By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
GREEN BAY – Green Bay Phoenix women’s basketball coach Kevin Borseth is not one to rest on personal accolades, but his latest achievement is hard to ignore.
In a 68-59 road victory over Wright State Jan. 30, Borseth picked up his 500th career Division I victory.
Borseth is 500-188 overall at the Division I level in his 22 years on the bench.
“It’s definitely a nice honor, but it’s more about the teams I’ve coached, the players who have been on the court and my longevity,” said Borseth, who also had stops at Division II Michigan Tech University (1987-98) and the University of Michigan (2007-12). “When I started coaching years ago, all I wanted were the keys to the gym. I wasn’t interested in the other stuff, and I’m still not. I enjoy doing what I do.”
Borseth is 725-286 overall in all divisions as a head coach.
He has won 413 games at UWGB in two different stints with the team in 17 seasons.
After leaving Michigan in 2012, Borseth returned to Green Bay that spring.
“I’ve been fortunate to be doing this a long time,” Borseth said. “You have to have good players, and that has helped us be successful. They’ve all wanted to be here – that’s equally as big. They carried the talent level they had while here to the fullest. Good things have happened.”
He has been named the Horizon League Coach of the Year seven times.
His teams have won the regular-season Horizon League title 14 times and the postseason league tournament 12 times.
The Phoenix advanced to the second round of the NCAA National Tournament in 2003 and 2007.
Borseth graduated from Lake Superior State University (LSSU) in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
As a member of the basketball squad, Borseth helped his team to a combined 27-3 record over two years.
Prior to his time at LSSU, Borseth attended Gogebic Community College and played for the Samson basketball team.
Phoenix lose road game at Northern Kentucky: Green Bay lost a 63-43 Horizon League road game to the Norse Feb. 1.
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Phoenix, which now sits at 12-11 overall and 7-4 in the Horizon League.
“We had been playing well before this game,” Borseth said. “For whatever reason, we weren’t able to buy a basket to save our soul. Our offense was horrific. Things snowballed, and it was a humbling day for us.”
Green Bay shot a season-low 15-for-52 (28.8 percent) from the floor and 4-for-20 (20 percent) from beyond the arc.
Caitlyn Hibner led the Phoenix with 11 points, while Meghan Pingel chipped in with nine.
Green Bay now sits in a three-way tie for second in the Horizon League with Wright State and Northern Kentucky. IUPUI is atop the league standings at 10-1.