University of Wisconsin Athletics announced Wednesday morning that longtime Wisconsin men’s basketball assistant coach Gary Close will be stepping down from his position on the staff to pursue other professional opportunities. The story was first reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Tuesday night.
#Badgers assistant Gary Close leaving UW staff. Has been at UW for 13 seasons. "It's not easy decision," Close said.
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) March 30, 2016
#Badgers assistant Gary Close, 59, said he isn't sure what future holds…Might want to spend time with family.
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) March 30, 2016
Close has been coaching Division I basketball for 29 years, and he has spent the last 13 of those years on Wisconsin’s bench.
It was assumed that head coach Greg Gard wished to retain the entire staff consisting of assistants Close, Lamont Paris and Howard Moore, who Gard hired as soon as he took over on an interim basis, and all had said they hoped to return for the first full season under the new head coach.
It appears, according to a statement by Close, that family is the driving force of his next professional decision, but he could not have expressed greater appreciation for the players he has coached and the coaches he had the opportunity to work with.
According to his statement:
“Being an assistant coach at the Division I level is an increasingly demanding position. While I plan to keep basketball a part of my future plans, I do want my next professional stop to provide me with greater flexibility to spend more quality time with my wife and two growing children.
“I want to thank Bo Ryan for giving me the opportunity to be part of this tremendous run here. I want to thank the other coaches and men’s basketball staff, as well as the athletic department support staff, and especially all the loyal Badger fans who have been so supportive of me and my family over the years.
“Finally and most importantly, I want to say thank you to all those terrific players whose hard work and dedication over the years has brought so much joy to me, my family and this community. From the All-Americans to the walk-ons, each and everyone played an important part in the success of this program and to our lives. To have had the opportunity to help them in a small way, chase their dreams and achieve their goals, is an experience I will always treasure, one filled with moments that I can look back on with great satisfaction and pride.”
The most popular name to pop up as a potential replacement for Close on the bench is former UW-Milwaukee head coach Rob Jeter, who was just fired following the team’s 2015-16 campaign.
Jeter not only played under Bo Ryan at UW-Platteville, but also served as an assistant coach at the school under Ryan from 1994-1998. He then, after serving as an assistant coach at Marquette for one season, went back to coaching under Ryan as an assistant at both Milwaukee and Wisconsin from 1999-2005 before taking over the head coaching job at Milwaukee.
Jeter’s familiarity with the program is likely going to intrigue Gard, but the head coach will surely have a lengthy list of candidates to replace Close.
“On behalf of the team and staff, I want to thank Gary for his dedication to the Wisconsin basketball program,” Gard said in a statement. “He has been a consistent piece of our success over the last 13 years and we all wish him well with his next endeavor.”
