The official site for UW-Green Bay News and Features
Many on the Green Bay campus and in the community will remember Jason Blohm ’01 who served as the tallest Phoenix Mascot in Phoenix history. Blohm worked as a career counselor in UW-Green Bay’s Career Services office as well, from 2002-2003. Blohm has had to undergo critical emergency medical care recently. Friends and alumni are asking for support via the Helping Jason Blohm Heal page.
Anthony Wilhelms hosts a discussion with Charles Guthrie, Director of Athletics at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay and Mike Steppe, SVP Chief Investment Officer at Nicolet National Bank joined the webinar. Topics include:
- Why the Division 1 athletic designation matters for UW-Green Bay and the community
- How to do more with less
- Small and Mighty-A look inside the operations of college athletics
- Pods of Excellence-Leadership and management for professional growth
- Values and strategies for student athletes
The Green Bay men’s basketball team notched its first win under Coach Will Ryan on Saturday against Youngstown State. The 79-69 win included a career-high performance from PJ Pipes. YSU was slated to finish second in the Horizon League’s preseason poll, and it was the first loss the Penguins suffered at home this season.
Green Bay regained the lead with 3:33 to play when Lucas Stieber (Green Bay Southwest), nephew of GB Hall-of-Famer only Bennett, was able to save a ball which seemed destined for the sidelines and find an open Pipes for triple. Pipes fifth three-pointer of the game gave the Phoenix a 66-65 lead.
Green Bay returns home this weekend to face Oakland at the Kress Center, taking the hardwood against the Golden Grizzlies on Friday, Jan. 8 and Saturday, Jan.9 with both games scheduled for a 4 p.m. tip. For the latest and most up-to-date information on Green Bay Athletics and Green Bay Men’s Basketball, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com.
Green Bay women win two straight
The Green Bay women’s basketball program is righting the ship with two straight wins over Oakland University. The Phoenix appeared to return to form with the return of Hailey Oskey, who poured in a career high 24 points on the best shooting game of her career in the 92-61 win. Oskey rejoined the team after battling early-season injuries. The Phoenix held off Oakland in overtime on Jan. 1.
Green Bay hosts Detroit Mercy Friday, Jan. 8 and Saturday, Jan. 9 at the Kress Center. No fans are allowed. Both games are at 11 a.m.
UW-Green Bay student-athletes have worked together to ‘Nix the Vid and help keep the UW-Green Bay community safe. It’s been a year of pressing on during the pandemic but these Green Bay athletes are not allowing COVID-19 to hold them back! Members of the Phoenix family take pride in protecting themselves and others by following the 3 Ws—wear a mask, wash your hands and watch your distance. https://www.uwgb.edu/phoenix-forward/. Go Phoenix!
Phlash—at least cartoon Phlash—has taken on the characteristics of a Fighting Phoenix… tough, tenacious, and proud! Katie Stephenson ‘2020 (Design Arts) created the new artwork with some direction from Green Bay Athletics, The Phoenix Bookstore, Marketing and University Communication and campus leadership.
Stephenson was a graphics design assistant for the Office of Marketing and University Communication when she was given the assignment in spring of 2020 to create a caricature of the Phlash mascot to be used for new merchandise.
“My goal was to give something both adults and kids could connect to and take pride in while supporting our school and athletics at UW-Green Bay,” said Stephenson. “I like that it is more modern and representative of our mascot. Phlash is fun, sparky, and unique. This mascot illustration is representative of that and I hope it gives something people can really connect with.”
Stephenson’s inspiration was from her personal experience in Athletics (Swimming and Diving) and the embodiment of Phlash’s personality.
“Phlash has some really great characteristics that draw people in and to our athletic events. I tried to embody that in the illustration.”
Stephenson is ecstatic to see her work around campus.
“There is no better feeling than seeing all my work in public! Especially with this project, it brought it to a whole other level when I saw it being used all over campus. It’s my favorite part of the job, I get to take pride in the work that I put into the project once I see it in public. Each time I see this project I am reminded of how nervous I was taking it on but also how fun and challenging it was to make along the way!”
She said she was so engaged in the process, that she couldn’t stay away from the marketing office until it was completed.
“It was an absolute blast! My supervisor and others were extremely kind and patient. I’m sure after my first extremely rough few sketches they were just as nervous as I was. But half way through after a lot of editing and refinement we could all look back and admire the process and maybe giggle at the first few rough drawings.”
The project also helped Stephenson with her professional portfolio, and landing her first job, right out of college, as a designer for American Tent.
“While my portfolio is very well rounded with many projects from my classes this was my star project. I have gotten some great feedback on it, and someone took special notice in it and now I have my first job working for a great local company.”
The campus also used the new Phlash with a mask as its campaign graphic to fight COVID-19 on campus this year.
