thread. We don't need to worry anymore about mid majors like Wisconsin-Madison or Marquette who can't recruit with the big boys in this state.

 

I live in Green Bay and usually try to catch the Panthers when they make their annual trip North to play UWGB. I’ll be circling this game when the schedule comes out for sure!

[stoutdude04]

https://madison.com/sports/college/basketball/men/wisconsin-men-s-basketball-seniors-confronted-greg-gard-in-secretly-recorded-meeting-here-s-what/article_bf1afb44-c2fe-5983-86fb-4c107e776e15.amp.html?__twitter_impression=true

 

Hard to come back from this I feel like. No surprise to see so much sore play.

[homer]

https://madison.com/sports/college/basketball/men/wisconsin-men-s-basketball-seniors-confronted-greg-gard-in-secretly-recorded-meeting-here-s-what/article_bf1afb44-c2fe-5983-86fb-4c107e776e15.amp.html?__twitter_impression=true

 

Hard to come back from this I feel like. No surprise to see so much sore play.

 

I don't know what to make of this. First off, super shady to record that and then only play the parts you want people to hear. Secondly, that senior class was Charmin soft outside of Davison (dirty play notwithstanding) so it doesn't surprise me, thirdly who cares what Walt McGrory thinks, fourthly no underclassmen left so is it all that bad? fifthly, Sam Dekker and Ben Brust think these guys are morons, sixthly, Gard needs to take some classes in effective communication.

 

FWIW, Jeff Potrykus is suggesting it wasn't a player that recorded and/or released the tape. So that would probably mean Alando Tucker.

[MrTPlush]

They likely won't, but they probably should fire him. Sorry...but some of those comments are pretty brutal and the fact that many players thought Gard was a horrible coach and treated them like garbage is terrible. Everyone wanted to say Kobe King was the problem, but looks like most of these guys thought Gard was a problem back then, Gard changed a bit, but then went back in the sewer as a coach. Seemed there were 2-3 comments in there from anonymous players regarding this leak and they think Gard still didn't hear them out and still doesn't get them. That is probably the worst part of this entire thing. Two years of major problems and yet...it apparently is no better now.

 

Dekker's tweets...I am still not even sure the point he was trying to make in his tweets. As far as Ben Brust, idk, he is basically calling them soft. That seems like a lot of soft players and even if they are maybe Gard should learn how to coach them. Because when the entire team thinks you suck, that is pretty good proof you sucked at doing your job. While both Dekker/Brust played while Gard was an assistant neither of them have any idea how Gard runs a program as the head guy. While there were some example in the meeting (terrible communication, not having their backs) it seems like a lot of it went far beyond the court.

 

While they didn't lose an underclassman, they certainly lost a ton of players because of this that could have come back. Who knows how this leaked meeting will affect things in the future. It probably isn't uncommon to have disconnect with a player here and there, but pretty concerning to have such widespread issues over the course of multiple years.

[PeaveyFury]

Interesting that this surfaces shortly after Bo Ryan emerged from his post-retirement disappearance from the spotlight and returned to attend a practice this week.

[pacopete4]

Man, things like this rub me the wrong way. That group was annoying to watch play basketball and they've now annoyed me after being gone. Whether they get rid of Gard or not, I'm sure glad that era is over with.

[homer]

I would like to know how many coaches would actually sit for a two-hour meeting like this. Obviously, we don't know what all went down but I'm gonna give Gard the benefit of the doubt here. He has a really nice recruiting class coming in. If they do well, no one's gonna remember this episode. I think he's got two years to figure it out.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I'm not a Badgers fan but the players sound insanely emotional. I can't believe D-1 scholarship athletes have this expectation of their coach. They sound like babies.

[BrewersSuperCollector]

I'm a as much of a Badger hater as there is, and I seem to remember that Gard was the guy who the players all liked when he was an assistant to Bo Ryan. He was the guy the players would go to if they had problems.

[thebruce44]

https://madison.com/sports/college/basketball/men/wisconsin-men-s-basketball-seniors-confronted-greg-gard-in-secretly-recorded-meeting-here-s-what/article_bf1afb44-c2fe-5983-86fb-4c107e776e15.amp.html?__twitter_impression=true

 

Hard to come back from this I feel like. No surprise to see so much sore play.

