Why Brad Davison returned to Wisconsin men's basketball as an assistant coach
Former Wisconsin Badgers captain Brad Davison returned to Madison and joined Greg Gard’s staff as special assistant after Kirk Penney’s departure.
Brad Davison has spent more time on the Kohl Center floor than almost anyone in the history of the Wisconsin basketball program. But when the former high school quarterback walked back into the building, this time it was to start the next chapter of his career as a member of Greg Gard’s staff.
The move comes at a moment of transition for the Badgers. Kirk Penney, the former sharpshooter whose influence reshaped the Badgers’ offense, stepped away from the team to return home to New Zealand. That left Gard with a big decision to make, and not much time to make it. How do you replace someone who helped modernize your system without losing the cultural identity that makes Wisconsin basketball unique?
For Gard, the answer came quickly.
“I always have a short list,” Gard said. “I always have a list somewhere that if there is an opening on staff, what do I need? And it’s not necessarily that you’re replacing the person who left. I always evaluate what does our staff need? What does our team need? There were other people on my list, but Brad was the one who came to mind pretty quickly.”
Greg Gard’s vision for the hire
Replacing Penney was never going to be about finding a carbon copy.
Penney brought a unique skill set to the staff, an offensive mind steeped in European basketball philosophies and bolstered by his international connections. His influence helped Wisconsin transform into one of the most efficient offenses in the country. That won’t be forgotten.
In just two seasons on the bench, Penney helped oversee an offensive transformation unlike anything in the Gard era. Wisconsin went 49–23, made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, and in 2024–25 averaged 80.9 points per game, the program’s best scoring output in over 50 years. With his European, ball-screen-heavy influence, the Badgers climbed from 140th to 17th in Year 1, then to 13th nationally for Year 2 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency rankings, playing at the fastest tempo in the program’s modern history. His impact reshaped Wisconsin’s identity, proving the Badgers could win with both efficiency and pace.
“Yeah, it’s going to look different,” Gard explained. “It’s not going to be the same. Kirk had his own unique skill set and obviously helped us a lot with the offensive stuff and helped me in terms of what my vision was for building that bridge. So that the offensive stuff won’t change. We’re grateful to Kirk for how he helped us get where we wanted to and do it faster than I would have probably anticipated. But also, good offense always revolves around good players. I’ve never seen a good offense have bad players in it. So the credit also has to go to our players.”
That acknowledgement sets the stage for Davison. Gard isn’t asking him to be Penney 2.0. That’s simply not realistic. Instead, the value comes in a different form, as a communicator, recruiter, and cultural bridge.
“Brad’s role will be different,” Gard said. “Brad brings a different perspective as a player. I think he can help us in a lot of ways, by helping with communication with players and relationships with players. I think he’ll be dynamite on the road recruiting. He’s got a phenomenal personality, a phenomenal eye for talent, he’s a terrific communicator, and he’s full of energy. I’d rather have a young coach that you can mold and not have to wind him up. I’m going to have to settle Brad down a little bit.
“I’d much rather have that than someone that I have to constantly motivate and push. Kirk was great in his own right in his path of what Kirk did. Brad’s going to create his path to what Brad can be as a coach.”
Brad Davison’s return: “A dream come true”
For Davison, the path back to Madison felt almost destined. The Maple Grove, Minnesota native spent the last four years playing professionally in Lithuania and Spain, but coaching was never far from his mind.
“The dream and the goal have always been to come back to the University of Wisconsin,” Davison said. “And if I were the author of my story, that’s where I would love to go back to and to bring my family back to. Obviously, you never know when opportunities open up, you never know how your story is written, but I couldn’t have written this one any better. This is exactly where we want to be.”
For a player who left such a deep imprint on the program, it’s no surprise that Madison always felt like home. Davison suited up 161 times for the Badgers, the second-most in school history, and won 101 games along the way. He piled up 1,827 career points, hit more threes than anyone who’s ever worn the jersey, and still found time to collect second-team All-Big Ten honors and four Academic All-Big Ten selections. By the time Davison graduated, he wasn’t just known as a shot-maker, but as one of the most respected leaders Wisconsin basketball has ever had.
Davison called it “a dream come true,” having the chance to serve the coaching staff and the program that shaped him as a player.
“This university, this campus, this program, the people that are in it, and the people that support it, they mean so much to me,” Davison said. “I can’t imagine being anywhere else, and I can’t think of a better place to start this journey with my family than here at the University of Wisconsin.”
Still, the transition wasn’t automatic. Walking away from a career in professional sports is no small decision. Davison admitted he needed a push when the opportunity knocked, and it came from someone close.
“Right away, I did have some reservations just with the timing of everything and how it was going to work,” Davison said. “It was actually a conversation with my wife [Tyra]. I told her about the conversations I was having with coach and the opportunities, and she stopped me right there and said, ‘Brad, when God opens the door, God opens the door to an opportunity you’ve always dreamed about, you’ve got to walk through it.’”
That was all the clarity he needed, and it came from someone who knows the game just as well, Tyra Buss, a former Indiana women’s basketball star. Her perspective, rooted in her own career, helped seal the decision.
