Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball head coach Doug Gottlieb said repeatedly in the final weeks of last season that he didn't know how he would lead the team moving forward without starting guard Preston Ruedinger, and now he won't have to.

 

The Phoenix announced on Thursday that Ruedinger would be returning to the program as an assistant coach. 

 

"Preston exemplifies everything we dream of for Green Bay Athletes," said Gottlieb in a statement. "He is a pillar in the community, a graduate of GB, and he has given the school/team/fans everything he has to raise the bar of the basketball program. I am so happy to follow through on a promise I made that he would join us. Rudy will focus on defense and recruiting in his first year on staff, while bringing both our players and staff the idea of what it is actually like in games in the Horizon League. Welcome Home, Rudy. I can't wait to be a part of your growth as a coach."

 

Ruedinger helped oversee the program's massive turnaround under Gottlieb after Sunny Wicks departed for Wyoming. He earned second team All-Horizon League honors after averaging nearly 12 points, five assists, and four rebounds a game.

 

"I am very grateful for the chance to pour into the same program and community that poured into me for the last three years," Ruedinger added. "I'm grateful for the opportunity and ready to help our student-athletes reach their potential on and off the court. Go Phoenix."