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The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball team is having, well, the worst kind of season. With a brutal 83-61 loss to Cleveland State on Saturday, their record now stands at 2-8. Fans were already furious, but what really shook things up was Coach Doug Gottlieb’s decision to bench Anthony Roy, the nation’s leading scorer. The one guy averaging 28 points per game didn’t see the court. Why? According to Gottlieb, values and discipline come first, even if it means leaving his best player on the bench.

“I owe it to the guys to play the guys that do what we ask them to do. Period,” Gottlieb said after the game. “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.” Seems like there was some locker drama between the matchups. 

But this isn’t the first time Gottlieb has made a bold call like this. He even benched him just two minutes into the game against Campbell. “We’re building a house,” he said this time. “And if you go like, well, you know, the foundation, we can save money here, we can save money there. You get one chance at a dream home. It’s my dream home. I’m going to spend the extra time and the extra expense and do it the right way.”

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Gottlieb believes in setting a standard. To him, it’s not just about scoring points, it’s about building a culture. Without Roy, the Phoenix struggled to keep up. Cleveland State’s Je’Shawn Stevenson led the charge with 20 points and three steals, while Green Bay’s offense looked flat. 

Foster Wonders and Mac Wrecke were the only players to hit double digits, each scoring 10 points. Meanwhile, the defense didn’t do much to stop the Vikings. The Phoenix managed to put up 37 points in the second half, but by then, the game was already out of reach. 

Even before the season began, Green Bay was picked to finish eighth in the 11-team Horizon League poll, and right now, even that feels like a stretch. Gottlieb, in his first season as a DI coach, is known to be honest about players and be vocal. He has maintained the same attitude regarding his team’s shortcomings and his own. 

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Benching the nation's top scorer—Is Gottlieb's decision a bold move or a big mistake?

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“You wake up, and you’re like, what am I doing? You only get one shot at this thing. Do it the right way,” he said. But all is not gone yet. Green Bay has time to right the ship. But they need to start now.

What Doug Gottlieb & Co. can do to improve

First things first. Anthony Roy needs to hit the court in every game. The 6-foot-5 senior guard has been putting up better numbers than former Phoenix stars Noah Reynolds and Keifer Sykes. Roy is shooting 51.9% and averaging 5.8 rebounds per game. If Green Bay wants any shot at turning this season around, they need him to be the leader.

But as the HC puts it, “When he doesn’t have the right mentality and energy and just saying, ‘Hey, give me the ball, I’m going to score,’ everybody gets out of the way. We are not good enough to do that.” So we hope that doesn’t happen going forward.

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But Roy isn’t the only one who needs to step up. Veterans like Foster Wonders and Preston Ruedinger have to find their rhythm. Wonders is shooting just 31% overall and 28% from the three-point range. Ruedinger, who missed two games due to injury, isn’t faring much better. 

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If these guys can get going, it could take some pressure off Roy and create a more balanced offense. Then there’s the defense or lack thereof. Right now, Green Bay ranks 330th in field goal percentage defense. Simply put, they’re getting outplayed on both ends of the floor. 

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The head coach admitted the team spent much of the summer focusing on offense, but it’s time to tighten up the defense. The next game comes Wednesday when in-state rival Milwaukee visits the Resch Center. Let’s see if the Phoenix can regroup and start clawing their way back.

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Benching the nation's top scorer—Is Gottlieb's decision a bold move or a big mistake?