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Former Wisconsin Badgers forward Joe Krabbenhoft is back in Madison.
A member of the Badgers from 2005-09, Krabbenhoft will join the Wisconsin coaching staff as an assistant, according to a UW release on Monday.
Krabbenhoft spent the past three seasons as an assistant with South Dakota State, earning a bid to the NCAA tournament this past season as a No. 12 seed. Prior to that, he was the video coordinator for the Badgers in 2012-13.
From the official Wisconsin release:
"I'm really excited to welcome Joe back to our staff. In terms of what I was looking for, he fits every criteria," Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard said. "Having known him since his sophomore year of high school, this is the third time I've recruited him – as a player, video coordinator and now assistant coach. He checks all the boxes in terms of knowledge of the program, mind for the game, work ethic that's second to none, experience as an assistant at South Dakota State and how well connected he is in areas that we want to stay active.
"He coaches how he plays. I've never been around a more fierce competitor than Joe and his toughness, personality and the fearlessness with which he played will be a great asset to our players. I believe there is strong value in having former Badgers on our staff. He has walked in their shoes, sat in that locker room, studied in those classrooms and won championships. He is a tremendous addition to our program."
Krabbenhoft scored 827 points and grabbed 756 rebounds during his time as a Badger. A career 46.2 percent shooter, he scored a career-best 8.2 points per game in his senior season of 2008-09.
The hiring fills the spot vacated by former assistant coach Gary Close, who left the program last week.