Sports radio star Doug Gottlieb to coach college hoops while staying on the air

Most sports fans know Doug Gottlieb for his hot takes on sports radio, but he's getting into the coaching world now as well as the newest head coach for the Green Bay Phoenix basketball program.

Interestingly enough, the new gig won't mean a departure from radio for the longtime media star. According to ESPN, the new head coach will continue to host "The Doug Gottlieb Show" on Fox Sports Radio while he fulfills his duty as UWGB head coach.

"It is an honor beyond measure to be named the 10th men's basketball coach in UWGB history," Gottlieb said in a statement. "Every kid has a dream growing up — some want to be a firefighter, others want to be president. I have always wanted to be a head basketball coach at the Division I level."

Although he's been a radio personality since 2002 working for outfits such as ESPN, CBS and Fox Sports, Gottlieb does actually have a rich college basketball background. He played three seasons at Oklahoma State and was a spectacular point guard for the Cowboys. So much so that he's still the school's single-season assist leader with 299 (8.8 per game) put up in 1998-99. He's also the school's all-time assist leader with 793. For comparison's sake, Byron Eaton is second on that list with 545.

Gottlieb also has ties to the Green Bay area. He's a Milwaukee native and his father, Bob, coached the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 1975-1980.

"As a kid who was born at Columbia Hospital and a dad who was, at that a head coach in the UW system, it is even more amazing to get this opportunity to come back to Wisconsin and live out my dreams," Gottlieb said.

This will be his first time acting as a college head coach, but he was an assistant coach for the United States men's team in the 2009 Maccabiah Games and was the head coach in 2017.

"Coach Gottlieb's energy and passion for the game, desire to mentor our student-athletes, and belief in the people of this region make him a great fit to continue to carry our momentum forward," UWGB chancellor Mike Alexander said.

It will be interesting to see how Gottlieb's radio show changes during the college basketball season. Certainly, he won't be as available as he currently is to give national takes on air.