Bo Ryan is one of the most respected head coaches in all of college basketball, but there have been rumors that he could be heading into his final season with the Wisconsin Badgers. Ryan is 67 years old, but he has yet to announce that the 2015-16 season will be his final year.
Not only has he yet to announce that, he came out and spoke about the rumors to the media.
“There isn’t any wishy washiness,” Ryan said, via Sports Illustrated. “People can interpret it any way they want, but in the state of Wisconsin you have to file papers to retire. There have been no papers filed. I’m going to decide after the season exactly what I’m going to do.”
That quote certainly doesn’t sound like Ryan is wanting to retire anytime soon. It almost sounds like he is saying that the rumors are wrong and that he hasn’t even considered retirement.
As he heads into his 15th season with the Badgers, Ryan has earned the patience of athletic Director Barry Alvarez. Alvarez said that he will not pressure Ryan following the upcoming season and will give Ryan time to make a decision. Ryan can have the Wisconsin job as long as he wants it, and he has earned the right to consider his options for a period of time following the season.
During the 14 seasons that he has already coached with the Badgers, Ryan has recorded an impressive 357-125 record.
If Ryan does decide to retire following the season, the Badgers will struggle for the next few years. Ryan has been the cornerstone of their program for a long time, and going through that big of a change can rock a program. Wisconsin won’t be left in bad hands, however, as Ryan is only going to leave if the Badgers’ future is bright and in good shape.
Expect to see Wisconsin be a very competitive team once again this year, but for suspense to mount very quickly after the season about Ryan’s decision for the future.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
