Lance Randall couldn't pass up the chance to return home, join Wisconsin men's basketball
MADISON – Lance Randall wasn’t looking to walk away from his job as head men’s basketball coach at Division II Saint Leo University in Florida.
But when Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard, his friend and former high school teammate at Iowa-Grant, reached out with a job offer, Randall wasn’t about to say no.
“It is unbelievable because 90% of your coaching changes happen in the spring when you’re just kind of decompressing from what can be a very stressful and draining job,” Randall said Tuesday, six days after he joined the UW staff as an assistant. “And then all of a sudden, the job of your lifetime opens up.
“It has been incredibly energizing and I have so much gratitude being a part of this staff.”
Randall addressed a variety of topics Tuesday.
Lance Randall trusts Greg Gard and loves the potential he sees in Wisconsin's program
Randall, a native of Montfort, Wisconsin, has coached in college and at the high school level. He has been a head coach or staff member at nine programs, including with the Pertemps Birmingham Bullets in England.
He chose to take the UW job partly because he has known Gard since they were teammates at Iowa-Grant High School in the 1980s.
“I have never applied for a high-major assistant job in my life and this is the one I would and the time I would,” said Randall, who is married and has four children. “This one was a just a blessing and amazing for our family.
“This seemed the right time to do it. And to be honest with you – and this is not some grandiose statement – this is the only place I would do it and with the only guy I would do it with.
“This is the only coach I would feel comfortable coming in that I know he does it the right way. I know he is a great coach and a great human being. And I know his staff. Great people.
“And you have a chance to win national championships here. That is what you’re trying to do…
“But he is not just hiring a friend. He understands how important it is that he gets the best fit for his staff, not just somebody who was a friend back in high school.”
How does Lance Randall believe he can help strengthen Wisconsin's program on and off the court?
Randall expects that his time in Florida (Saint Leo) and in Missouri (Lindenwood, Webster and Saint Louis) can help UW recruit those areas and that his time in England can be a benefit in identifying talent overseas.
“I’ve recruited a lot of different areas,” he said. “I coached in St. Louis for nine years. I coached in Florida for nine years. I coached overseas for a couple years and I’m coaching overseas this summer with the Great Britain national team. Those can be areas that we can find good fits for Wisconsin basketball.
“But certainly the greater length of my life has been spent in the state of Wisconsin. I think I am viewed as a high school coach in this state. I have a lot of great relationships with coaches at various levels.
“And recruiting is built on trust. And you build trust with your recruit, with the families, and you build trust with the coaches.”
Lance Randall’s UW schedule is already full
Randall recently returned to Madison after evaluating high school recruits. He is set to head overseas June 9 to coach Great Britain’s U20 men’s basketball team.
“We’ll be in Bulgaria, Finland and then Romania,” he said.
UW’s staff is also looking to add a big man for the 2024-2025 season.
“I’m on the phone, watching video and reaching out to trusted people that can give us better evaluations as we’re trying to fill the last spot,” he said. “So, it is a little bit of everything.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lance Randall couldn't turn down the chance to return home
