PLATTEVILLE, Wis. -- Jeff Gard stepped to the podium, and before the first words came out of his mouth, his eyes leaked the story.
For Gard, this was a big -- and emotional -- moment.
Gard fought back tears multiple times and spoke often about the program's tradition as he was introduced as the next men's basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Tuesday afternoon in the Pioneer Student Center.
"I'm very humbled and excited to take this next step in my career and lead this storied program," said Gard, who grew up in Cobb, Wis., watching Bo Ryan's early UW-Platteville teams and later earned two degrees from the school. "I'm honored to be associated with this great tradition."
Gard, who is 31 years old and a head coach for the first time, was a UW-Platteville assistant for six seasons prior to his promotion, which the Telegraph Herald first reported Saturday. Paul Combs, who left Platteville to take the job at NCAA Division II Wayne State (Neb.) following the 2008-09 season, was on hand for Tuesday's press conference,
big shoes to fill |
Jeff Gard said he spoke to Ryan on the way to the press conference Tuesday, and he had already heard from UW-Milwaukee coach and former UW-Platteville star Rob Jeter.
They are all, Gard said, members of the Pioneer family that makes the school -- and this job -- so special to him. Now he stands among them.
"The past coaches that have been here have laid the foundation for the success of Platteville," Gard said. "It's exciting just to be a part of it."
While the success achieved by those before him may seem intimidating, the most recent success may have helped Gard land the job. UWP athletic director Mark Molesworth praised the program's record during Combs' tenure, and said he believed Gard, Combs' lead assistant the past three seasons, was the right man to maintain that high level.
"This program came a long way in six years "| and (Gard) is a guy who had an awful lot to do with that," Molesworth said.
Gard was chosen from a field of 97 applicants that was narrowed to five finalists who interviewed early last week. Molesworth said the field of applicants was as strong as he's seen for any coaching job at UWP, and that all five finalists performed extremely well in the interviews. The other finalists were Todd Adrian, another former UWP assistant and the current men's basketball coach at Edgewood College; Lance Randall, boys basketball coach at Cedarburg (Wis.) High School; former Pioneer and Monroe (Wis.) High School boys hoops coach Pat Murphy; and North Dakota State assistant Will Ryan, the oldest son of Bo Ryan.
"It was a challenge," Molesworth said.
Molesworth said he was not concerned that this is Gard's first head coaching position, pointing to Gard's experience with the team and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
"The guy can probably write a scouting report for any team in the league in his sleep," Molesworth said.
The UWP players were pleased with the decision, which will mean continuity for them. Gard assured the assembled crowd that the Pioneers' style of play will not change very much from previous years.
"With Coach Gard, we know the way he's going to do things," said UWP's Nick Allen, who was on the search committee. "We're really comfortable with him, and that makes it a lot easier for us to get out there and work hard to achieve our common goal.
"You definitely couldn't have picked a more deserving candidate."
Gard said he did not yet have a staff assembled, though he had some ideas. He said his first order of business will be attending to the program's summer camps and the team's recently announced 2009 recruiting class.
It's probably good that Gard is diving right into his new job, because the 2009-10 season will be here before he knows it.
Expectations have been raised once again in UW-Platteville after last year's Pioneers were ranked, at one point, No. 1 in the nation and reached the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament.
Even some of Gard's congratulatory messages have come with a hint of good-natured pressure.
"Coach Jeter told me, 'All you have to do is go out there and win us five national championships, and I'll be proud for us,'" Gard said.
It's coming from close to home as well.
"I told him the day he called me, 'Congratulations,' and that now the easy part's over," older brother Greg Gard said. "And I said, 'My alumni checks, if you don't beat Stevens Point and Whitewater, might decrease a little bit.'"
