FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Green Bay men's basketball team is returning to Horizon League play in the first game of 2026, when they'll travel to Purdue Fort Wayne tomorrow. Following, the Phoenix will host Milwaukee on Monday, January 5 at 6 p.m. CST.
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Green Bay (6-8) at Purdue Fort Wayne (8-7)
Thursday, January 1, 2026
1 p.m. CST
Follow the action: Watch | Live Stats

Milwaukee at Green Bay
Monday, January 5, 2026
6 p.m. CST
Follow the action: Watch | Live Stats

HEAD COACH DOUG GOTTLIEB
"Happy New Year Phoenix Phamily! We are excited at the challenge of playing a super talented PFW team that we know well! Max Nelson, Hadnot and Darius Duffy are all familiar foes as are their addictions of DeAndre Craig and Stevenson. It will take an incredible effort to take down the Mastodons! We will have to contain their three headed monster on the perimeter as they have clearly defined roles and are very well coached!"
 
ABOUT THE MASTODONS
Purdue Fort Wayne is led by 12th-year head coach Jon Coffman. Through 15 games, the Mastodons hold an 8-7 record and is coming off of a 77-55 loss at Milwaukee on Dec. 29. The Mastodons are led by the Horizon League's most prolific scorer, Corey Hadnot II. Hadnot pours in 20.4 points per game, with YSU's Cris Carroll coming in at second with 17.1 points per game. PFW also features two other top 10 HL scorers, DeAndre Craig (15.3, 9th) and Mikale Stevenson (14.8, 10th). PFW is third as a team in scoring in the HL, at 82.9 points per game.
 
ABOUT THE PANTHERS
Milwaukee is led by fourth-year head coach Bart Lundy, who has led the Panthers to 20-win seasons in each of his first three years with the program. Through 14 games this season, MKE sits at 7-7, and will play on the road at Wright State tomorrow after falling to Wisconsin last night, 80-60. Milwaukee is led by three double digit scorers, with Seth Hubbard headlining at 16.6 points per game. Danilo Jovanovich averages 12.5 points and Amar Augillard averages 11.2 points per game.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Green Bay men's basketball team fell 102-79 to the Campbell Fighting Camels on the road Tuesday afternoon. Campbell was led by a career-high performance by former Phoenix player Jeremiah Johnson, who scored 27 points. The Phoenix (6-8) had three players score in double figures, led by Preston Ruedinger, who had 14 points. Marcus Hall added 12 points, and C.J. O'Hara chipped in as well with 10 points.
 
PROTECT HOME COURT
Green Bay has had early success at home during the 2025-26 season, sitting at 3-1. Green Bay is also 2-1 in neutral-site contests. Green Bay is 1-6 on the road in 2025-26.

PHOENIX RISING
Green Bay sits at a record of 6-8 through 14 games. Last year at the same point GB was 2-12. It took just nine games for the 2025-26 Phoenix to match the win total of the 2024-25 Phoenix. GB will look to exceed its Horizon League win total from a year ago quickly, having finished 2-18 in league play last year. The Phoenix is 1-2 through three Horizon League games.
 
MONEY MARCUS
Phoenix forward Marcus Hall is picking up where he left off last season. Through 11 games, Hall is averaging team highs with 14.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per game. Hall was named to the Horizon League Preseason First Team on October 8. Hall set a new season high in scoring in Green Bay's win over UCSB on Wednesday, scoring 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting, while shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range.

O'MAZING O'HARA
C.J. O'Hara is in his second season at Green Bay and has started in all 14 games so far this season. O'Hara is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.7 points, second on the team in rebounds at 4.6, and third on the team at 30.8 minutes per game. O'Hara scored in double figures in seven straight games, ending with 20 points on the road at IU Indy on Dec. 11.
 
CLUTCH RUDY
A prominent leader for the Phoenix is Redshirt Senior guard Preston Ruedinger. Ruedinger, along with C.J. O'Hara, has started all 14 games so far this season and plays the second-most minutes per game on the team at 33.8. Ruedinger made history with a career-high 13 assists vs UCSB, the seventh-most in program history. Ruedinger scored a career-high 30 points in a win against Haskell on Nov. 29.
 
ALL-IN ALLEN
Senior guard Justin Allen had an outstanding weekend in the Virgin Islands from Nov. 21-14. The Carnegie Mellon transfer averaged 20.3 points per game in the three games and was named to the Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team. In Green Bay's final two games in the tournament, Allen scored 27 and 28 points off the bench for the Phoenix. Allen is the team's third leading scorer at 11.1 points per game.
 
KING LEBRON
Junior guard LeBron Thomas led the way for Green Bay on Dec. 11. The transfer from Vincennes CC led the way for Green Bay with 20 points on 3-of-4 shooting, including a historic 14-of-16 from the free throw line, ranking him seventh all-time in program history in free throws made in a game. LeBron also set season-highs in rebounds with five and in assists with two.
 
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. Coach Gottlieb announced after Wednesday's win over UCSB that he will be taking a break from hosting The Gottlieb Show on Fox Sports Radio for the time being.
 
INTERNATIONAL TALENT
The 2025-26 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 2025-26 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.
 
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