GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay men's basketball team will travel to Michigan for a pair of games against Oakland and Detroit Mercy this weekend on Friday and Sunday. The Phoenix will host Senior Day next Saturday, Feb. 28, against Youngstown State.
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Green Bay (15-13, 10-7 HL) at Oakland (14-13, 10-6 HL)
Friday, February 20, 2026
6 p.m. CST
Follow the action: Watch | Live Stats
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Green Bay at Detroit Mercy
Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026
Noon CST
Follow the action: Watch | Live Stats
 
ABOUT THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES
Oakland is led by Greg Kampe, who is in his 42^nd year with Oakland. Since Oakland became a Division I program in the 1999-2000 season, Kampe has led them to the NCAA tournament four times. The Golden Grizzlies are 14-13 and 10-6 in the Horizon League, good for second in the league. Brody Robinson leads the team in multiple categories, averaging 16.8 points and 6.5 assists per game. Isaac Garrett averages 14.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Tuburu Naivalurua is also one of the top contributors, averaging 13.9 points and six rebounds per game.

ABOUT THE TITANS
Mark Montgomery is in his second season as head coach of Detroit Mercy, where he's amassed a 20-37 record. The Titans are 12-13 so far this season and 9-7 in the Horizon League, which is tied for fifth in the league standings. Orlando Lovejoy leads Detroit Mercy, averaging 13.6 points per game, 3.6 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. TJ Nadeau is right behind, averaging 13.1 points per game. Ayden Carter averages 12.2 points but has not appeared in a game since Dec. 3 at IU Indy. Detroit Mercy will face off against Milwaukee on Friday before its game vs. Green Bay on Sunday.
 
COACH KERRY
Head Coach Doug Gottlieb has been issued a one-game suspension from the Horizon League that he will serve Friday at Oakland. Stepping into the head coach role for the game will be Assistant Coach Kerry Rupp. Rupp has over 40 years of coaching experience, including as the Head Coach at Louisiana Tech from 2007-2011.
Coach Gottlieb issued a statement regarding the suspension.

"I'd like to apologize to the Horizon League and the officials for my disparaging comments following Sunday's game. I understand and appreciate how difficult their job is, and respect what they do for the sport of basketball. I will be better moving forward."  
Below is a joint statement from UW-Green Bay Chancellor Michael Alexander and Mark Murphy Endowed Director of Athletics Josh Moon.

"We have talked to Coach Gottlieb about the comments he made following Sunday's game. We appreciate his apology and respect the commissioner's decision, however, we do not believe his actions warrant a suspension. We feel a reprimand or public censure would have been appropriate. Assistant Coach Kerry Rupp will be the acting Head Coach for Friday's game at Oakland."
 
LAST TIME OUT
Marcus Hall scored a career-high 32 points, but the Green Bay men's basketball team fell to Milwaukee 75-72 on the road Sunday in the Battle of I-43. During his career day, Hall also hit 1,000 career points with the Phoenix. The Phoenix now sits in a tie for third place in the Horizon League with three games to play. The Phoenix (15-13, 10-7) had three players score in double figures, led by Hall, who had 32 points and seven rebounds. Preston Ruedinger added 12 points and five assists, and C.J. O'Hara helped out with 10 points.

POSTSEASON PICTURE
Through 17 Horizon League games, the Phoenix sits at 10-7 in league play, third in the standings behind Wright State and Oakland. Green Bay will look to lock up a top-5 seed by season's end, which would secure a Horizon League First Round game hosted in Green Bay.

PROTECT HOME COURT
Green Bay has had early success at home during the 2025-26 season, sitting at 8-4. Green Bay is also 2-1 in neutral-site contests. Green Bay is 5-8 on the road in 2025-26.

PHOENIX RISING
Green Bay sits at a record of 15-13 through 28 games. Last year at the same point, GB was 3-25. It took just nine games for the 2025-26 Phoenix to match the win total of the 2024-25 Phoenix. GB has already exceeded its Horizon League win total from a year ago quickly, having finished 2-18 in league play last year. The Phoenix is 10-7 through 17 Horizon League games.

MONEY MARCUS
Phoenix forward Marcus Hall is picking up where he left off last season. Through 25 games, Hall is averaging 14.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 34.9 minutes per game. Hall was named to the Horizon League Preseason First Team on October 8. He has scored in double figures in 18 of 25 games this season, most recently featuring a career-high 32 points in Sunday's loss at Milwaukee.

O'MAZING O'HARA
C.J. O'Hara is in his second season at Green Bay and has started in all 28 games so far this season. O'Hara is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and third on the team at 31.9 minutes per game. O'Hara has scored in double figures in 23 of his 28 starts, including a new career-high 23 points on Feb. 4 at NKU.

PASSING PRESTON
Phoenix point guard Preston Ruedinger called his own number and delivered a buzzer-beating three-pointer to defeat NKU in overtime on Wednesday, 87-84. Ruedinger is one of the best passers in the Horizon League, sitting third in the league at 5.4 assists per game. Ruedinger has started all 28 games so far and plays the second-most minutes per game on the team at 34.8. Ruedinger made history with a career-high 13 assists vs UCSB on Dec. 17, the seventh-most in a game in program history.
 
JUSTIN CREDIBLE
Senior guard Justin Allen is a talented scorer, scoring 20+ points seven times this season. Three of those six games came in January. He has scored double figures in eight out of the last 14, and is third on the team, averaging 12.8 points per game.

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 on Dec. 17, after GB's win over UCSB, that he will be taking a break from hosting The Gottlieb Show on Fox Sports Radio to focus on Phoenix basketball.

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.

###

For the latest and most up-to-date information on Green Bay Athletics and Green Bay Men's Basketball, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @GBPhoenix and @GBPhoenixMBB. 

Follow us on Instagram: @gbphoenix and @gbphoenixmbb.

Like Green Bay Phoenix Athletics and Green Bay Phoenix Men's Basketball on Facebook. 

If you'd like to receive Green Bay Men's Basketball news via email, please fill out this form. 

---GreenBayPhoenix.com---