Varsity is the free Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics, covering Badgers football, basketball, hockey and more each week.
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BEHIND THE DESK B A R RY A LVA R EZ ��� UW DIREC TOR OF AT H L ET IC S Keeping program strong is top priority I t felt really good to get back on the practice field last Saturday. It was invigorating. I was very impressed with the way the kids responded and I thought it was a really snappy practice. They jumped into it right away, and I thought the retention was very good. I was also impressed by the way the assistants coached. These guys are in the business for the right reasons. They don���t want to let the kids down. They coached them hard, and I appreciated that. When I talked to the players, I talked to them about how teams change from the last game of the season to the bowl game. There are a lot of different things that can be distractions. It could be seniors worrying about the next level ��� the NFL ��� rather than focusing on the game. It could be people patting them on the back and having them believe they���re better than they are. There are a lot of reasons why a team can change. I want to coach the same team that played in Indianapolis. It���s fair to say that I managed those first two practices. That���s what I���ll do. I really don���t know the kids well, and you have to build some type of trust and knowledge of what people are doing ��� and who people are ��� before you start correcting them. I have to be careful that way. I have to respect the assistants who have been coaching them all year. 18 �� VARSITY D EC E M B E R 13, 2012 I can���t jump in there and, all of a sudden, start changing the whole thing. We���re playing in the Rose Bowl because our assistants have done a good job of coaching. They know their people better than I do. I have to rely on those guys, and that���s the way it should be. I know that a number of them have job offers; some don���t. Some have several offers and they have I���ve said this before, I plan on hiring someone who will be a good fit; someone who understands our culture, someone who understands why we win and how we win and how this program was built. choices to make. A majority of them would like to stay here. I will try to help them and support them the best I can. If they have opportunities to go some place and interview, I will give them the time off to do that. They���ve got to protect themselves and their families first. I���ll ask any head coaching candidate about their plans for a staff. I will encourage them to interview anyone here who wants to be interviewed, and I will give every guy a glowing report. Not knowing who they might bring in with them, I���m going to recommend they can fill some holes on their staff with people here who I feel are strong coaches and could help in the transition. I���ve said this before, I plan on hiring someone who will be a good fit; someone who understands our culture, someone who understands why we win and how we win and how this program was built. I want someone who knows the walk-on situation here and how we���ve gotten an edge on a lot of people because of walk-ons and the type of players that we���ve been able to develop. I want someone who has the same perspective as far as how they treat players and how they treat people. I want someone who really cares about their players. I���ve got to hear their plan, too. How are they going to win here? I want to know their plans for everything. What���s your recruiting plan? Where are you contacts outside of Wisconsin? Where are you going for players? Are you going to Florida like Bret did? Are you going to the East Coast like I did? Are you going to the West Coast? Texas? Where and why? Who do you have on your coaching staff with recruiting contacts that shows me that you could go into an area and bring in kids? Those are some of the things that I���ll be looking for.