Wisconsin basketball: Greg Gard's media day press conference

An overview of what Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball coach Greg Gard had to say during his press conference on local media day.

While the Wisconsin Badgers football team is nearing the midway point of their 2022 season, the men's basketball team in Madison is also inching closer to their exhibition game on October 30 against UW-Eau Claire. 

On Wednesday, the men's basketball program held their local media day ahead of Sunday's annual Red-White Scrimmage at the Kohl Center. As part of the festivities, Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard spoke with reporters for over 20 minutes.

Gard began his press conference by highlighting that he has seen tremendous growth from his team both in France and in the eight practices so far this fall. He noted that he has increased the intensity of late with a focus on the defensive end of the court, saying, "I like the way they've worked" so far in practice. Gard went on to say that "when a team has a good work ethic it allows you to just coach basketball and help them improve, so how they've approached these past eight days has been terrific."

When asked about what he expects from new transfers Kamari McGee and Max Klesmit, Gard said: 

"The one thing that really jumps out about both those guys, they're obviously different players, different personalities, but they both have college basketball experience. Obviously, Max has a little more than Kamari, but you can tell that right away in the summer that when the other newcomers or freshmen were a little half-stepping or wide-eyed, those guys, even though it was a different place with different colors and different coaches, that they had been through the drill a little bit and understood what they were getting themselves into." 

Gard went on to say that now it is about both players "learning our rules" on the defensive end and "making those habits, not just thoughts," but that he thinks they definitely bring some experience to the backcourt. 

A few minutes later, when asked about Jahcobi Neath's recovery from knee surgery, Gard noted that Wednesday was the first time he had practiced "full-throttle," and that "there's catching up to do, no doubt" given his injury status dating back to last spring. "It's a balance of catching up and staying healthy," Gard also added about the senior guard out of Canada. 

On the topic of his rotation this season, Gard stated that if the team had to play a game tonight he does not know who would start yet. He did acknowledge that he will not go 12-deep as he did in France. 

Unprompted, Greg Gard called out the growth he has seen from Chris Hodges over the past eight practices. He followed that up by saying, "he's not anywhere near where he needs to be or will be," but he appears excited about what Hodges could be 12 months from now with some added strength and maturity from the off-season.    

Moments later, Gard was asked about another young forward, Markus Ilver. Gard believes he has developed physically and is better at playing a more physical brand of basketball. He sees Ilver as playing with more confidence as well, but Gard believes there are still some unknowns with how he, and the rest of the team for that matter, will perform in live game action. Gard specifically said, "I like what I saw in France [from Ilver], now we've got to continue to make that better and more consistent as we walk through this month."

Gard does not seem all that worried about not having a backup center that is seven-foot. The veteran head coach cited the shift to a more positionless game and mentioned that the staff has plans in place for how they will handle those situations. 

Later on, when asked about his team's three-point shooting from a year ago, Gard mentioned that he believes the team's percentage "will go up" and that a big reason for that is the team "will play a little differently," especially when it comes to how the Badgers "find our offense." He believes this "group will do it more by committee" than what we saw last year with Johnny Davis on the roster. 

Gard believes that center Steven Crowl's physical growth, with some added weight and strength, has him playing more confidently. "He can impose his will in the post," was a notable statement made by coach Gard about Crowl's development, and that is good news for Wisconsin on both ends of the court. 

Chucky Hepburn's leadership this off-season was another talking point for Gard, and that is an area that Hepburn has really taken it upon himself with Brad Davison no longer on the roster. "You need points guards that are good leaders," Gard said. 

You can watch all 24 minutes below, if interested. 

Related links:

• Wisconsin's full 2022-2023 schedule
• Wisconsin lands 2023 forward Nolan Winter out of Minnesota
• Former Wisconsin forward Aleem Ford signs with the Orlando Magic

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