Green Bay has hired sports media personality Doug Gottlieb as its next men’s basketball coach, it was announced Tuesday.
Gottlieb was one of the final candidates for the Green Bay vacancy last spring, but the job ultimately went to Sundance Wicks. After guiding the Phoenix to an 18-14 campaign, Wicks left the program to become the head coach at Wyoming.
Athletic director Josh Moon moved quickly to tab Gottlieb as Wicks’ replacement. An introductory news conference has been scheduled for Wednesday.
“It is an honor beyond measure to be named the 10th men’s basketball coach in UWGB history,” Gottlieb said in a statement. “Every kid has a dream growing up — some want to be a firefighter, others want to be president. I have always wanted to be a head basketball coach at the Division I level.”
Gottlieb doesn’t have any college coaching experience, but he has been part of the staff for the United States team at the 2009 and 2017 Maccabiah Games. He was an assistant under Bruce Pearl in 2009 and was the head coach in 2017. Gottlieb also interviewed for the Oklahoma State job when the school hired Mike Boynton, and was a consultant for the Cowboys’ program this past season.
“Coach Gottlieb’s energy and passion for the game, desire to mentor our student-athletes, and belief in the people of this region make him a great fit to continue to carry our momentum forward,” UWGB chancellor Mike Alexander said in a statement.
A media personality since 2002 for ESPN, CBS and Fox Sports, Gottlieb was a standout point guard at Oklahoma State during his playing days. He still ranks in the top 15 all time among career assists leaders.
His college career began at Notre Dame, but he left the school following an incident in which he stole credit cards from three classmates.
Gottlieb is a Milwaukee native whose late father, Bob, was the head coach at Milwaukee from 1975 to 1980.
“As a kid who was born at Columbia Hospital and a dad who was, at that a head coach in the UW system, it is even more amazing to get this opportunity to come back to Wisconsin and live out my dreams,” Gottlieb said.
He will reportedly continue hosting his Fox Sports radio show while coaching Green Bay.
