For the Press Times
GREEN BAY – Green Bay men’s basketball head coach Sundance Wicks announced his coaching staff on March 30.
Wicks will be joined on the bench this season by assistant coaches, Pat Monaghan, Zach Malvik and Nic Reynolds.
All three bring with them coaching and playing experience.
Adams Owens was also retained as the team’s director of basketball operations.
“I am really excited about the staff we have put together here in Green Bay,” Wicks said. “To me, the person is vitally more important than the position. Our young men need to be around master teachers, mentors and leaders who lead from the front. When putting together a staff I believe you hire men who know how to care, connect and compete at a high level, are disciplined, detailed and can cover your blind spots. These coaches do all of that and more.”
Pat Monaghan
Pat Monaghan brings 17 years of coaching experience to Green Bay, including two years in the Horizon League.
He spent the last four years at Southern Illinois, helping the Salukis to a 67-55 record from 2019-23.
Monaghan was influential in the development of Marcus Domask, who had one the best freshman seasons in Southern Illinois history, earning Freshman All-America honors, along with the league’s Freshman and Newcomer of the Year awards.
Domask was one of only four freshmen in the nation to average at least 13.5 points, five rebounds and 2.5 steals.
Prior to Southern Illinois, Monaghan spent two seasons (2017-19) at Milwaukee.
The Panthers were among just a handful of teams to beat nationally ranked Loyola in 2017-18, topping the eventual Final Four-bound Ramblers by 17 points in non-conference play.
Before his stop in the Cream City, Monaghan was an assistant for six seasons at Division II powerhouse Minnesota State (2011-17), where he helped the Mavericks to four NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference titles.
He was also the recruiting coordinator for the Mavericks, and 13 players earned All-NSIC honors during his tenure.
A native of Chicago, Monaghan served as the director of basketball operations at Loyola (2010-11) and two years as an assistant at Coffeyville Community College (2008-10), where he helped guide the Ravens to a 46-20 record, including a Jayhawk East Conference Championship in 2009.
Born April 20, 1984, Monaghan played collegiately at Division II Lewis University and led the Flyers in scoring with 14.0 points per game as a senior in 2005-06.
Prior to Lewis, he played two seasons at Harper Junior College and was named Third-Team NJCAA All-American in 2004. He earned his master’s degree from Wayne State College.
“Green Bay has a winning tradition with its basketball program. The support from the community and region is what makes this program unique. I am thankful for the opportunity to join Coach Wicks’ staff while working alongside other successful leaders within the athletic department. Most importantly, taking on the challenge to help our student-athletes develop while reaching team and individual aspirations,” Monaghan said.
“Coach Monaghan is a relentless competitor, a gifted teacher, and an excellent connector. It was clear very early in this process that Pat Monaghan was someone that I had to have on our staff. He is a rising star in this profession and a member of the Jay Bilas coaches leadership program. Pat has a unique gift of solving problems by identifying outside the box solutions,” Wicks said,
Zach Malvik
Zach Malvik comes from Winona State, his alma mater, where he spent the last nine years.
He was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2019-20 season.
With over a decade of Division II experience as a player and coach, Malvik brings extensive experience to Titletown.
The Holmen native previously served as an assistant at Saint Mary’s University (SMU) in Winona and also spent three seasons playing professional basketball in Australia.
At Winona State, Malvik was the cornerstone of a team that went 32-4 during the 2005-06 season, culminating with the program’s first national championship.
He led the Warriors to a 35-1 record in 2006-07, helping the team earn their way back to the NCAA Division II National Championship game.
Malvik was the starting point guard during Winona State’s Division II-record 57-game winning streak.
Malvik was an All-American selection during his senior season while being named the MVP of the NCAA Regional Tournament.
The point guard was an All-NSIC selection in each of his four years with the program.
Malvik ended his career as the program’s all-time assist leader (549) and graduated second on the school’s scoring charts (1,971).
“I couldn’t be more excited to join the Phoenix family and help Coach Wicks bring new life into the program. My family and I have always loved visiting Green Bay and we’re looking forward to being there. I have so much belief and confidence in what Coach Wicks will do as the leader of this program. Being a Wisconsin native and having spent much of my career recruiting this state, I’m ready to hit the ground running and help us find the type of players that will elevate our program to the next level. I’m really excited to be a part of the community,” Malvik stated.
Nic Reynolds
Nic Reynolds joins the Phoenix after spending one season with Southern Arkansas.
The Muleriders finished the Great American Conference (GAC) regular season in second place and won the GAC Tournament en route to an NCAA Tournament Appearance.
Reynolds’ coaching experience began in 2018 as an assistant for his alma mater, Columbia College.
Prior to joining the Cougars staff, he was part of three league championships, a conference tournament title, and four national tournament appearances as a player at Columbia College from 2014-18.
His next stop brought him to Division II University of Illinois-Springfield where he served as a graduate assistant for the Prairie Stars during the 2019-20 campaign.
In addition to being in charge of the scouting report and video operations, Reynolds was instrumental in the planning and execution of player workouts and skill developmental sessions.
Reynolds left for Purdue Northwest of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) for the 2020-21 season where he was a top assistant.
Reynolds produced the team scouting reports and handled opponent film analysis as well as directing in-game substitutions, adjustments and defensive matchups.
Additionally, Reynolds oversaw academics for the program.
He served as the director of basketball operations at the University of Denver during the 2021-22 season, holding responsibility for all logistics of team travel including scheduling, meals and lodging in addition to handling all team film and video editing, scheduling of practice times and plans both home and away.
“Nic Reynolds has one trait that a lot of people preach, but very few actually practice, and that is loyalty. He loves at a high level and serves with great passion and purpose. A true mentor leader, Nic does not tell you the way, he shows you the way. Coach Reynolds was born in Green Bay and to this day has family deeply entrenched in Green Bay and the surrounding area. I am not sure there is a job in this profession that Coach Reynolds has not done. He understands the grit and grind of this profession and that the mission is the man,” Wicks said.
Adam Owens
Adam Owens will enter his second season at Green Bay men’s basketball and first under Sundance Wicks.
He was named the director of basketball operations on June 29, 2022, under previous head coach Will Ryan.
Prior to his time in Green Bay, Owens served as the director of player development at Eastern Carolina.
Owens went to Eastern Carolina after serving as a graduate assistant at the University of Missouri – Kansas City during the 2019-20 campaign.
In his only year in Kansas City, he aided in one of the biggest turnarounds in Division I as the Roos went 16-14, in a season cut short by COVID-19, after going 11-21 the previous season.
“What is there not to love about Adam Owens. He won me over the minute I stepped foot on campus. Coach Owens is dialed in on a daily basis. Adam is in the trenches every minute of every day making sure our program operates on its most efficient level. Detailed, driven and intentional with his energy, Coach Owens puts the utmost care into our student-athletes experience, making sure they have everything they need to be successful on a daily basis. There are always unsung heroes on every staff and Adam is that guy for us every day,” Wicks added.