Ryan Named Coach of the Year
March 28, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Wisconsin head men's basketball coach Bo Ryan has been selected to receive the Adolph Rupp Cup as the national coach of the year, the Commonwealth Athletic Club of Kentucky announced Tuesday. Ryan led the Badgers to a school-record 30 wins this season and the first No. 1 ranking in school history.
The award will be presented to Ryan in Atlanta on March 29 at the start of the NCAA Final Four. The selection was made by a national selection committee consisting of more than 40 present and retired sports writers, coaches, TV-radio broadcasters, and sports administrators.
In addition to the becoming just the 13th team in Big Ten history to reach 30 wins, the Badgers' 13 conference victories were also a school record. UW was ranked in the top 10 for 17 weeks, including 12 weeks in the top five. From Nov. 25 thru Jan. 28, Wisconsin won 17 consecutive games, the longest single-season streak in school history and tied for the third-longest in the country this season.
Ryan became the 15th active Division I head coach to win at least 500 career games with the Badgers' win over Auburn on Nov. 25. His .769 career winning percentage is second among active coaches with at least 500 victories. In his six seasons at Wisconsin, he has led the Badgers to a 142-55 (.721) record and six NCAA tournament appearances.
In Big Ten play, the Badgers have never finished lower than fourth under Ryan and his .708 career winning percentage in league games is the highest in conference history among coaches with at least five years experience. UW's 68 Big Ten wins under Ryan are second only to Illinois (70) over the last six years.
St. Joseph's Phil Martelli won the inaugural Rupp Cup in 2004, Illinois coach Bruce Weber won in 2005 and Roy Williams of North Carolina won the award last year. Freshman Kevin Durant of Texas won the Adolph Rupp Trophy, awarded since 1972, as the nation's most outstanding player. The awards are named after the legendary University of Kentucky coach, who retired in 1972 with 876 victories and four NCAA championships to his credit.
