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Horizon League delays start of fall sports season

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The Horizon League Council decided on Thursday to delay the start of fall competition for all sports with the understanding that if competition occurs, it will not begin before October 1.

The league includes UW-Green Bay and UW-Milwaukee as two of its member institutions.

The decision allows each campus to further focus on ensuring return to competition protocols, uphold the Council’s principle of safety and can be reasonably implemented.  The delay in competition includes all exhibition, League and non-League contests in all sports (championship and non-championship).

Decisions related to training and practice will be left to members’ discretion.  Rescheduling of non-conference contests impacted by the postponed start of the fall seasons will be determined by each school.  The Horizon League’s Council will continue to monitor developments related to COVID-19, and will evaluate fall schedules and competitions with the understanding that there may be future changes.

 

Darner to receive a healthy settlement from Green Bay

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Linc Darner

Former UW-Green Bay men’s basketball coach Linc Darner will receive a healthy settlement after his departure from the program earlier this month.

According to a Green Bay Press Gazette story written by Scott Venci, Darner is guaranteed at least $720,000 as part of the settlement agreement he made with the school.

According to the report, Darner was paid $120,000 on May 21 and is set to receive $120,000 on the first business day in January.  He is also set to receive monthly payments of $20,000 from May 1, 2021, through April 1, 2023.

In addition, if Darner has not landed a head coaching or assistant job before that time, he will receive an additional $20,000 per month beginning May, 1, 2023, and going through April 1, 2024. [Read more…]

Darner leaving Green Bay men’s basketball (update)

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Linc Darner

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Chancellor Michael Alexander confirmed today (Monday) that the University and men’s basketball coach Linc Darner have decided to part ways.

In a statement issued to the media this morning, no reason was given for Darner’s dismissal and the school is offering no further comment at this time.

Green Bay Athletics Director Charles Guthrie said a national search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

Darner was initially hired by former Athletic Director Mary Ellen Gillespie.  Gillespie put language in Darner’s contract which allowed for very sustainable extensions to be reached.  Darner could get a year added to his contract for finishing fourth or better in the Horizon League standings.  He also had built in protections that allowed for potential extensions in the event of changes in upper level leadership at the University. [Read more…]

UW-Green Bay fired men’s basketball coach Linc Darner

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Linc Darner

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is looking for a new head men’s basketball coach after firing Linc Darner over the weekend.

The Phoenix finished third in the Horizon League this past season and reached the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament.  Green Bay is 92-80 in five seasons under Darner, making the NCAA tournament in his first season in 2016.

It’s unclear why Darner was fired or exactly when the decision was made, but it comes with six years left on his contract with a base salary of $230,000 per season.

If Green Bay has to pay Darner all six remaining years of the contract, the school would owe him more than a million dollars.  If he was actually fired because he violated NCAA rules, the school could get out [Read more…]

WIAC cancels spring sports season

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The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) announced on Monday that it is canceling the spring sports season, effective immediately, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

That includes the suspension of all sports-related practices.  All in-person athletic recruiting activities, on or off campus, are suspended indefinitely.  All in-person conference meetings are to be transitioned to telephone conference calls until further notice as well.

The Horizon League, which includes a pair of state schools, Green Bay and Milwaukee, is also canceling spring sports.

Green Bay women advance to Horizon League title game, men fall in semifinals

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Green Bay senior Frankie Wurtz scored on a drive to the basket with 3.1 seconds left to give the No. 2-seeded Phoenix a 50-49 win over No. 4 Northern Kentucky in the Horizon League Tournament semifinals.

The win sends Green Bay to its 10th-straight tournament championship game, where they will meet No. 1 seed IUPUI on Tuesday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPNU.

Northern Kentucky used an 11-0 run to their their first lead, then traded baskets with the Phoenix before Wurtz final shot heroics.

Green Bay held NKU to just 28.3% from the field and just 19.2% (5-of-26) from three-point range.  The Phoenix held the Norse to their fourth-lowest point total this season.

Green Bay will be going for its league-leading 17th Horizon League Tournament Championship victory on Tuesday and is now 63-10 all-time in the HL Tournament. [Read more…]

Green Bay & Milwaukee picked to finish down in Horizon League pack

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Wright State is the preseason favorite in the 2019-20 Horizon League men’s basketball championship.  A vote of the league’s coaches, media and sports information directors picked the Raiders ahead of second place Northern Kentucky.

Wright State captured 28 first-place votes.  Illinois-Chicago is third in the balloting.

The Green Bay Phoenix were picked to finish fifth and the Milwaukee Panthers ended up seventh in the voting.

Detroit’s Antoine Davis was tabbed as the Preseason Player of the Year.

 

Green Bay’s Cohen invited to Cleveland’s NBA Summer Camp

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Sandy Cohen III – Photo Courtesy of Green Bay Phoenix Athletics

Former Green Bay Phoenix guard Sandy Cohen III has been invited to the Cleveland Cavaliers mini-camp in preparation for NBA Summer League 2019.

Cohen will report to the Cavaliers on Thursday in Cleveland and then travel with the team to Salt Lake City, Utah for the Salt Lake City summer League.  The Cavs will play three games in Salt Lake, playing on July 1-3.  Cohen is then expected to head to Nevada with the Cavs for the Las Vegas Summer League July 5-15.

Cohen will be hoping to earn a roster spot with the Cavs for the start of training camp.

The Seymour, Wisconsin native set the Division I single season scoring record at Green Bay last season (666).  He earned First Team All-Horizon League honors and CIT All-Tournament team honors.  He was invited to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational and also took part in the 3X3U Tournament for the Horizon League at the NCAA Final Four.

Cohen averaged 17.5 points and 6.4 rebounds a game to lead the Phoenix.

Milwaukee, Green Bay earn Horizon League victories

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UW-Milwaukee 83, Cleveland State 76

The Panthers turned a 10-point halftime deficit into a 83-76 win over the Cleveland State Vikings in Horizon League action Thursday night.

The Panthers shot 60-percent from the field, 54.5-percent from beyond the arc and hit 19 of 25 free throws while forcing six of their season-high 20 turnovers to spark a 22-4 run to lead Milwaukee to victory.

Darius Roy scored 24 points to lead four players in double figures for the Panthers (6-9, 1-1 HL).

UW-Green Bay 99, Youngstown State 93 (OT)

Green Bay converted its final 12 free throws of the game and used a 10-0 run in overtime to take down Youngstown State 99-93 at the Resch Center.  The Phoenix (8-7, 2-0 HL) improved to 3-0 at home this season, while the Penguins have now lost seven straight.

JayQuan McCloud led Green Bay with 24 points, going 9-of-14 from the field.  Kameron Hankerson added a season-high 19 points off the bench, shooting 7-for-11 from the field and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.

 

UW-Milwaukee loses three top players

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Just when it appeared UW-Milwaukee had steadied their ship in men’s basketball, the Panthers are losing three more players.

Junior guards Brock Stull and Jeremiah Bell, along with sophomore forward Bryce Nze, had all requested and been granted their release from the program, looking to transfer elsewhere.

The program had already lost a pair of sophomore scholarship guards (August Haas and Jeremy Johnson) in March, which means the Panthers have five scholarship players who have left the program.

If that isn’t enough, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported a source saying, three of the top four players Milwaukee signed in the early signing period last fall, have also asked to be released from their national letters of intent.  Rosiak was the first to report the Milwaukee departures.

The players cited a number of reasons for leaving, including the program’s instability.  Current head coach Pat Baldwin is the third coach in three years.

The Panthers finished 16-17 last season, finishing fifth in the Horizon League with an 8-10 record.