Takeaways from Doug Gottlieb’s introduction as UWGB head coach
GREEN BAY – The Doug Gottlieb era officially has begun for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball team.
The Milwaukee native was introduced as the 10th coach in program history during a news conference Wednesday at the Kress Center, sharing his vision of how to continue the momentum created during Sundance Wicks’ one season at the helm.
There will be plenty of work between now and the season, including completing a roster that needs several additions and an assistant coaching staff that will play a big role in helping Gottlieb as he navigates being a college head coach for the first time.
Here are five takeaways from the introductory news conference:
Doug Gottlieb is prepared to do two jobs at once
Gottlieb is used to several different jobs, whether it’s hosting his Fox Sports radio show during the week, doing his podcast or helping call college basketball games as a commentator.
He’s now down to two jobs: Radio and being a Division I college basketball coach. He will stop doing everything else.
Gottlieb is confident he can do both well despite the time commitment of running an entire basketball program. Other college coaches have had media obligations, but nobody has really seen it at the level of Gottlieb with a national show that will take time away from basketball but also give the program attention it otherwise would not receive in more than 200 markets.
Gottlieb can say what he wants right now, but he and everyone else knows it’s going to be about results.
He will deal with snarky remarks that might come during a losing streak or a down year from those who will question his ability to do two jobs at once.
Gottlieb was asked how he can sell players, fans and the community in the upcoming weeks and months that he’s all-in on his new gig when he’s still doing the other one.
“They are what’s most important,” said Gottlieb, pointing to a group of Phoenix players in attendance. “I’m not trying to diminish the importance of fans or people on social media. I’m built for that. I had a tweet about Caitlin Clark’s shooting form, and I asked one of the foremost workout specialists in all of basketball. It got 13 million impressions. The negativity is unbelievable. I’m built for the negativity, that doesn’t bother me.
“They are what matters. The current players and the incoming players are what matters. How do I convince them? We are going to get into the gym and see what it’s like. There is no other way to do it. Get in the gym and see what it’s like.”
Gottlieb might not do radio forever
Gottlieb laughed when he said there was one coaching job he would have given up his radio gig for, although he didn’t say which one. He has had conversations with several schools and was a candidate multiple times at Oklahoma State, where he played three seasons and remains the all-time assists leader.
He isn’t ruling out dropping his radio responsibilities at some point, but he also believes it’s an excellent opportunity to try both.
“I think it works together great,” Gottlieb said. “This campus is beautiful. Do you think most people know how beautiful this campus is? …. Do you think that people know how pristine this campus is, that it has a view of the lake, how it’s set aside from the city and it’s clean?
“Of course not. That’s what the radio show works for. I’m not going to be able to do local Green Bay talk, but I am going to be able to talk about the Packers and I am going to be able to display how enjoyable it is to live in a special place.”
Gottlieb will get busy putting together a coaching staff
There is one spot filled on Gottlieb’s coaching staff with former Kaukauna standout Jordan McCabe.
McCabe recently was hired at UWGB after being brought in by Wicks, and although there was an opportunity to join Wicks at Wyoming, he was considered a valuable piece by Gottlieb.
It’s been an interesting ride for McCabe since he became a coach last year after playing at West Virginia and UNLV.
He went to West Virginia to work under Bob Huggins only for Huggins to step down last June.
McCabe stayed at the school when assistant Josh Eilert was named interim coach. He found his second job after this season at UWGB, only for Wicks to leave a short time later.
“With my first two years of experience as an assistant coach at the college level, I really had to figure out how to do my job to the best of my ability even throughout adversity and chaos,” McCabe said. “It’s been alot of that. That’s part of it. That’s why you sign up for this job. It’s not very stable and there is always going to be movement, but the best coaches that I have been able to play for, they show up every day as if nothing else is going on outside.”
Gottlieb has an idea of the other coaches who could be joining him at UWGB, although nothing is finalized.
He likely will handle much of the offense, but he wants to get a great defensive mind. He also said he has a potential assistant coach who can do all things, including manage him.
“Those other spots, how can we handle the defense and player development and recruiting?” Gottlieb said. “That doesn’t mean you have to be Wisconsin-born, Wisconsin-bred or Chicago-born, Chicagobred.
“But when I contact people, whether NIL agents or AAU coaches or high school coaches, they have got to have a good rep. The last thing is, you have to have loyalty. You just do. You have to have everybody who has everybody else’s back. It doesn’t work otherwise.”
One person who would have great loyalty to Gottlieb and the program would be Gottlieb’s brother, Gregg.
He was a candidate for the UWGB job in 2020, and he’s a longtime coach in both men’s and women’s basketball.
UWGB hopes to get remaining players back
Gottlieb wants all the players from last season to return, including David Douglas Jr. and Amari Jedkins, both of whom have entered the NCAA transfer portal.
Most of the players are still processing what has been a hectic situation in a short period, considering this time last week Wicks was here and focused on a second season at UWGB.
“It’s different than normal, but from just listening to him talking about basketball and hearing other people talk about his basketball knowledge, I think basketballwise he will do good,” said forward Marcus Hall, who was named to the Horizon League’s all-freshman team this season. “It brings a lot of attention to the program, which is also good.”
Hall, a former D.C. Everest standout, remains undecided about whether he will enter the portal. He wants to meet with Gottlieb and get to know him.
Junior guard Preston Ruedinger said UWGB still has a nice core of players around from a team that went18-14 and finished third in the Horizon this season.
Wicks’ departure was difficult, especially since the former Oshkosh Lourdes star transferred from Valparaiso to UWGB in part because of him.
Ruedinger hasn’t decided if he will return for a second season with the Phoenix, but he loves the school and his teammates.
Gottlieb became a Phoenix fan because of Jason Kidd
Although Gottlieb’s father coached rival UW-Milwaukee from 1975 to 1980, Gottlieb became a fan of UWGB because he despised former NBA star Jason Kidd.
The same Kidd whose California team was upset by UWGB in the NCAA Tournament in 1994.
One of Gottlieb’s best friends is Miles Simon, a former star at Arizona, whose high school team lost to Kidd in a state championship game.
It came after the previous summer when Kidd’s AAU team beat the team Gottlieb’s father was coaching.
“I hated Jason Kidd,” Gottlieb said. “Everybody I knew who played against Jason Kidd, lost against Jason Kidd.”
And then?
“I saw Jeff Nordgaard and Green Bay and the Fighting Phoenix take down Cal, and I liked it,” Gottlieb said. “A lot.
“I want that for those men. I’ve won NCAA Tournament games. I’ve won five of them. It’s awesome. Nothing like it. Those experiences of friendship and camaraderie of going to the NCAA Tournament. Of being amemorable team. Of being a team that every time you come around this arena, they can point to a banner.”