Men's Basketball 10/10/2025 3:14:00 PM

Green Bay Set for Exhibition Action Against Bradley

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay men's basketball is set to host their first of two pre-season games tomorrow night against Bradley at 6 p.m. CT. The exhibition game will be available to watch on ESPN+ or TV32 in the Green Bay area.

Before tipoff tomorrow, Green Bay Men's Basketball will honor legendary Phoenix player Keifer Sykes with a jersey retirement ceremony. Sykes, a guard who played from 2011-15, is one of two Phoenix players to score over 2,000 points in a GB jersey. Coinciding with the jersey retirement, Green Bay Athletics is highlighting Sykes' Free10 Foundation. The Free10 Foundation is dedicated to uplifting youth and families impacted by gun violence and incarceration by providing mentorship, education, and community programs. To learn more about how you can support Keifer's mission to inspire and empower the next generation, visit free10foundation.org.

WHERE TO WATCH
Over-the-Air (OTA) Broadcast – Channel 32.1
Spectrum – Channel 83 (SD) & Channel 1013 (HD)
DIRECTV – Channel 32
DISH – Channel 32

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Green Bay (0-0) vs. Bradley (0-0)
Saturday, October 11
6:00 PM CT
Follow the action: Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats

ABOUT THE BRAVES
Bradley is coming off a very successful 2024-25 season, where they finished 28-9 and made a quarterfinal appearance in the NIT. Brian Wardle (former GB coach from 2010-15) is in his 11th season as head coach of the Braves. Bradley's key returners include Jaquan Johnson (6.6 ppg), Demarion Burch (5.8 ppg), and Ahmet Jonovic (5.6 ppg). Alex Huibregtse transferred in from Wright State, averaging 13.5 points per game last season. AJ Smith also averaged 7.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game last season at James Madison.

HISTORY VS. BRADLEY
The Phoenix is 0-2 all-time against Bradley. Both games were played at Bradley, once in 1973 and once in 2013. Green Bay lost 75-69 in 1973 and 66-60 in 2013.

LAST TIME OUT
Green Bay ended its 2024-25 season with a first-round exit in the Horizon League Championship tournament at Oakland on March 4, falling 96-72. C.J. O'Hara scored a career-high 15 points in the loss.

MONEY MARCUS
Phoenix forward Marcus Hall is the highest returning leading scorer this season. Hall averaged 13.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 33.8 minutes per game, shooting 42.2 percent from the floor and 36.7 percent from three-point range. Hall was named to the Horizon League Preseason First Team on October 8.

RUDY'S RETURN
Preston Ruedinger has been a key contributor for Green Bay in the past two seasons. He averaged eight points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game last season. He tied a season-high 14 points in a home win over Wright State (February 16, 2025). He recorded five or more assists in a game six times. Ruedinger scored a career-high 26 points in a win at Youngstown State in the 2023-24 season.

LEBRON TO GREEN BAY
LeBron Thomas was a two-time NJCAA All-American at Vincennes University. He averaged 14.3 points, 5.8 assists, and four rebounds per game in the 2024-25 season. LeBron finished last season scoring in double figures 17 times and registered four double-doubles. Thomas's season-high came in a win over Triton College, where he scored 39 points. He helped lead Vincennes to a 58-9 record over his two seasons there.

YEAR TWO
Heading into the 2025-26 season, Doug Gottlieb enters his second year as the head coach of Green Bay men's basketball. Gottlieb, well-known for his broadcasting career, brings with him a wealth of experience as a player, commentator, analyst, and coach in the basketball world. As a broadcaster, he currently hosts the Doug Gottlieb show on Fox Sports Radio and All Ball, a podcast covering the biggest stories across college basketball and the NBA.

INTERNATIONAL TALENT
The 2024-25 Phoenix roster features players from two different foreign countries and 11 from different U.S. states. Maruan Cicic is from Montenegro, and Vukasin Todorovic is from Slovenia.

NEW ERA SAME RISE
After a season with 12 newcomers a season ago, the 2025-26 Green Bay roster will bring in 10 newcomers this year. Of GB's rostered players, six are returners, six are transfers, and four are true freshmen.

FAMILIAR FACES
Multiple returners will play large roles in the upcoming 2025-26 season, including Marcus Hall, Preston Ruedinger, Mac Wrecke, and C.J. O'Hara. Last season, Hall averaged 13.9, Ruedinger averaged 8.0, Wrecke averaged 6.1, and O'Hara averaged 4.0 points per game. Caden Wilkins and Brady Fitzgerald are the other two returners to the Phoenix squad.

OFFSEASON RECAP
August 21 – Keifer Sykes named as General Manager
August 27 – Keil Ganz named as an assistant coach
August 28 – Kerry Rupp named as an assistant coach

Over the summer, The Phoenix brought in four freshmen for the 2024-25 season: Keegan Van Kauwenberg, Vukasin Todorovic, Trey Schachter, and Maruan Cicic. Six transfers make their way to Green Bay this season, including Ramel Bethea, Josh Hines, Justin Allen, Dontrell Hewlett, Rob Stroud, and LeBron Thomas.

PRESEASON #HLMBB POLL
PL. TEAM (1st PLACE VOTES) – PTS.
1. Milwaukee (24) – 428
2. Oakland (7) – 384
3. Youngstown State (2) – 364
4. Robert Morris (8) – 345
5. Purdue Fort Wayne (1) – 287
6. Northern Kentucky – 274
7. Wright State – 221
8. Cleveland State – 217
9. Detroit Mercy – 176
10. IU Indianapolis – 115
11. Green Bay – 93

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Players Mentioned

#21 Brady Fitzgerald: G; 6' 4"; Redshirt Freshman

#13 Marcus Hall: F; 6' 6"; Junior

#10 C.J. O'Hara: G; 6' 4"; Sophomore

#2 Preston Ruedinger: G; 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior

#23 Caden Wilkins: F; 6' 6"; Redshirt Freshman

#4 Mac Wrecke: G; 6' 5"; Redshirt Sophomore

#1 Josh Hines: G; 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior

#11 Trey Schachter: G; 6' 3"; Freshman

#15 Rob Stroud: F; 6' 5"; Graduate Student

#22 LeBron Thomas: G; 6' 3"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#21 Brady Fitzgerald
: 6' 4"; Redshirt Freshman
: G

#13 Marcus Hall
: 6' 6"; Junior
: F

#10 C.J. O'Hara
: 6' 4"; Sophomore
: G

#2 Preston Ruedinger
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior
: G

#23 Caden Wilkins
: 6' 6"; Redshirt Freshman
: F

#4 Mac Wrecke
: 6' 5"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G

#1 Josh Hines
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior
: G

#11 Trey Schachter
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: G

#15 Rob Stroud
: 6' 5"; Graduate Student
: F

#22 LeBron Thomas
: 6' 3"; Junior
: G