New deal for UWGB men's basketball coach Sundance Wicks will make him highest paid coach in program history
GREEN BAY – University of Wisconsin-Green Bay athletic director Josh Moon wasn’t messing around when he said in January that he wanted to go on offense to retain men’s basketball coach Sundance Wicks and his staff.
Wicks helped engineer one of the best single-season turnarounds in NCAA Division I history in his first year with the Phoenix this season.
He completely reconstructed a team that went 3-29 in 2022-23 and led them to an 18-14 record, not to mention a huge improvement in the classroom.
The Horizon League’s coach of the year was rewarded Thursday when the school announced a one-year extension to his contract that now runs through the 2028-29 season.
But it’s far more significant than that.
UWGB’s early fundraising efforts appear to be paying dividends, at least based on Wicks’ raises each of the next five seasons.
The original five-year contract he signed when he arrived was set to pay him a base salary of $235,000 per season.
Wicks’ revised contract will pay him a gross base salary of $300,000 next season, $325,000 in 2025-26, $350,000 in 2026-27, $375,000 in 2027-28 and $400,000 in 2028-29.
Those figures easily make him the highest paid coach in program history.
“One, you are grateful,” Wicks said. “Any time these things go down, it’s an extension of belief. That’s probably the most important thing you can have as a coach. You have got to believe in what you are doing. Your players have to believe in what you are doing. The community.
“And then, obviously, the most important is those you work closely with in your administration. This is a new day and age in college basketball, and to have any sort of consistency or continuity is massively important.”
Wicks also appears to have gotten his wish that his assistants be rewarded along with him.
The school has not yet finalized raises for his staff, but it is believed it will happen soon.
Just as in his original contract, there are buyouts that must be paid should Wicks accept another coaching position at a DI school.
If notice is provided any time prior to April 1, 2025, the liquidated damages are $705,000. It goes down to $475,000 in 2026, $350,000 in 2027, $150,000 in 2028 and $50,000 in 2029.
Moon is well aware UWGB needs additional resources to compete, to continue to get more donors and businesses to step up and invest in the program with the hope of being able to achieve sustained success.
The fundraising is not complete. Not by a long shot. It would be difficult to find many who don’t think that, while it’s been a good start, more needs to be done.
Still, a raise for Wicks is a significant start.
“Sunny has done such an amazing job in year one, we are thrilled that he will continue to lead the Phoenix for the foreseeable future," Moon said in a statement. "We are building something special in Green Bay, and his connectivity, juice, belief, character and passion for this program and university will continue to help us rise to new heights.
“What I appreciate most about Sunny is his love for our players and his deep commitment and belief to learn from the legends that have come before him. He has embraced the grit and hard work that embodies this region and this program and ignited the passion and belief for Phoenix basketball from so many. We are excited to watch the continued rise of this program under his leadership."
UWGB must replace assistant Zach Malvik
The Phoenix’s success this season wasn’t just noticed in Green Bay. Other schools were paying attention.
UWGB recently lost assistant Zach Malvik, who was hired as the new coach at UW-Eau Claire.
The team was sad to see him go, but it’s difficult not to be excited for his opportunity to run his own show for the first time after stints as either an associate head coach or assistant at St. Mary’s University and Winona State before joining Wicks at UWGB last season.
“I want to hire guys who want to be head coaches,” Wicks said. “I want to work with guys who have those aspirations. There is no rhyme or reason why some guys get jobs earlier or why some guys get jobs later, but part of what I love is the mentorship. If I can help you position yourself, or if we can help you uncover a blind spot or give you that next step that maybe makes it the right step, that’s a big part of this for those guys.
“Every head coaching job is hard. The old quote goes, ‘You don’t find the job, the job finds you.’ You can go interview and apply, but ultimately the right job will find you. The right job found Coach Malvik. … He is going to knock it out of the park.”
Malvik’s replacement at UWGB will join a group that includes assistant coaches Pat Monaghan and Nic Reynolds, director of basketball operations Adam Owens and director of player development Rahmon Fletcher.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: UWGB men's basketball coach Sundance Wicks earns raise, extension
