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Badgers lose assistant coach after 13 years

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Gary Close

Gary Close

After finishing the season in the “Sweet 16”, Wisconsin basketball coach Greg Gard will be looking to hire a new assistant coach.  Gary Close resigned his position after 13 years in Madison.

Close said he wanted to spend more time with his two kids, a 15-year-old son (Sam) and a 10-year-old daughter (Ellen).

Close told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he doesn’t have any real concrete plans but felt the timing was pretty good.

Close was an assistant at Stanford and Iowa, then a head coach at Regina High School in Iowa before joining the UW staff in the spring of 2003.

The move could open the door for former Badger assistant Rob Jeter to return to the Badgers if Gard decides to go in that direction.  Jeter was an assistant at Wisconsin from 2001-’05 before taking over the UW-Milwaukee program.  He was fired after 11 seasons with the Panthers just a couple of weeks ago.

 

Badgers shake shooting slump with win in Champaign

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The Wisconsin Badgers shook off a 2-game shooting slump and beat Illinois 75-63 in Champaign.

Sam Dekker and Ben Brust had 16 points each, leading four players in double figures.  Traevon Jackson and Nigel Hayes added 14 each as the Badgers pulled even in the Big Ten at 5-5.  They’re tied for fourth place with Ohio State and Northwestern.

The Badgers had shot 19% from distance in the two previous games.  Last night, the Badgers his 10 of 23.  Sam Dekker hit just 2 of 18 from three-point range over the last six games.  Last night, he was 4 of 7. [Read more…]

Badgers in the thick of Big Ten race

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The Wisconsin Badgers eclipsed 20 wins for the 7th-straight season, rolling to a 77-

Sam Dekker

Sam Dekker

46 Big Ten victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Kohl Center on Tuesday night.

Freshman Sam Dekker tied a career-high with 19 points to go along with 4-assists in 22-minutes.  He finished 5 of 6 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range.

Ryan Evans added 14 points, including 2 of 2 from the free throw line.  Evans practiced jump shot free throws for the last week and last night used that method in the game.

AUDIO: Gary Close on Ryan Evans jump shot free throws :07

The free throw struggles have a season-long deal.  After shooting 81% from the line last season, Evans entered the game just over 40%.  But one thing Evans hasn’t done, is let his free throw woes affect the rest of his game. [Read more…]