Madison, Wisconsin – Former Saint Leo head coach Lance Randall has been hired as the next assistant coach and head coach for Wisconsin basketball. Greg Gard It was announced on Wednesday.
The journeyman college assistant coaching position at Wisconsin will be Randall's first at a major university. dean oliver After seven seasons on the Badgers' bench, his contract was not renewed.
“I am very grateful to Coach Guard for giving me the opportunity to join this storied Wisconsin program,” Randall said in a statement released by the university. “Coach Gard is not only one of the top coaches in the nation, but also one of the most honest people I have ever known. I am very familiar with the history of this program, including. I am honored to work for this Badgers men's basketball team and under Coach Gard and his great staff. I am especially grateful to St. Leo's Director of Athletics, Markal Lazenby, for his support and friendship.
This is the latest move in a busy offseason for the guard.The Badgers saw seven players enter the transfer portal, including a three-year starting point guard. chucky hepburn and top scorer AJ Store, three new players were added through the portal. The Badgers also lost director of recruiting and scouting Kyle Blackbourn to take a head coaching job at Division II Rockhurst University.
Randall is from Montford, about an hour west of Madison and about nine miles from Cobb, where Gard grew up. Randall began his coaching career as the head assistant coach at his alma mater, Beloit College, from 1994-1997, followed by Webster University (1997-2000), Lindenwood University (2015-19), and St. Leo University (2015-19). He has served as head coach since 2011. 15, 2019-24). He left all three of his schools as the program's winningest head coach.
At Saint Leo, Randall compiled a 146-100 (.593) record and is the only coach in the program's 60-year history to win an NCAA Tournament game, including three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. It became.
Randall also led Lindenwood to the most NCAA Division II championships in school history, its first NCAA regional ranking, and the school's first Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Tournament championship.
“I am confident that Lance will bring a wealth of experience and wide-ranging versatility to our program as we continue to evaluate and navigate the ever-changing landscape of college basketball,” Gard said in a statement. “He stood out from the beginning of our search because of his winning record, experience coaching at various levels, and his passion and understanding of our program.”
“Lance brings 30 years worth of coaching experience, including outstanding success as a head coach at the NCAA Division II and III levels.”
The explosion of the transfer portal and NIL over the past two seasons has changed the way coaching staffs assemble their rosters. As uncontracted college basketball moves closer to the professional ranks, Gard said last month how he needs to build his staff with a combination of experience in all facets, including college and international recruiting and player development. He said there is an evolution as to what is happening.
In Randall, Mr. Gard has found an assistant to handle both departments. Randall was his head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens when the Pointers won the Division III national championship and he won the state high school championship twice as head coach at Oshkosh West.
On the international stage, Randall served as head coach and vice president of basketball for the Pertemps Birmingham Bullets, a professional team based in Birmingham, England, from 2000 to 2002, and in 2017 as assistant coach for the Kosovo men's basketball national team. served as
Last month he was appointed head coach of the UK Basketball U20 men's team and will take part in events across Europe this July.
“Lance has connections throughout the state, across the country and internationally in the game of basketball,” Gard said. “These relationships and connections allow him to influence recruiting efforts in a variety of areas. Lance is highly regarded by his colleagues and colleagues.”