Alando Tucker is no longer with the Wisconsin Badgers after reportedly attempting a coup against head coach Greg Gard.
Tucker and the basketball program split several months ago, and nobody was really told why. The situation became even more mysterious when a secret recording of players was leaked that painted Greg Gard in a terrible light. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
In a piece published by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, it’s reported that multiple people confirmed to the outlet that Tucker attempted to undermine and remove Gard.
The story doesn’t read at all like a story about a historic basketball program. Instead, it reads like a Tom Clancy novel about a failed attempt to topple a government and a bloody war raging on the streets.
Statement from head coach Greg Gard pic.twitter.com/nz3QAPeqtU
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) June 22, 2021
Tucker allegedly went to Barry Alvarez behind Gard’s back in an attempt to have Gard fired, turned players against him and lobbied for Wisconsin to hire NIU AD Sean Frazier in hopes he’d fire the Badgers head coach and install him as the program’s leader.
A source told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “He truly believed Frazier would fire Greg and hire him.” Again, it’s something straight out of a movie.
I know #Badgers fans are focused on football, but we have a hoops story. Why is Alando Tucker no longer a UW assistant coach? We spent weeks talking to people to find out Editors spent a long time vetting. The story isn’t pretty. https://t.co/e5ze0M0Krm
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) August 2, 2021
First off, if any of the allegations against Tucker are true, then he should be embarrassed and ashamed of himself.
He was a legendary player for the Badgers and one of the most accomplished guys in program history. Now, he reportedly threw it all away.
#Badgers Chris McIntosh on audio recording/Gard: “In terms of going forward, Greg has our support. Does (this) make it easier for us? It doesn’t. But I think we understand what coach Gard is all about and how much he does care about his players….
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) June 22, 2021
Secondly, a great sports program is built to withstand chaos like this alleged attempted coup. Thankfully, the system stopped Tucker from taking over, which would have undoubtedly been a disaster.
Barry Alvarez stood strong, Gard didn’t fall and Tucker was shown the exit. What a wild situation for everyone involved.
Now, we can put all of this behind us and focus on winning games this season. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.