History

UW-Green Bay was founded in 1965 with the men’s basketball program beginning play during the 1969/1970 season at the NAIA level. The program moved to NCAA Division II in 1973 where it remained until joining the Division I ranks in 1982. Below is a summary of Green Bay’s Division I basketball history:

NCAA Tournament appearances:

1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2016

NIT Appearances:

1990, 1992, 2014, 2015

Conference championships:

1991 – Mid-Continent Conference Tournament champions

1992 – Mid-Continent Conference regular season champions

1994 – Mid-Continent Conference regular season champions

1994 – Mid-Continent Conference Tournament champions

1995 – Horizon League Tournament champions

1996 – Horizon League regular season champions

2014 – Horizon League regular season champions

2016 – Horizon League Tournament champions

Green Bay Phoenix in the NBA:

There have been eight former Green Bay Phoenix basketball players that have either played or been drafted by NBA teams.  They are:

Tom Anderson | Drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 10th round of the 1978 NBA Draft

Ron Ripley | Drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the 4th round of the 1979 NBA Draft

Tony Bennett | Drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2nd round of the 1992 NBA Draft.

Logan Vander Velden | Undrafted, played the 1995-1996 season with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Jeff Nordgaard | Drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2nd round of the 1996 NBA Draft.

Alec Brown | Drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the 2nd round of the 2014 NBA Draft.

Alfonzo McKinnie | Undrafted, played 5 seasons in the NBA with the Raptors, Warriors, Cavaliers, Lakers, and Bulls

Keifer Sykes | Undrafted, played the 2021/2022 season with the Indiana Pacers

Link: Current Green Bay players playing professionally