Doug Gottlieb breaks silence on taking Green Bay basketball head coaching job
05/15/2024 03:43 PM
It’s not often that sports fans see a coach simultaneously host a radio show, but Doug Gottlieb may have just made history. The Fox Sports radio personality is now the head coach of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay basketball program, while still hosting The Doug Gottlieb Show daily, as announced on Tuesday.
Gottlieb sounded off on the controversial hire on Wednesday, via Fox Sports’ John Fanta.
“I was born at Columbia Hospital in Milwaukee, which is an hour and a half away from our campus,” Gottlieb explained. “My mom, who traveled around with my dad throughout his coaching career, will tell you her favorite stop along the way was not Jacksonville or Kansas State or Creighton or Long Beach State. It was UW-Milwaukee. And it’s because of the great people in the state of Wisconsin who care about each other. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the area, and now can’t wait to get a chance to leave my mark there. If not now, when? If not me, who? I’ve sat here forever and waited.”
While it’s nice that Gottlieb is fulfilling a personal dream, it’s fair to wonder if he’s qualified for the job. The 48-year-old has never coached basketball outside of leading Team USA at the Maccabiah Games, a Jewish/Israeli athletic tournament held quadrennially in Israel.
Why would the Phoenix hire such an inexperienced candidate? Also, could the show be a distraction?
Gottlieb will use his clout and experience within the hoops world to build a juggernaut at Green Bay basketball
Gottlieb told his kids that “this is the response to people who laugh at your dreams,” via The Doug Gottlieb Show.
Congratulations to our very own @gottliebshow! As announced at the top of today's show, Doug has accepted the UW Green Bay men's head basketball coaching position & he will continue hosting his daily @FoxSportsRadio show from 3-5pm ET
Full Video: https://t.co/Qj7kd08MJmhttps://t.co/3kbtL5tDaxpic.twitter.com/BDQf6h51Xv
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) May 14, 2024
Inspiring messages aside, one reason why he makes sense as a coaching hire is for his recruiting expertise within the region. The Oklahoma State alum is originally from the area and grew up watching his father coach at one of the neighboring schools.
“Green Bay is in the same system my dad Bob coached in (1975-80 at UW-Milwaukee),” Gottlieb said. “Wisconsin is the state I was born in, and at that level, at the mid-major level, you’ve got a lot of players in the state of Wisconsin. You’ve got Wisconsin and Minnesota talent all over the board, and in this world where kids transfer all the time, we can get kids to transfer to us.
Additionally, the show should help bring more attention to the program. With the Phoenix playing in the Horizon League, it’s not easy for them to attract top players in the transfer portal or the recruiting trail. Gottlieb explained that the balance of doing the show while coaching will do more good than harm.
“First, there are finances involved in this decision. I think they actually mutually promote themselves,” Gottlieb said. “This gives Green Bay something different. It’s going to help our program with NIL money and recruiting. And the other thing is, it allows me to take less money and pay my assistant coaches more. But it gives (Athletic Director) Josh (Moon) and the entire UW-Green Bay athletic department a new kind of publicity. With my connections in the basketball world and in the media, I believe the show is a great way for us to only promote the program.”
Time will tell if this experiment pays off, but it will easily be one of the most fascinating sports storylines to follow within the Great Lakes region for the foreseeable future.
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