By Tori Wittenbrock
Associate Sports Editor
GREEN BAY – Following the announcement of Sundance Wicks’ departure from the Green Bay Phoenix program to accept the position of head coach at Wyoming, the Green Bay Athletic Department announced the hiring of Doug Gottlieb as the tenth coach in program history.
“Every kid has a dream growing up, some want to be firefighters, others want to be president, I have always wanted to be a head basketball coach at the Division I level,” said Gottlieb.
Green Bay Phoenix Athletic Director Josh Moon said he is thrilled to see where Gottlieb takes the program going forward.
“It is amazing to see the belief in the Phoenix community this past year, deep down to their core,” said Moon.
After Wicks led the program to the ninth biggest turnaround in NCAA Division I history, Moon said that he is certain Gottlieb is the right man for the job to continue to carry the team forward.
“Green Bay basketball is special. This program means a lot to this region; it stirs up great emotion, pride and belonging. It is part of the fabric of Northeast Wisconsin,” said Moon.
“Doug’s been working toward this moment for a long time. This has been his dream since day one.”
With Gottlieb’s extensive basketball knowledge and experience as both a player and coach, Moon said he is confident in his ability to advance the Phoenix men’s basketball team to where they belong at center-stage as a mid-major program.
“You can see the respect he has around the country,” said Moon.
“Doug is going to think differently than most coaches. He is going to bring a lot of different connections, resources and ideas that are going to help us navigate this crazy, turbulent, Division I athletic world right now.”
Gottlieb, though he has extensive experience as a coach and player, has garnered the most significant attention during his time as a national broadcaster and analyst with ESPN, SportsCenter and Fox Sports Radio as the host of the “Doug Gottlieb Show” and “All Ball”.
Gottlieb played basketball at the collegiate level for Notre Dame University, Golden West College and, most notably, at Oklahoma State University.
Gottlieb also gathered significant international professional playing experience for the USA, Israel and Russia — connections which he said he believes will benefit him for international recruiting.
According to Gottlieb, the Wisconsin native said he is extremely excited to return to his home state for his first coaching job at the NCAA Division I level.
“My mom always said that of all the places that we have lived, there’s nothing like Wisconsin. Real people. Real work ethic. Real Community,” said Gottlieb.
Gottlieb said that he is well aware of the big shoes he has to fill to keep up with the expectations of the Green Bay community for a winning program.
“The hardest thing to teach in basketball — in sports — is how to win. You can get people close and they can be competitive, but how to actually win those games, that is really, really hard to teach — especially to a group that hasn’t really won before, so Sunny did an amazing job here. The difference between last year and this year is that now there are greater expectations.”
Gottlieb said that there is nothing more satisfying than being able to realize his dream of coaching college basketball at a Division I school in Wisconsin.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was two years old,” said Gottlieb.
“I can promise you this, you’re not going to get more out of any human being than you are out of me.”
One thing that Gottlieb said he has already begun to establish is a positive, winning culture.
“The bond that you build is way more important than the wins and the losses,” said Gottlieb.
“We need your help. We need your financial support. We need your emotional support. We need this group to build on the culture that Sundance and his staff have built.”
Gottlieb said he had one final aspect of his philosophy to share with the players on his team going forward.
“The non-negotiables in this program are — you’re going to go to class. You’re going to be a good citizen. And as basketball players, you are going to have to want to get better everyday,” said Gottlieb. “And if you don’t like it, that’s fine. There’s the door.”
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