UW plans to follow normal evaluation process of men's basketball despite Kobe King transfer

MADISON – Kobe King’s decision to leave the Wisconsin men’s basketball program at the halfway mark of the Big Ten season does not appear to have rattled athletic department administrators.

Senior associate athletic director Justin Doherty, who has overseen the men’s basketball program for nearly a decade, said Friday the formal evaluation of head coach Greg Gard and the program will follow standard procedures.

“Every year you are watching and evaluating as the year goes on,” Doherty told reporters after UW’s normally scheduled athletic board meeting. “And our practice here has been to sit down with coaches at the end of their given seasons and allow student-athletes to have feedback and staff in the athletic department to have feedback.

“Then you formulate an evaluation and sit down with the coach. That is what I’ll do this time around.”

Doherty acknowledged UW would eventually conduct an exit interview with King, a redshirt sophomore guard who announced Wednesday he planned to transfer after realizing the program wasn't a right fit for him as a player and person.

"Our philosophy here has always been that we want what is best for the student-athletes," he said. "And in this case, if a student-athlete feels it is in their best interest to leave at a given time, they need to do what is best for them.

"We support them in terms of helping them in that transition."

UW (12-9, 5-5 Big Ten) hosts No. 14 Michigan State (16-5, 8-2) at noon Saturday on Fox.

"You adjust to it," Gard said Thursday when asked about King's departure. "It is like an injury. It is an opportunity for somebody else. You have to continue to improve as time goes on, and when opportunities are available, it is time for somebody to step up."

Doherty declined to discuss the type of feedback UW officials have received from past players about their experiences in the men’s basketball program.

“The players’ feedback isn’t something that we’d make public,” he said. “We share the feedback in those evaluation with the coaches. Any sport administrator does that on a regular basis.

“Every single situation is different. The feedback runs the gamut on an annual basis. Things that are going well and things that are needed to work on.”

Contract extensions

Earlier Friday, the UW athletic board approved in closed session standard contract extensions for three fall sports coaches – Paul Chyrst (football), Kelly Sheffield (women's volleyball) and Paula Wilkins (women's soccer).

The five-year contracts of Chryst and Sheffield were extended by one year to Jan 31, 2025.

Wilkins' three-year contract now runs through Jan. 31, 2023.

Chryst guided UW to a share of the Big Ten West Division championship and a berth in the league title game against then-No. 1 Ohio State. UW suffered a 34-21 loss to the Buckeyes and then suffered a 28-27 loss to No. 6 Oregon in the Rose Bowl to finish 10-4.

UW has posted a record of 52-16 in five seasons under Chryst. The Badgers are 0-3 in the Big Ten title game but are 4-1 in bowl games.

Sheffield in his seventh season guided UW to the Big Ten title and the NCAA title match.

The Badgers took down No. 1 Baylor in the semifinals, 3-1, before falling to Stanford, 3-0, in the title match. They finished the season 27-7.

UW has advanced to the Sweet 16 or beyond in each of Sheffield’s seven seasons. UW also reached the title game in 2013, Sheffield’s first season.

The Badgers have won at least 25 matches in six of his seven seasons. The lowest victory total was 22, in 2017, yet UW still advanced to the Sweet 16.

Wilkins guided the women’s soccer team to the Big Ten title and the NCAA Sweet 16.

UW was ranked No. 10 but fell to No. 2 UCLA, 2-0, in the NCAA tournament.

The Badgers reached the Sweet 16 in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history and finished 16-4-2.

Wilkins has guided UW to seven NCAA appearances in 13 seasons as head coach, including four in the last five seasons.