Green Bay hires Sundance Wicks as its next men's basketball coach

GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC 26) — The Phoenix have their next men's basketball coach.

UW-Green Bay has hired Wyoming assistant coach Sundance Wicks to replace Will Ryan, who was fired midseason amid the worst year in the program's history.

"We are excited to welcome Coach Wicks to UW-Green Bay," UW-Green Bay Chancellor Michael Alexander said in a news release. "He is the right person to lead our men's basketball team into the future as Northeast Wisconsin's Division I Athletic program. His energy and commitment to what is possible here is in perfect alignment with our aspirations and goals as a University."

Wicks, a Wyoming native, has made stops at several NCAA Division I and II programs, including a head coaching stint at DII Missouri Western.

He was previously the associate head coach at his alma mater, Northern State University in South Dakota, from 2016-18. There, he crossed paths with UWGB Athletic Director Josh Moon, who was the AD at NSU at the time.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sundance and his family to Phoenix Country," Moon said in a news release. "'Sunny' will transform Phoenix Basketball – restoring the rich tradition and history and connecting with alumni, fans and friends and all of Northeast Wisconsin."

"I am absolutely humbled and honored to be called on to lead the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball program into its next era," Wicks said in the university's news release. "There is a history of winning and a tradition of excellence that is dormant right now, not dead, and we will RISE that tradition from its ashes.

"The 'Green Bay Way' is about caring at a high level, connecting with the community and competing 'til you have emptied the tank," Wicks continued. "It's time to bring the juice to the bay and get after it EVERY SINGLE DAY!"

Green Bay went just 3-29 in 2022-23, the fewest wins in the program's history.