Key Wisconsin men's basketball staff member leaving for head coaching gig (2024)

The University of Wisconsin men's basketball team has lost a second member of its staff this offseason.

Kyle Blackbourn, the Badgers' director of recruiting and scouting, announced Wednesday morning that he has been named the head coach of the Rockhurst University men's basketball team, a Division II program in Kansas City, Missouri.

"RU! I’m over the moon excited to be named the next head coach (at Rockhurst)," Blackbourn wrote in a social media post. "Thank you to coach (Greg) Gard and Badger nation for the last eight years. Excited to get to Kansas City and get to work. Go Hawks!"

After Blackbourn announced the move, Badgers coach Greg Gard thanked him for his contributions to the program.

"I want to congratulate Kyle on being named head coach of the Rockhurst University men's basketball program," Gard said in a statement posted on social media. "For the past eight years, Kyle's basketball knowledge and his work in recruiting has been a valuable asset to our staff. His dedication and knowledge of the game will serve him well in the future.

"I appreciate Kyle's dedication to our program and his work. He will forever be a part of two Big ten championship teams at Wisconsin."

Blackbourn leaves the Badgers after eight seasons, but the 2023-24 campaign was his third season in his current role. After joining the Wisconsin staff in 2016, he had previously served asthe team's assistant director of basketball operations. But after former Badgers assistant Howard Moore was placed on medical leave in the aftermath of a tragic crash in 2019, Blackbourn and then-Wisconsin interim assistant Alando Tucker split Moore's assistant-coaching responsibilities, with Blackbourn helping on the recruiting front.

Ahead of the 2021-22 season — theShullsburg native's sixth with the Badgers — Gard created a new role for Blackbourn as the director of recruiting and scouting. In that role, Blackbourn directedrecruiting oversight, scouting, on-campus visits and recruit evaluation, while still assisting the day-to-day operations of the team.

"I am extremely grateful and excited for this new opportunity," Blackbourn said in a news release announcing that promotion. "I want to thank coach Gard and the entire staff for allowing me to step into this new role. Wisconsin basketball is a special program with outstanding people. To continue to serve our student-athletes and staff on a daily basis is a blessing."

Blackbourn is the second member of the Wisconsin staff to depart this offseason, joining former assistant coach Dean Oliver. Oliver announced hewould not return to the Badgers bench for an eighth season on April 3.A source close to the men's basketball program told BadgerExtra that Oliver's contract was not being renewed.