Only a few weeks into his first season as head coach at Wisconsin-Green Bay, Doug Gottlieb has stirred controversy.
The Fox Sports Radio host opted not to play senior guard Anthony Roy, the nation’s leading scorer, Saturday in an 83-61 loss to Cleveland State.
Gottlieb had threatened last week to cut Roy’s playing time if he didn’t start playing “his way.” Yet to bench a player scoring 28 points per game, on a team that is now 2-8, might seem a step too far.
The radio host/head coach explained his decision after the loss.
“I owe it to the guys to play the guys that do what we ask them to do. Period,” Gottlieb said. “There’s things that transpire that I don’t find appropriate to play today and I made the personal decision to not play Anthony Roy.
“I know how I want to do it, and too many times in my life, and probably too many times in the last six months, I’ve acquiesced based upon this, based upon that. It’s not just in this situation. And you know you wake up and you’re like ‘What am I doing?'”
Last week, @gbphoenixmbb HC Doug Gottlieb said if Anthony Roy didn’t start playing “his way”, he’d play less and less. Today, the leading scorer in the nation didn’t play *at all* in their 83-61 loss to Cleveland State. Here’s what Gottlieb had to say today pic.twitter.com/olXu72FzdV
— Joey DuBois (@joeyduboistv) December 8, 2024
That’s what many fans were wondering when Gottlieb benched Roy. However, fan reaction was roughly evenly split on social media between those ripping Gottlieb and those supporting the move.
Gottlieb then went on to drop an interesting analogy, comparing his efforts to build the Wisconsin-Green Bay program to building a dream home. (It’s worth noting the Phoenix finished 18-14 last season. This was not a total rebuild.)
“You only get one shot at this thing. Do it the right way,” Gottlieb said. “It’s like if you build a house — that’s what we’re doing, we’re building a house. And if you go like, ‘Wow, you know, the foundation, well we can save money here, we save money there.
“You get one chance at a dream home. It’s my dream home. I’m building it. I’m going to spend the extra time and extra expense and do it the right way.”
No one expected Gottlieb to be a conventional coach. He’s known for his controversial hot takes on The Doug Gottlieb Show and on social media. During the Paris Olympics, he called out Team USA star Steph Curry on X, saying, “Steph ain’t helping kids. Loose with ball, minus defensively.”
He’s been equally outspoken about his media colleagues. He recently criticized ESPN star Stephen A. Smith for becoming “a little bit too big for his britches.”
Now, he’s benched the nation’s leading scorer. Sounds like that would be a great topic for a certain radio show.
[Joey Dubois]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.