Krabbenhoft shows off coach speak

New assistant can reach players

Madison — Joe Krabbenhoft is 29, only 36 months removed from working as video coordinator for the Wisconsin men’s basketball program in 2012-’13, and has just three seasons as an assistant on his coaching résumé.

So why did UW coach Greg Gard move so quickly to hire Krabbenhoft to fill the lone vacancy on his staff?

Gard explained Tuesday he suspected when Krabbenhoft played for UW (2005-’09) that he had the skills and passion to coach; he monitored Krabbenhoft’s progress during his three seasons at South Dakota State; and he routinely received rave reviews from those who dealt with Krabbenoft as a recruiter.

“This is all about relationships and people skills,” Gard said. “You have to be able to communicate, whether it is with players, whether it is with parents, with prospects, your staff . . . his ability to communicate is what I really thought set him in a position where I was going to watch his career really close.”

Whenever Gard encountered a player who was being recruited by South Dakota State he would ask the name of the coach who was the primary contact.

“His name would always come up,” Gard said. “And they raved about him. They couldn’t speak enough about him — parents, recruits — about his ability to develop relationships and communicate.”

Gard also believes the te- nacity and toughness Krabbenhoft displayed as a player are traits he brings to the bench as a teacher and recruiter.

“He played at a ferocious level and competed,” Gard said. “That is what you want in terms of a coaching mentality, is that competitiveness.”

Was Gard at all wary of Krabbenhoft’s age or lack of experience on the bench? No.

“I looked at different things,” he said. “I wanted to be able to check boxes in areas that had nothing to do with age.

“What is their personality like? What do they know about us?

“Obviously his advantage is he has played here. He knows this place inside and out. He has walked this campus. He has been in the classroom.

“Does it guarantee anything? No. But I also think it gives that person a huge advantage.”

In addition to formally introducing Krabbenhoft to the media, Gard noted he will submit the name of junior Nigel Hayes to the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee.

The evaluation should be forwarded to Hayes and the staff no later than April 21. Hayes then has until April 24 to submit his name for the NBA draft but has until May 25 to withdraw if he does not sign with an agent.

“That hasn’t been decided yet,” Gard said.

Krabbenhoft didn’t need much time to decide to accept Gard’s offer.

He recalled being impressed by the level of effort Gard exerted during his recruitment. He intends to do the same for UW.

“There were a lot of things coming from the heart from Coach Gard to my family,” he said. “It wasn’t just with me. He made the relationships with my mom, my dad, my brother, my high school coach.”

Asked to describe the general sales pitch he will use with recruits, Krabbenhoft didn’t hesitate.

“I would just tell him that he is going to have an experience of a lifetime,” said Krabbenoft, who helped UW to a 100-36 overall record as a player. “You’re going to meet your best friends. They are going to be your teammates. They are going to be your best friends for life after that.

“You’re going to be coming to an unbelievable university. We’re going to help you along the way and hopefully have a lot of fun. I just want them to have an experience like I did, but even better.”