Wisconsin Badgers head coach Greg Gard understands the financial realities of college basketball better today than he would have a decade ago.
John Blackwell’s departure to Duke is a clear example.
The Badgers lost one of the Big Ten’s most productive guards to a program operating at a different financial level. And while Gard would have obviously preferred to keep Blackwell in Madison to finish his career, he understands why those decisions are becoming increasingly common.
Speaking with CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish at Big Ten Media Days, Gard acknowledged that retaining talent has become as much about managing resources to make sound decisions as it is about developing relationships.
“It’s not only what outside competition can come forward with, but also how you’re going to construct your roster, what your process and recipe are and, quite frankly, what your budget is,” Gard said.
That’s where things get complicated for Wisconsin.
Gard isn’t suggesting the Badgers lack resources. In fact, he made a point of saying otherwise.
“Not that ours is bad, it’s really good,” Gard said of the program’s NIL budget. “But there comes a point where it becomes a business decision on both ends. Really happy for John and his family. He was great for us. Great kid, great family. Wish him nothing but success, except for when we play Duke, if we happen to meet them down the road sometime.”
College basketball increasingly resembles professional sports in that respect.
The comparison to Major League Baseball is particularly relevant right now. Some organizations can afford to retain established stars at almost any price. Others have to be more selective, identify value elsewhere, and consistently develop high school talent to remain competitive.
Gard and his staff aren’t operating without money to build a team. In fact, the Badgers are believed to have invested more in assembling this year’s roster than they did a season ago. But as the cost of competing continues to rise, there’s still a considerable gap between Wisconsin’s resources and those of the sport’s blue bloods, some of which are rumored to be spending between $20 million and $30 million annually on their rosters.
Blackwell averaged 19.1 points last season before transferring to Duke. Wisconsin wasn’t necessarily in a position where it couldn’t afford to keep him, but having the resources to retain a player and deciding how much of your budget to commit to one are different conversations. For a program that has to be more disciplined with its spending than some of the sport’s biggest brands, there are questions about how much you can invest in one player without compromising your ability to build a competitive roster.
