Former Kaukauna standout Jordan McCabe joining Green Bay men’s basketball coaching staff
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Former Kaukauna basketball star Jordan McCabe is heading home to join Sundance Wicks’ coaching staff at UW-Green Bay.
McCabe, Wisconsin’s Mr. Basketball Award Winner in 2018, has been named an assistant coach for the Green Bay men’s basketball program heading into the 2024-25 season.
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“2018 Wisconsin Mr. Basketball is coming home!” said Wicks. “I am jacked up to add Coach McCabe to our already elite coaching staff and for Jordan and Olivia to come home to the Fox Valley. One of the most important aspects of our program is the transformation of the young men who suit up for the Fighting Phoenix. Jordan’s ability to connect with players on the floor and off is what stood out most to me. We want connected and competitive players, as well as coaches, and Jordan hits those marks.”
“Fresh off finishing an outstanding playing career across multiple levels, Coach McCabe is in the trenches teaching, motivating, and relating the most relevant and applicable skills of the game and life,” continued Wicks. “He is elite in player development because he utilizes training techniques that translate to the game. He gets the Green Bay Way. Gritty, Grateful, and ready to GET AFTER IT! Help me welcome our newest assistant coach for the UWGB Fighting Phoenix, Fox Valley’s finest, Coach Jordan McCabe!” Wicks expressed.
The former Galloping Ghost left his mark on the high school basketball scene in a big way. From 2014-2018, McCabe was a four-year varsity starter at Kaukauna and averaged 22.8 points per game throughout his high school career. He holds the school record for most career points scored with 2,436, which ranks sixth all-time in the state of Wisconsin, and McCabe capped off his senior season with a state championship.
After a luxurious high school career at Kaukauna from 2014-2018, McCabe received multiple scholarship offers to play collegiate basketball. In 2015, UW-Green Bay offered McCabe a basketball scholarship and was one of the final teams in the mix when McCabe decided on his commitment, but ultimately, he chose to play at West Virginia.
McCabe played five years of college basketball, spending his first three seasons (2018-2021) with the Mountaineers, and finished his last two years of eligibility at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. During McCabe’s 154 games played in his collegiate career, he averaged 4.7 points per contest in 18.5 minutes.
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McCabe earned his undergraduate degree in sports management from WVU in 2021 and received an MBA Certification from UNLV.
After completing his college basketball career, the former Kaukauna star began his coaching career at just 25 years old, taking an assistant coaching position at West Virginia for the 2023-24 season under head coach Josh Eilert.
Analysis
McCabe’s Basketball IQ & Dedication
If you had seen McCabe play basketball in northeast Wisconsin during his high school career, you’d have understood within the first five minutes that he knew the game at a high level.
The former Kaukauna star would be two or three steps ahead of his defenders, who were, at times, upperclassmen. He’s a high-level competitor and will bring the ‘juice’ that Sundance expects on the sidelines. Despite being considered young in the coaching ranks, McCabe’s basketball IQ is far beyond his years and is a big reason why he has the title attached to his name.
Just take it from West Virginia’s head basketball coach, Josh Eilert: “He’s got all of the characteristics of a great assistant coach, and I think he’ll be a head coach in the coming years.”
Learned From An All-Time Great
Whenever you’ve been coached by a hall of famer, you’re bound to bring something to the table that most don’t. Former West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins seemed to have a strong relationship with McCabe dating back to his recruitment.
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Huggins retired in 2023 and left the coaching ranks with a 935-414 record, becoming just the sixth men’s college basketball coach with 900 or more career victories. McCabe spent three seasons playing for Huggins and, I’m sure, learned a ton of insight into the game that would later translate into his coaching career.
McCabe Understands Today’s Media Landscape
Once a viral sensation at a young age, McCabe can help raise the program to heights they’re trying to achieve and relate to the student-athletes more than others in the process.
He’s never shied away from the spotlight. Heck, McCabe was on the Ellen DeGeneres Show at just 12 years old and showed off his basketball skills with the Harlem Globetrotters as a kid.
Add in his millions of views on YouTube for his high school highlight reels, and you have a guy who’s been at the forefront of the media landscape for as long as he can probably remember.
As McCabe settles into his coaching career, the platforms for young athletes continue to grow, and it’s important to have a unique voice that can relate to players. Although the clicks increased during McCabe’s playing career, it wasn’t always roses. He’s endured his fair share of negative comments and handled it with maturity and grace.
To have McCabe’s perspective on the Green Bay men’s basketball staff is beneficial in more ways than one when you consider helping Sundance Wicks guide these players on and off the court.
NIL (name, image, and likeness) is a real thing in collegiate sports, and it looks like it isn’t going away anytime soon. McCabe got his first taste of recruitment as a coach at West Virginia.
Rallying Local Talent
Talking to Sundance Wicks throughout the last year, it’s clear he gets it. He understands how unique the Wisconsin basketball community is to the program, especially in northeast Wisconsin.
In the last decade, you could argue that the two biggest high school basketball names in our area are Tyrese Haliburton and McCabe. Both have taken different paths post-high school, as Haliburton is in his fifth NBA season, and McCabe is navigating his coaching career.
For the latest on high school sports in northeast Wisconsin:
The former Kaukauna star has a large following in the Fox Valley and beyond. He should be a great ambassador in helping Green Bay rise. McCabe is passionate about the game of basketball and has always been proud of his roots in Wisconsin. His ties to the game, locally and nationally, might come in handy when it comes to recruiting.
All in all, assistant coaches come and go in collegiate programs. Wicks’s addition of McCabe to his coaching staff for the 2024-25 season is considered a big win for Phoenix and the area.