 

I don't know what to make of this. First off, super shady to record that and then only play the parts you want people to hear. Secondly, that senior class was Charmin soft outside of Davison (dirty play notwithstanding) so it doesn't surprise me, thirdly who cares what Walt McGrory thinks, fourthly no underclassmen left so is it all that bad? fifthly, Sam Dekker and Ben Brust think these guys are morons, sixthly, Gard needs to take some classes in effective communication.

 

FWIW, Jeff Potrykus is suggesting it wasn't a player that recorded and/or released the tape. So that would probably mean Alando Tucker.

 

I think the time has passed for a D1 men's basketball, no less Big 10, coach to be taking classes in effective communication.

[superfly]

Good riddance of these bums. Get out and never come back...played like trash and act like it too. McCrory who? Is Reuvers the guy who got WORSE over 3 years after flashing potential? Sounds like a bunch of entitled crybabies that should have spent more time ensuring they didn’t lose 15 games.

[rickh150]

I'm not a Badgers fan but the players sound insanely emotional. I can't believe D-1 scholarship athletes have this expectation of their coach. They sound like babies.

 

It’s a bunch of kids venting after getting blown out by Iowa, a team they WERE better than in 2020 but not 2021 with all WI members shy of Pritzle back.

One one hand, I would think there are probably several things or piles of small things that led many to believe the coach is a jerk. On the other, is that why you are ticked or is it really because you lost to Iowa?

 

To me, It looks like a team meeting to put the blame on the coach, probably after Gard was especially hard on some of the players recently because of a tough loss.

[rickh150]

I'm not a Badgers fan but the players sound insanely emotional. I can't believe D-1 scholarship athletes have this expectation of their coach. They sound like babies.

 

What would Bobby Knight say about these seniors?

[PeaveyFury]

Alvarez released a statement saying he’s looking forward to watching Gard coach the 21-22 season, so that’s the end of that speculation.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

The only thing I'd like to know is who recorded that. My guess would be Alando Tucker and if that comes out, yikes, kiss your coaching career goodbye.

[PeaveyFury]

Tucker makes the most sense, considering his abrupt departure from the program and unwillingness to answer reporter calls on why. He also, though, makes the least sense considering that he seemed to be one of the biggest Ryan-system type, don't-make-waves sort of guys.

[Underachiever]

Trice's "we are not here to build your resume" comment made me think of this: There is a fundamental disconnect for me with players who want to play at the next level, and what coaches need from them at the college level. If a player gets evaluated, and is told he needs to show he can hit a three-point shot for the NBA to be interested, but the coach needs him down on the block playing the 5, who gets what they want? The coach is supposed to win games, and he will put the players in the position he needs to do that. Nigel Hayes changed his shot, presumably based on feedback, and it messed him up in the next season. Tim Tebow had a funky throwing motion that Urban Meyer's staff had no interest in fixing, because it wasn't what was needed to win games at Florida. Tebow could keep running the ball and throwing jump passes to keep the offense moving. Kevin Stemke won the Ray Guy award for punting, but he was a half-second slow for the NFL. Should the Badger staff have worked with him to speed it up? It may have affected his results as a Badger. I would have liked to see Potter prove he could consistently defend a pick and roll, or Reuvers grab a rebound, or Davison improve on his 27% 2-point shot average.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Kids were talking in private to their coach, telling him how they felt about the team, their relationship with him as a coach and a mentor and what they wanted from it, and people are ripping them for sharing their feelings with their coach and mentor in what they thought was a private conversation.

 

Lol.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

They are being met with that reaction because it's such a departure from what that relationship used to be. Maybe that's a good thing. But most people over 30 grew up in a time where your coach was more of a drill sergeant than a therapist. It's a D1 program where you get free college to play basketball. That said part of being a great coach is getting your players to want to play for you and it doesn't like they were there.

[MrTPlush]

Gard’s #1 goal may be winning games, but these players surely had expectations/wants when they were recruited. If they want to be prepared for a pro career, you promise that, and don’t actually do that guys are going to get mad. Pretty much every player referred to Gard saying one thing and doing another. Saying something just to appease guys in the moment is a short term fix and a long term problem. Seems like a few specifically stated lies or shortcomings from what they were told in the recruiting process.

 

Sounds like Gard needs to start being a bit more honest even if it isn’t what someone wants to hear. Don’t lie to keep them around. Let them leave and find a better fit for the roster/goals.