GREEN BAY, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball team is under new leadership this season.
Longtime basketball radio analyst Doug Gottlieb will soon make his head coaching debut.
Preston Ruedinger is a junior guard for the Phoenix. Ruedinger came to Green Bay last season and was third on the team in scoring.
He said his new coach’s style is a little different from what he’s used to.
“Older teams win just because they’re physical…I mean, we’re a little young, but I think the physicality and how hard we play is going to make up for a lot of it,” said Ruedinger. “I think we’re going to be very successful this year.”
Only a handful of players on last year’s team are back this season.
“It’s just chemistry at this point, just getting with different groups of people and seeing how different people play,” said Ruedinger. “I think over the summer we played a lot, so we understand how each other play.”
Gottlieb is coaching a college basketball team for the first time in his career. He’ll continue to host his radio show, “The Doug Gottlieb Show.” In May, he assured he can effectively balance both duties.
Gottlieb said he considers everyone on the team as his son or younger brother.
“I will say the returning players have been amazing in terms of embracing all the new personalities, embracing a little bit different style of doing things and showing great leadership,” said Gottlieb. “I can’t give enough praise to the job that Sonny (Sundance Wicks) and his staff did, not just in selecting the players, but the type of people they are.”
Former coach Sundance Wicks led a historic bounce-back season for the Phoenix program last year. The team finished 18-14 overall and 13-7 in the Horizon League. It was the greatest single-season turnaround in conference history.
After that season, Wicks decided to return to his home state to become the University of Wyoming head coach.
The Phoenix are projected to finish eighth in the conference this year. Ruedinger said he is trying to use what he learned last season to make sure they reach their goals this season.
“Just stepping up and knowing that I’ve put a lot of blood, sweat and tears in the Green Bay and that I love this place and… I want to take this places to where it hasn’t been in a while,” said Ruedinger.
The Phoenix open the season at home against St. Norbert on Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. in the Kress Center.