GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC 26) — In a way, Will Eames' college career will end the same way it began.
He's once again committed to play for Sundance Wicks, the new UW-Green Bay coach who originally recruited him to Missouri Western out of high school.
The graduate transfer called it a "full-circle moment."
Eames, a 6'7" forward, went under-recruited out of high school. But Wicks gave him a chance at Western, where he went on to score more than 1,000 points and grab more than 700 rebounds, one of just five players in program history to do so.
"He's the only coach who I felt truly wanted me," Eames said.
Now, Eames is set to reunite with his former coach as they both start anew in Titletown.
100% committed! #TheGreenBayWay#BYOJ 🧃 pic.twitter.com/PVKuFuDFwn
— Will Eames (@willeames7) April 9, 2023
"There wouldn't be anyone else if I was going to go up to the Division I Level," Eames said. "I feel like he would have been the top of my list whoever would have offered me.
"He's one of those guys that just leaves an imprint on you," Eames added.
Eames has just one year of eligibility left, so it will be a short run with the Phoenix. However, he hopes he can be a tone-setter for Wicks' rebuild.
"I'm going to be the guy I think who understands Sunny, who knows him," he said. "I think I can be a culture guy who comes in as a leader from day one."
Eames said Wicks' high-energy style is 100 percent authentic, and called it "contagious." Eames believes Wicks is the perfect leader to bring Green Bay back to its winning ways.
"I know that if something's been there before it can do it again," Eames said. "And I think Sundance is kind of the guy to bring it back to where it should be.
"It's on the rise, man," he said of the UW-Green Bay program. "I'm excited to be a part of it for a year and try to get the fans what they deserve."
