# Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball

The Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Horizon League for the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. They are coached by Doug Gottlieb. The Phoenix have appeared five times in the NCAA tournament, most recently in 2016.

## History

The Green Bay men's basketball team began play in the 1969–70 school year where it competed at the NAIA level before moving to NCAA Division II in 1973. In 1982, it moved to NCAA Division I, where it competed in the Association of Mid-Continent Universities (now the Summit League). Since 1994, Green Bay has competed in the Horizon League (formerly the Midwestern Collegiate Conference). The Phoenix saw success in the early-to-mid-1990s, making their first NCAA tournament appearance in 1991 and their first second-round appearance in 1994. The team made another first-round appearance in 2016.

## Division I seasons

| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason |
| 1981–82 | Dave Buss | 14–13 | Independent | - | - |
| 1982–83 | Dick Lien | 9–19 | Mid-Continent Conference | 8th | - |
| 1983–84 | Dick Lien | 9–19 | Mid-Continent Conference | 6th | - |
| 1984–85 | Dick Lien | 4–24 | Mid-Continent Conference | 8th | - |
| 1985–86 | Dick Bennett | 5–23 | Mid-Continent Conference | 7th | - |
| 1986–87 | Dick Bennett | 15–14 | Mid-Continent Conference | 4th | - |
| 1987–88 | Dick Bennett | 18–9 | Mid-Continent Conference | 3rd | - |
| 1988–89 | Dick Bennett | 14–14 | Mid-Continent Conference | 4th | - |
| 1989–90 | Dick Bennett | 24–8 | Mid-Continent Conference | 2nd | NIT second round |
| 1990–91 | Dick Bennett | 24–7 | Mid-Continent Conference | 2nd | NCAA first round |
| 1991–92 | Dick Bennett | 25–5 | Mid-Continent Conference | 1st | NIT first round |
| 1992–93 | Dick Bennett | 13–14 | Mid-Continent Conference | 4th | - |
| 1993–94 | Dick Bennett | 27–7 | Mid-Continent Conference | 1st | NCAA second round |
| 1994–95 | Dick Bennett | 22–8 | Midwestern City Conference | 2nd | NCAA first round |
| 1995–96 | Mike Heideman | 25–4 | Midwestern City Conference | 1st | NCAA first round |
| 1996–97 | Mike Heideman | 14–14 | Midwestern City Conference | 4th | - |
| 1997–98 | Mike Heideman | 17–12 | Midwestern City Conference | 4th | - |
| 1998–99 | Mike Heideman | 20–11 | Midwestern City Conference | 3rd | - |
| 1999–00 | Mike Heideman | 14–16 | Midwestern City Conference | 4th | - |
| 2000–01 | Mike Heideman | 11–17 | Midwestern City Conference | 7th | - |
| 2001–02 | Mike Heideman | 9–21 | Horizon League | 8th | - |
| 2002–03 | Tod Kowalczyk | 10–20 | Horizon League | 6th | - |
| 2003–04 | Tod Kowalczyk | 17–11 | Horizon League | 3rd | - |
| 2004–05 | Tod Kowalczyk | 17–11 | Horizon League | 2nd | - |
| 2005–06 | Tod Kowalczyk | 15–16 | Horizon League | 3rd | - |
| 2006–07 | Tod Kowalczyk | 18–15 | Horizon League | 3rd | - |
| 2007–08 | Tod Kowalczyk | 15–15 | Horizon League | 4th | - |
| 2008–09 | Tod Kowalczyk | 22–11 | Horizon League | 2nd | CBI first round |
| 2009–10 | Tod Kowalczyk | 22–13 | Horizon League | 3rd | CBI second round |
| 2010–11 | Brian Wardle | 14–18 | Horizon League | 7th | - |
| 2011–12 | Brian Wardle | 15–15 | Horizon League | 6th | - |
| 2012–13 | Brian Wardle | 18–16 | Horizon League | 3rd | CIT first round |
| 2013–14 | Brian Wardle | 24–7 | Horizon League | 1st | NIT first round |
| 2014–15 | Brian Wardle | 24–9 | Horizon League | 2nd | NIT first round |
| 2015–16 | Linc Darner | 23–12 | Horizon League | 4th | NCAA first round |
| 2016–17 | Linc Darner | 18–14 | Horizon League | 3rd | CBI first round |
| 2017–18 | Linc Darner | 13–20 | Horizon League | 7th | - |
| 2018–19 | Linc Darner | 21–17 | Horizon League | 4th | CIT Runner-Up |
| 2019–20 | Linc Darner | 17–16 | Horizon League | 3rd | - |
| 2020–21 | Will Ryan | 8–17 | Horizon League | 8th | - |
| 2021–22 | Will Ryan | 5–25 | Horizon League | 11th | - |
| 2022–23 | Will Ryan Freddie Owens (interim) | 3–29 | Horizon League | 11th | - |
| 2023–24 | Sundance Wicks | 18–14 | Horizon League | 3rd | - |
| 2023–24 | Doug Gottlieb | 4-28 | Horizon League | 11th | - |