New Phlash items now available at the The Phoenix Bookstore include sweatshirts and T-shirts. On order are:
Story written by Sue Bodilly and Charlotte Berg, Marketing and University Communication intern
Recently-named Green Bay head men’s basketball coach Will Ryan will be officially introduced at a private (but streamed) event on Thursday, June 11 at 3 p.m. Following his introductory press conference, Ryan talks with the “voice of the Phoenix” Brian Kuklinski for an exclusive 1-on-1 interview at approx. 4 p.m. Both events will be streamed at no cost on Facebook Live on the Green Bay Phoenix Men’s Basketball page, and fans are encouraged to submit their questions to be featured during the 1-on-1 interview.
This special introductory event will be invite-only, with many health and safety restrictions in place including social distancing mandates, mask/face covering requirements, limitations on capacity, and others. Plans for future events where season ticket holders and Phoenix supporters will be able to meet Coach Ryan are being planned for the coming months, health and safety dependent. Stay tuned to greenbayphoenix.com, @gbphoenixmbb and season ticket holder emails for more information.
Ryan was announced as the eighth head coach in program history this past Sunday. View the full release here.
It probably would be a good time for University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball coach Linc Darner to take his dogs on a few more walks.
Or maybe for women’s basketball coach Kevin Borseth to go on a couple of extra fishing trips.
There isn’t quite as much to do these days after the NCAA recently enacted a dead period for recruiting that will go until at least April 15, and perhaps much longer, because of the coronavirus.
There are no in-person visits to make. No games on the AAU circuit to watch. Prospects can’t come on campus and coaches can’t go to their homes.
Even the Kress Center on UWGB’s campus, where Phoenix players work out and put up shots during the offseason, has closed its doors for the next month.
Source: UWGB basketball programs forced to adjust to new normal with coronavirus
Green Bay Athletics has recently added two more names to its “Top 50 Most Influential Leaders in Green Bay Athletics History” list. The first is the Modern Era Green Bay women’s basketball program. The program has won 20 consecutive conference championships from the 1998-1999 season through the 2017-2018 season, making 17 NCAA Tournament appearances during that time. The program produced 19 professional women’s basketball players in the last 20 years and has only been coached by three individuals during that timeframe, Carole Hammerle, Matt Bollant and Kevin Borseth. The second addition to the list was Mark Murphy, current president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers. Murphy is a vocal supporter of Athletics on UW-Green Bay’s Council of Trustees and has been a trusted council for Green Bay athletic directors and department leadership throughout his tenure. He has aided with strategic direction, as well as helped fundraising efforts, such as the Phoenix Packers Steak Fry.
There have been two recent additions to the “Top 50 Most Influential Leaders in Green Bay Athletics History” list. The first of these additions is Jess Miller, who has been a Phoenix Fund board member for over 20 years and a season ticket holder since 1988, serving as president of the board. Miller is an influential member of the sports community in Green Bay as owner of The Bar franchise, Graystone Ale House and Hagemeister Park. In addition, Miller has helped connect coaches in the community and provide strategic direction to athletic department leadership throughout the years.
The second addition is Modern Era Green Bay men’s basketball, which has had an overall team record of 214-153, including 118-74 in Horizon League play from the 2008-2009 season to 2018-2019 season. This 11-year span included a 2014 Horizon League first place finish, eight post-season appearances, nine top four league finishes and a 2016 appearance in the NCAA Tournament after a 20-year hiatus. This era includes some of the program’s most successful players including Ryan Tillema, Troy Cotton, Rahmon Fletcher, Alec Brown, Keifer Sykes, Alfonzo McKinnie, Jordan Fouse, Carrington Love, Khalil Small and Sandy Cohen III. Head coaches from this successful period include Tod Kowalczyk, Brian Wardle and Linc Darner.
A jam packed weekend for Green Bay Athletics begins on Friday, Feb. 14, 2020 with the men’s tennis team heading to North Dakota to play at 5 p.m. The women’s softball team plays Marist at a neutral site in Nashville, Tennessee at 6 p.m. The women’s basketball team hosts Detroit Mercy at the Kress Center at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, Feb. 15, the nordic ski team competes at the CCSA Conference Championships in Houghton, Michigan. The women’s tennis team plays at North Dakota at 9 a.m. The men’s tennis team plays Omaha at a neutral site in Grand Forks, North Dakota at 2 p.m. The women’s softball team plays a doubleheader against Belmont at 3 p.m. and against Marist again at 5 p.m. The men’s basketball team plays at Milwaukee at 6 p.m.
On Sunday, Feb. 16, the women’s softball team plays Western Michigan at 9 a.m. The women’s tennis team play at South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota. Finally, the women’s basketball team hosts Oakland at 1 p.m. at the Kress Center to cap off an exciting weekend slate for Green Bay Athletics.