“It’s not a question of if we’re going to do it, but it’s how are we going to make this work,” Davison said of the conversation between him and his wife. “I said, ‘All right. I’ll follow your lead, and let’s figure out how to make this work.’ Usually, when you listen to your wife, good things happen.”
A new beginning
Davison isn’t pretending he’s arriving as a finished product. Penney brought years of international knowledge. Davison’s résumé is built on leadership, perseverance, and his relentless competitive fire.
“Kirk Penney’s an incredible basketball player, incredible human being, an incredible coach, and obviously brought a lot to this program, especially on the offensive side of the ball, and I think the impact he’s brought is long-lasting in terms of we’re going to see the effects linger,” Davison said. “But also for me, I’m just going to find my niche and again help people and serve in the best way I can. Serve the staff, serve the players, and just look for ways that I can make a difference not only on the basketball court, but also in the lives of the people in the locker room.”
That humility is paired with plenty of excitement. Davison’s not just filling a seat on the bench — he’s stepping into a new calling.
“A lot of people think, you know, you’re closing a chapter on playing and I absolutely loved playing basketball,” Davison said. “But also to me, this is a new beginning of something that I’ve looked forward to, I’ve prayed about, I’ve prepared for, and had conversations about for so long. So, this new beginning is something that I’m really looking forward to.”
His arrival hasn’t been without a few hiccups. Moving across continents on short notice doesn’t happen seamlessly, and Davison chuckled as he recounted the chaos of his first days back on campus.
“Only half of our bags got over here,” Davison said. “So we didn’t have any clothes, and I showed up in a pink shirt and black pants today. I said, ‘Someone please get me a Wisconsin polo.’ There are definitely some things that we still need to figure out… but we’re here for good. We got all the loose ends tied up there, and now we’re two feet in here.”
One of the quirks of Davison’s return is that every Big Ten arena he enters will be familiar territory. Fans across the league had strong opinions about him as a player at Wisconsin, and he knows the reception could be lively.
“I’m looking forward to going back to all of them,” Davison said. “Thankfully, I do have one good memory in all of them because I got to win in every single arena. So I have that to hold on to and hold my head high… now I have the opportunity in a different role from a different seat on the bench to make some new ones. So, I’m really just looking forward to being in those arenas again to make new memories.”
Gard believes Davison’s intangibles: toughness, communication, and connection, are what Wisconsin needs right now. His staff already has veterans with head coaching experience. What Gard wanted was energy, relatability, and someone deeply tethered to the Wisconsin way.
“I felt somebody with his background and his youthfulness was important, his experience was important, and I felt that’s what would help our staff most,” Gard said. “We’ve got a lot of experience on our staff, guys that have been head coaches, have coached a lot, been here a while. So I felt it was important to still be tethered to us in terms of what’s really important. You’ve seen that with the composition of my staff over the years. There’s usually a connection [to the program], and a lot of it is to people who have been here, so those combinations really kind of led me quickly to Brad. I’ve had conversations with him over his whole career that he’s always wanted to coach, and that’s been a goal for him.”
What Wisconsin loses in Penney’s offensive mind, they hope to balance with the cultural spark Davison provides. Penney’s imprint on the Badgers’ playing style will linger, a faster, more efficient offense built on spacing and freedom. This hire wasn’t about finding someone to replicate that, but about trusting the foundation Penney helped lay while adding a different element. Davison’s job is not to mimic his predecessor, but to bring his own value by reinforcing what it means to be part of the Badgers and offering a unique layer of leadership that the staff felt was important.
“Kirk will always be one phone call away if we need him,” Gard said. “But in terms of the position that Brad came in to fill, I needed boots on the ground here. I need an extra guy in the foxhole with us every day. Kirk wasn’t able to do that. This position is created to have in-person and here in a full-time position.”
That was the reality: Penney wanted to be home in New Zealand, with his family and private business ventures, while Gard needed a full-time presence. Still, the connection between coach and alum won’t disappear.
“Kirk will help out however he can remotely,” Gard said. “I’m sure he’ll be watching practices and watching games, and he knows how to get a hold of me, and I know how to get a hold of him.”
On his very first day back on the job, Davison couldn’t help but slip into old habits. He jumped into drills during practice, threw his body around, and even found himself back to doing what he was known for: taking charges. It was a small reminder that while his role is new, the edge and investment haven’t changed. And that’s what Wisconsin is banking on: a former captain who will pour every ounce of himself into this new chapter.
“I am incredibly grateful to return to the University of Wisconsin with my family,” Davison said. “This is a special place that means the world to me. I can’t wait to serve this program and to continue to raise the high standard of Wisconsin Basketball.”
For Gard, the addition was never about nostalgia. It was about trust and vision. Davison is just beginning his coaching career, but in a program that values culture as much as schematics, there may not have been a better fit. The faces on Wisconsin’s bench have changed, but the plan hasn’t.
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I love Gard. I hate to see Penney go but Davison is a perfect addition. I don't expect to see the offense slow down and with Davison, expect to see those charges.
To me, the big question will be whether the offense reverts back to a slower, swing motion product.
I sure hope not - the last two years was enjoyable to watch.