As Wisconsin men’s basketball assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft and his wife were driving up to Madison Tuesday afternoon, a sense of nostalgia ran through the both of them.
Krabbenhoft was returning as a coach for the first time since 2012, when he was hired as a video coordinator for a season before heading to South Dakota State to be an assistant coach, and the newest UW assistant said coaching here was the easiest decision he’s ever made since he committed to play at Wisconsin in 2004.
“It’s a place where I have a lot of pride in and so many people that helped me along the way,” Krabbenhoft said. “It was a no-brainer for me.”
Head coach Greg Gard shared a similar feeling. He noticed Krabbenhoft coaches the same way that he played back in his time as a student-athlete.
Ultimately, that kind of personality embodies the both the type of player and coach a program like Wisconsin’s is looking for, Gard said.
“I think that’ll be a huge advantage for him, and really help our players,” Gard said. “I think having somebody that’s been there and walked in those shoes, and our players are already gravitating to him and really liking him.”
It didn’t take long for Krabbenhoft to decide he wanted to go into a career of coaching, as after playing professionally for five teams overseas in just three years, Krabbenhoft came back to Wisconsin as a video coordinator.
Krabbensoft said when Gard and former head coach Bo Ryan started recruiting him was when he really considered coaching as a potential career move. The whole coaching and recruiting process was something he continually wanted to be a part of.
“I think during the process when coach Gard was recruiting me, I think that I just enjoyed the process,” Krabbenhoft said. “I learned from him on day one of what it takes to be successful.”
But while he is returning as a coach, Gard did say Krabbenhoft’s youth may lead to the 29-year-old helping out in practice now and then. And this would be nothing new for Krabbenhoft who said in his last season at South Dakota State, he worked with the team in practice for a three-month stretch as they consistently battled injuries all year.
Above all, he is back as a coach, and Gard values what he brings to the table as a coach, and the biggest thing for Gard is Krabbenhoft’s experience as someone who has been through the program. Between he and assistant coach Howard Moore as two former players on the current coaching staff, Gard feels as though his staff now has an advantage.
But while it is an exciting time for Krabbenhoft and the entire program, there is little time to celebrate.
“It was a big moment for my family, and we are just extremely excited, but in this coaching business, I’ve learned quick that you can’t take a lot of time to just sit back and enjoy these things,” Krabbenhoft said. “You got to get to work.”
