Wisconsin basketball coaching changes: Kirk Penney out, Brad Davison in
As a Special Assistant to Greg Gard, Penney was instrumental in modernizing the Wisconsin basketball offense
A late off-season coaching staff shakeup brings the eye-catching news of one Wisconsin basketball alum returning to Madison while another exits. In a release, head coach Greg Gard announced the resignation of Kirk Penney alongside the addition of Brad Davison to the Badgers’ staff.
By title, it is a one-to-one replacement as Davison immediately slides into the Special Assistant to the Head Coach role previously occupied by Penney. Beneath the surface, however, it is one of the more dramatic changes to Gard’s staff in recent years. Regardless of how notable the addition of Davison is, Penney’s departure undoubtedly overshadows it.
Wisconsin basketball loses offensive guru Kirk Penney
Kirk Penney has spent the past two seasons with UW. Last fall, the UW Athletic Hall of Famer described his addition to the staff as happening serendipitously. At the time, Penney said, through a bit of laughter, he “just came in, caught up with Coach Gard and the staff, and that just evolved into obviously a little bit more.”
That “little bit more” earned rave reviews from Gard, who boasted that Penney was “night-and-day cooking this offense; he’s been a Godsend,” in his role as an offensive analyst. The two-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree was responsible for modernizing the Badgers’ offense.
Wisconsin’s two highest-rated offenses of the Gard era came during Penney’s two years on staff, according to Kenpom. In Penney’s first season coaching, UW jumped from 140th to 17th nationally in offensive efficiency – its most dramatic one-season swing since before Penney arrived on campus as a freshman under then-head coach Dick Bennett.
The offensive revolution came amidst Gard coming to terms with the fact that “scoring is up in college basketball.” Last season, Wisconsin scored 80.9 points per game, its highest mark in over 50 years, led the Big Ten in three-point makes with 9.9 per contest, and finished first nationally in making 82.6% of its free throws.
Penney instituted a new offensive philosophy at his alma mater based on “really trying to spread the floor, create as much spacing as possible, giving guys the opportunity to drive if they want to, a lot of room for the bigs to roll without having too much help, and also having players that can shoot the ball.” The scheme also complements “guys who can handle the ball really well and are fast.”
“Guy who can handle the ball really well and is fast” might be the best one-sentence review of incoming transfer Nick Boyd possible, and that quote, from October 2024, was in no way referring to Boyd when Penney delivered it, for whatever that is worth.
Penney spent his first season on staff in a part-time role. When the Auckland native was elevated to a full-time position, he remarked that “coming back to the program after 20 years has been delightful. It’s just been fun. My memories here are nothing but amazing.”
Monday, Penney shared his farewells to UW, striking a similar tone.
“It has been an absolute thrill to be back with Wisconsin Basketball and I’m grateful for the opportunity from Coach Gard and the entire staff,” Penney said. “I’m looking forward to staying connected to the program, but it’s time for me to be with my family in New Zealand. My wife and children have been so accommodating and it feels like the right time to step away from the Badgers to be home. I’m also excited to continue pursuing current and new private business opportunities in New Zealand. We have built a powerful roster and an incredible staff at Wisconsin and big things are ahead. I can’t wait to watch them compete this season and help in any way possible.”
After Penney’s tremendous career, featuring a Final Four appearance, championships in four different professional leagues, and now revitalizing the offense of his alma mater, Gard said the two-time Big Ten champion is “a legend of this program,” and Gard is “looking forward to finding ways to keep him included in what we are building.”
“Our entire team and staff are grateful for the two seasons Kirk was able to spend with us and I thank him for his impact on Wisconsin Basketball,” Gard said. “He is a legend of this program and it was fun to see him extend the impact he had as a player to then a coaching role. As a father and husband myself, I fully understand the importance of being present with your spouse and young kids, which quite frankly, is a non-negotiable in the game of life.”
Brad Davison returns to Madison as Greg Gard assistant.
Davison returns to Madison following a three-year professional career overseas, preceded by his five seasons playing with the Wisconsin Badgers. The Maple Grove, Minnesota native holds the UW program record for most three-point makes in a career with 300. His eight made triples in an 81-64 win over Nebraska in 2020 tied a Badgers single-game record set by Bronson Koenig.
“Adding Brad Davison to our staff is an absolute win,” Gard said in a statement. “He was the heart and soul of our program while he played here and he has stayed connected even while playing professionally over the past four years in Europe. He has a terrific basketball mind, one of the best leaders I’ve ever coached, and we know we are adding someone who will dedicate every ounce to this team. He’s a winner and will not only add valuable perspective, but he will also have the ability to connect with the guys in our locker room from day one. We can’t wait to have Brad back on the court and in our program with us.”
Davison’s experience shooting and making threes at volume makes him a sensible addition to the staff. Wisconsin attempted a greater share of its field goal attempts from beyond the arc last season than at any other point in the Kenpom era. Adding a player-turned-coach, whom Gard has relied on in a leadership role before, who also holds the program record in three-point field goal attempts (by quite a wide margin), is a team philosophy and culture fit if nothing else.
On the recruiting trail, Davison is a natural fit for the Badgers. Since Davison and Nate Revuvers arrived on campus in UW’s 2017 high school recruiting class, Wisconsin has enrolled nine prospects from the Twin Cities suburbs. Gard has, understandably, focused more on recruiting prospects from the transfer portal and international programs in recent years, but perhaps Davison will re-establish the Hennepin County pipeline.
“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.”
In his five seasons as a player with Wisconsin basketball, Davison earned Big Ten All-Freshman team honors, second-team All-Big Ten honors from the league’s coaches in his final season, and won two conference titles.
