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Phoenix Basketball Faces Tough Conference Slate
Men's and women's teams look to regain momentum after recent struggles
Feb. 3, 2026 at 7:47pm
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The Green Bay Phoenix men's and women's basketball teams are facing challenges as they navigate the back half of their conference schedules. The men's team has lost four of its last five games, struggling on the defensive end and allowing an average of 83 points per game during that span. The women's team, meanwhile, has gotten off to a strong 13-0 start in Horizon League play, but is still looking to play at a high level for a full 40 minutes.
Why it matters
The Phoenix basketball programs are important parts of the Green Bay community, and their performances can have a big impact on school and local pride. The men's team's recent struggles and the women's team's desire to play up to their standard for an entire game highlight the ups and downs that come with college basketball.
The details
The men's team is focusing on improving its defense and holding players more accountable, according to head coach Doug Gottlieb. The women's team, led by head coach Kayla Karius, has shown flashes of strong play but is still looking to put together a complete 40-minute effort. Both teams have tough conference games coming up, with the men traveling to Northern Kentucky and the women going on the road to Robert Morris and Youngstown State.
- The Phoenix men's basketball team plays at Northern Kentucky on Wednesday, February 4 at 6:00 p.m. CT.
- The Phoenix women's basketball team plays at Robert Morris on Thursday, February 5 at 10:00 a.m. CT and at Youngstown State on Saturday, February 6 at 1:00 p.m. CT.
The players
Doug Gottlieb
Head coach of the Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball team.
Marcus Hall
Junior forward on the Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball team.
Kayla Karius
Head coach of the Green Bay Phoenix women's basketball team.
Kamy Peppler
Senior guard on the Green Bay Phoenix women's basketball team.
What they’re saying
“We have taken steps. We are a better defensive team. But to take the next step, we need more consistency we have to have a little bit shorter leash with some of the guys that are struggling defensively. We got to hold them more accountable. They got to get better. And then the guys that come in that are more defensive minded have to be willing to move the ball more, space more, cut more, so the offense doesn't stagnate when they come in.”
— Doug Gottlieb, Head coach
“We know we can score and we have a bunch of guys who do a lot of good stuff on offense. But I feel like defense just has to be our constant for games like that, where we aren't playing good on offense in the first half or are struggling to shoot, even getting good shots. We just have to keep ourselves in the game and not dig ourselves such a big hole early.”
— Marcus Hall, Junior forward
“We have this standard that we're playing at and I think that we've shown great flashes. Sometimes they're flashes, sometimes they're quarter-long stretches of really guarding at a high level and shooting the ball well. And I think if you combine those two, you're gonna start to put teams away and we wanna be able to do that 'cause I think that's playing to our standard for 40 minutes. That would feel really good by the end of it.”
— Kayla Karius, Head coach
“Obviously not being complacent with where we're at. I think there's still a lot of things we can continue to grow at and just taking every game as it is and being in the moment and learning from that. I think that'll help us get to where we wanna be.”
— Kamy Peppler, Senior guard
The takeaway
The Green Bay Phoenix men's and women's basketball teams are facing different challenges as they navigate the back half of their conference schedules. The men's team is focused on improving its defense and holding players more accountable, while the women's team is looking to play at a consistently high level for an entire game. Both programs are important parts of the Green Bay community, and their performances can have a big impact on school and local pride.
