By Sam Federman
If you have followed this podcast for long enough, you know that we #PhearThePhoenix. On Jan. 18, after then-head coach Sundance Wicks led Green Bay to a road win over Wright State to improve to a first place 7-2 in the Horizon League, Jonathan and I led our Thursday night show with a discussion about the Phoenix, and the impressive program turnaround the Wicks engineered.
All of that work has since come undone, as Wicks left to take the head coaching job at Wyoming when Jeff Linder, his former boss, took a job on Grant McCasland's staff at Texas Tech.
This left Green Bay scrambling for a hire late in the cycle, and they made just about the worst decision possible. Instead of promoting from within to try to keep the roster and vibes together, or going out and hiring a proven winner at a lower level, they went for clicks.
Green Bay hired a radio host to be their basketball coach, with his only qualification being that he played Division I basketball a long time ago. Doug Gottlieb had been eager to jump to the coaching ranks for years, but clearly not eager enough, as he was unwilling to give up his radio show, which he still hosts even during the season.
Predictably, hiring a non-basketball coach has not worked out for UWGB, as the Phoenix, despite boasting one of the most talented rosters in the Horizon League, entered Wednesday's game with a 2-10 record, including 0-2 in the league.
Earlier this week, Gottlieb called out Adam Schefter on Twitter, and Schefter responded by bringing up how poorly he was doing at UWGB.
Gottlieb's response to Schefter's callout was deleted after being ratioed to hell.
So, what did he come out and do in his next game?
Well, of course, the Phoenix lost to Division II Michigan Tech, 72-70, blowing a double digit lead.
And man, the internet LET HIM HAVE IT.
You can find the tweets yourself, just search "Gottlieb" on twitter, it's all there.
Michigan Tech is a good Division II team, ranking in the top 50 of CBBAnalytics adjusted net rating, but a team with the talent level of UWGB shouldn't be losing to them. To add insult to injury, MTU's leading scorer, Marcus Tomashek, is from Green Bay, and dropped 30 on his hometown school.
If we're being honest, it's a tremendous insult to the coaching profession that Gottlieb is attempting to go out there and call himself a coach without paying any of the dues and while splitting his time with a radio show. Doug Gottlieb is not a basketball coach, his role at UWGB notwithstanding.
The sport will be better for it when the charade ends and Gottlieb fades back into radio obscurity.