## Postseason
### NCAA Division I Tournament results

The Phoenix have appeared in the NCAA Division I Tournament five times. Their combined record is 1–5. Their highest seed was #8 in 1996.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1991 | #12 | First round | #5 Michigan State | L 58–60 |
| 1994 | #12 | First round Second Round | #5 California #4 Syracuse | W 61–57 L 59–64 |
| 1995 | #14 | First round | #3 Purdue | L 48–49 |
| 1996 | #8 | First round | #9 Virginia Tech | L 49–61 |
| 2016 | #14 | First round | #3 Texas A&M | L 65–92 |

### NCAA Division II Tournament results

The Phoenix have appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament six times. Their combined record is 13–8.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1974 | Regional semifinals Regional 3rd-place game | St. Joseph's (IL) Evansville | L 54–70 L 75–87 |
| 1976 | Regional semifinals Regional Finals | Minnesota State–Mankato North Dakota | W 72–67 $^{2OT}$ L 61–65 |
| 1977 | Regional semifinals Regional Finals | Nebraska–Omaha North Dakota | W 89–63 L 43–45 |
| 1978 | Regional semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Game | South Dakota State Augustana Lincoln (MO) Eastern Illinois Cheyney | W 80–57 W 72–60 W 63–61 W 58–43 L 40–47 |
| 1979 | Regional semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Game | North Dakota Northern Iowa Puget Sound Cheyney North Alabama | W 63–48 W 56–50 W 65–53 W 46–45 L 50–64 |
| 1981 | Regional semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd-place game | North Dakota State North Dakota North Alabama Mount St. Mary's Cal Poly | W 82–76 W 72–60 W 65–39 L 60–76 L 61–62 $^{2OT}$ |

### NAIA Tournament results

The Phoenix have appeared in the NAIA Tournament one time. Their record is 2–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1973 | First round Second Round Quarterfinals | Dallas Baptist South Carolina State Slippery Rock | W 77–66 W 72–55 L 58–60 |

### NIT results

The Phoenix have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) four times. Their combined record is 1–4.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1990 | First round Second Round | Southern Illinois Saint Louis | W 73–60 L 54–58 |
| 1992 | First round | Manhattan | L 65–67 |
| 2014 | First round | Belmont | L 65–80 |
| 2015 | First round | Illinois State | L 56–69 |

### CBI results

The Phoenix have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) three times. Their combined record is 1–3.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2009 | First round | Vermont | L 72–76 |
| 2010 | First round Quarterfinals | Akron Saint Louis | W 70–67 L 62–68 $^{2OT}$ |
| 2017 | First round | UMKC | L 82–92 |

### CIT results

The Phoenix have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) two times. Their combined record is 4–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2013 | First round | Bradley | L 69–75 |
| 2019 | First round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship | East Tennessee State FIU Cal State Bakersfield Texas Southern Marshall | W 102–94 W 98–68 W 80–64 W 87–86 L 70–90 |

## Horizon League awards
### Player of the Year

* Jeff Nordgaard (1996)
* Keifer Sykes (2014, 2015)

### Newcomer of the Year

* Noah Reynolds (2023)

### Defensive Player of the Year

* Terry Evans (2008)
* Alec Brown (2014)

### Sixth Man of the Year

* Ryan Tillema (2009)
* Warren Jones (2017)

### Freshman of the Year

* Amari Davis (2020)
* David Douglas Jr. (2023)

### Coach of the Year

* Brian Wardle (2014)
* Sundance Wicks (2023)

### All-League First Team

* Javier Mendiburu (2005)
* Ryan Tillema (2009)
* Rahmon Fletcher (2010)
* Alec Brown (2012, 2014)
* Keifer Sykes (2013, 2014, 2015)
* Carrington Love (2016)
* Khalil Small (2018)
* Sandy Cohen III (2019)
* JayQuan McCloud (2020)
* Noah Reynolds (2023)

### All-League Second Team

* Brandon Morris (2004)
* Benito Flores (2005)
* Ryan Evanochko (2006, 2007)
* Mike Schachtner (2007, 2008)
* Rahmon Fletcher (2009, 2011)
* Alec Brown (2013)
* Greg Mays (2015)
* Jordan Fouse (2016)
* Charles Cooper (2017)
* Amari Davis (2021)

### All-League Third Team

* Amari Davis (2020)

### All-Freshman Team/All-Newcomer Team

* Brandon Morris (2004)
* Benito Flores (2005)
* Mike Schachtner (2006)
* Rahmon Fletcher (2008)
* Alec Brown (2011)
* Keifer Sykes (2012)
* Jordan Fouse (2013)
* Amari Davis - FOY (2020)
* Lucas Stieber (2021)
* Cade Meyer (2022)
* Kamari McGee (2022)
* David Douglas Jr. (2023)
* Marcus Hall (2023)

### All-Defensive Team

* Terry Evans (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
* Alec Brown (2013, 2014)
* Jordan Fouse (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
* Carrington Love (2016)
* Kenneth Lowe (2017)
* Khalil Small (2017, 2018)