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    • UWGB men’s basketball begins a tough November schedule at Oklahoma State
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    UWGB men’s basketball begins a tough November schedule at Oklahoma State

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    GREEN BAY – Doug Gottlieb has had a relatively smooth ride since being hired as the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball coach in May.

    He bought a house in the area.

    He put together an almost entirely new roster of 18 players – yes, 18 – with only five players who were on the team last season.

    It’s still early, but so far he’s shown he can run his national radio show while running a college basketball program. Sometimes he even does media interviews during his segment breaks.

    But there was at least one thing he wasn’t prepared for after landing his first college coaching gig, a part of the job he never really thought about.

    “How hard it is to turn people down, whether it’s coaching jobs or recruits,” Gottlieb said. “We’ve only been turned away by a few kids, but we’ve actually turned away several kids who wanted to come and we just didn’t have room, or it was redundancy and someone didn’t want to play.

    “I love building people up. I don’t like cutting them off. Saying to a child, ‘Hey, we’re not going to offer you,’ that’s very difficult. I have so many friends in coaching, “Hey, this isn’t working with this group.” That’s the hardest part. That’s the surprising part, the part I didn’t necessarily envision.”

    The Doug Gottlieb era at UWGB begins with a tough November schedule

    Phoenix fans got their first glimpse of their mostly new team last week in a 102-73 exhibition victory over St. Norbert College at the Kress Center, a game in which senior newcomer Anthony Roy scored 46 points and hit 12 3-pointers.

    As impressive as it was, it was still against a Division III program. It probably won’t be that easy against some of the teams UWGB will soon face.

    It starts Monday at 8 p.m. at Oklahoma State. The home opener is four days later against a St. Thomas team picked to finish fourth in the Summit League.

    The Phoenix follow up by playing road games against one of the top teams in the Ohio Valley Conference in Western Illinois and a Big East squad in Providence.

    Along with the games against SIU-Edwardsville and Evansville, the game will conclude in November at Ohio State.

    Even if Gottlieb turns out to be a Hall of Fame coach, it could be a challenging start for the resume.

    UWGB started last season 4-6 under Sundance Wicks – 3-6 if you don’t count the win against NAIA member St. Francis (Illinois) – before winning four straight games en route to one of the better turnarounds in history from DI.

    Gottlieb brought in talent during the offseason that didn’t seem possible in the past, including freshman guard and former Oklahoma State recruit Jeremiah Johnson.

    But a slow start wouldn’t be shocking again. If it does happen, Gottlieb doesn’t believe it will be due to a lack of chemistry for a team that first met a few months ago.

    “I don’t think it’s that hard,” Gottlieb said. “The hardest part will be in a few weeks when some of them don’t play. That’s when the real challenge arises, because they all form a very close group. They’re all kind of like brothers now.

    “The challenge is to get them to stick to the idea that we are a team with one agenda. That agenda is winning. But in terms of bringing kids together from all over the world, from all over the country, that’s actually my specialty.”

    The UWGB job feels a little unique to Gottlieb because of how small the campus is and how often everyone sees each other.

    He swears that every time he goes grocery shopping at Festival Foods, he encounters at least one of his players doing the same thing.

    They are usually at the gym or hanging out with each other. So no, bonding hasn’t been a problem.

    It will simply be the single-focus agenda that Gottlieb wants and which could be crucial.

    “We live in a society where it’s about now, now, now, now,” Gottlieb said. “One: I have a few who have much more experience, so I trust them. And two, you can only play five. There is only one basketball.”

    UWGB prepares for Oklahoma State

    The Phoenix will hope to be near full strength for the opener against the Cowboys, although veteran guard Foster Wonders remained a question mark earlier this week. The junior is dealing with a foot problem, but told Gottlieb he hopes to play.

    Former OSU product Isaiah Miranda was at practice this week, but it remains to be seen if the 7-foot-3 center will travel with the team for the game. If he does, it’s a good bet Gottlieb will find him at least a few minutes.

    This is also a big homecoming for Gottlieb. He played three seasons at OSU from 1997 to 2000 and still holds several school records.

    He has been passed over for the men’s job by his alma mater in the past, but he harbors no animosity toward the school.

    Gottlieb has nothing negative to say about the athletic department, OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg or OSU men’s coach Steve Lutz and his staff.

    Instead, he has nothing but love for them. He knows everything about the basketball atmosphere that arises there and wants his players to experience it.

    “I think when I think about it, you get goosebumps,” Gottlieb said of his return. “There are a lot of emotions. My trajectory as a person changed when I arrived in Stillwater. My ex-wife (Angie), we were married for 20 years before we separated. I have three children. I am on the Board of Directors. I met my best friends on earth. Everything I have built in broadcasting and coaching is based on my time there.

    “I think it’s very important that people understand that I’m not playing this game for my own ego or to prove anything. It’s actually out of incredible gratitude. I realize how special the position I currently hold is, and I want to share it with all my friends in Stillwater. Without that time there, I wouldn’t be here.”

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