Doug Gottlieb spent all of Wednesday on Radio Row at the Super Bowl in New Orleans even though Green Bay is currently in the middle of a 19-game college basketball losing streak. Neither he nor the university’s athletic director see it as an issue.
They actually think it is a good thing!
Gottlieb was hired to coach college basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in May despite a complete lack of prior experience. The former Notre Dame and Oklahoma State point guard also hosts a daily, three-hour radio show for Fox Sports during the week. His contract allows him to do both.
As could be expected from such a unique agreement, the first three months of Gottlieb’s coaching career has been extremely unusual. You can catch up all of the various happenings here.
Our focus right now is on the Super Bowl.
The Phoenix has lost 19 games in a row. Gottlieb is 2-22, with a loss to a Division-II program, in year one.
Even though it is a game week for Green Bay, its head coach traveled south to Louisiana to partake in all of the Big Game festivities on Radio Row. He made a number of appearances throughout the morning and hosted The Doug Gottlieb Show from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
Although his attendance at the Super Bowl created terrible optics amid such a horrible college basketball season, Gottlieb does not see it that way. The Phoenix is required to be off two days per week instead of the standard one day per week because of academic-related probation that stems from a previous regime. Wednesday was an off day. Green Bay’s head coach flew to New Orleans.
Doug Gottlieb has it all figured out…
Gottlieb did not miss practice on Wednesday. However, athletic director Josh Moon told Scott Venci of the Green Bay Press-Gazette that he was scheduled to miss practice on Thursday.
Yes, he is not going to be here for the Thursday practice. It’s not going to be like he’s not going to have the time to evaluate and go through and provide notes, and again, that’s why you hire assistants. Those guys do the scouts anyway.
— Josh Moon, via Green Bay Press-Gazette
Moon continues to support Gottlieb despite the horrendous record through 24 games.
I get that people are piling on. But I think the whole point here is that the whole method of what actually makes a successful program, the norms of what works in college athletics doesn’t exist anymore.
Should a coach be here seven days a week in the office? Does that translate? There are plenty of coaches who do that who aren’t successful.
— Josh Moon, via Green Bay Press-Gazette
In fact, he thinks the trip to the Big Easy will prove to be a net positive.
When he’s down there, he’s also working on the funnel of relationships and bringing more people to the table for Green Bay. It’s all calculated, that this is going to help us in turn with elevating this program through more resources, connections.
It’s all part of the mix. Just because he’s down there working for Fox Sports or iHeart Radio, we are benefiting from that.
— Josh Moon, via Green Bay Press-Gazette
Gottlieb also spoke with Venci about his 24/36 hours in New Orleans and rattled off a list of things he did for Green Bay while also juggling Radio Row. He took phone calls with Moon, coaches, players and recruits, negotiated a deal for a guaranteed game, spoke with team doctors about the health status of his team and even tried to work through his team’s schedule for next season, among other things.
t’s not like we are down here and I’m off on Bourbon Street. It’s not like I’m drinking a hurricane on Bourbon Street.
If people want to think I’m not doing my job because I’m in New Orleans doing a radio job, which had been preplanned, again, there is nothing I’m really going to be able to say. Other than, my players like playing for me and we are going to compete.
— Doug Gottlieb, via Green Bay Press-Gazette
Doug Gottlieb went so far as to call his appearance at the Super Bowl a “nothing burger.” He will watch Thursday’s practice film, meet with his staff, and then return to Green Bay in time for the upcoming road trip to Purdue Fort Wayne. We shall see… The Phoenix play next at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday.