Still seeking a coach, UWGB women's basketball adds recruit Julianna Ouimette from transfer portal
GREEN BAY – The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women’s basketball team doesn’t have a coach, but it did announce a commitment.
UWGB has added former Lakeland Union standout guard Julianna Ouimette, hoping for yet another gem from the NCAA transfer portal.
The 5-foot-10 Ouimette spent her freshman season at Lehigh University, a DI school in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
She dealt with a stress fracture in a foot for most of the season, limiting her to just five games and 18 minutes. It opens up the possibility she will be granted a medical redshirt and retain four years of eligibility with the Phoenix.
The announcement of any addition to the UWGB roster might seem unusual right now, considering the team is searching for a new coach after the recent retirement of Kevin Borseth.
But Ouimette verbally committed to the Phoenix a short time after she entered the portal and while Borseth still was the coach.
She received a call from longtime UWGB assistant Sarah Bronk almost immediately, before another call with both Bronk and Borseth a few days later in which he offered her a scholarship.
Ouimette didn’t hesitate. It was an immediate yes. She wanted to return closer to home, and UWGB was the perfect fit.
The excitement turned to some concern when news broke that Borseth was stepping down last week. But any worries her scholarship status could be put in limbo were addressed when Bronk and UWGB athletic director Josh Moon made separate calls to Ouimette to tell her she was still welcome and had a spot on the team.
“They were all very comforting, very inviting,” Ouimette said. “They never made me feel like they don’t want me anymore. Green Bay was just very good about making sure I felt wanted still.”
But did Ouimette still want UWGB, considering she picked the school thinking she was going to play with a head coach that won’t be there when she arrives on campus?
The status of Bronk also must be decided when a new hire is made. She has been at UWGB since 2007 when Matt Bollant replaced Borseth after he left for Michigan, then was retained by Borseth when he returned to Green Bay after Bollant was hired at Illinois.
“Obviously, I loved the coaching staff that was there,” Ouimette said. “Borseth is great. I love Bronk. Those were the two I talked to mainly. I love the coaching staff, and I was really excited to possibly have a chance to play for them.
“But on top of that, I really just love the Green Bay school, the program, the girls on the team. The atmosphere. Just so much support from the community there. On top of the great coaches, that was also something that made me want to be there. That didn’t change with the coach stepping down.”
Transfer portal has been boon for Phoenix
Borseth used the portal to bring in several impact players in recent years. They include senior forward Natalie McNeal, who led the team in scoring this season and was a big reason UWGB made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018.
Ouimette was one of the best prep players in the state during her career and a Miss Basketball finalist as a senior in 2023.
She finished with 2,349 career points, 727 assists, 713 rebounds and 757 steals and was named the player of the year three times in the Great Northern Conference.
Ouimette averaged 20 or more points three times in four years, including 21.1 points as a senior to help lead Lakeland Union to a WIAA Division 2 state semifinal at the Resch Center.
It remains to be seen what her role will be in her first season, especially if most of UWGB’s players decide to return.
The Phoenix has a veteran backcourt in Bailey Butler and Cassie Schiltz.
Ouimette wants to help in any way possible, and she’s not worried about fitting in with a new coach who didn’t recruit her.
“I think I will really love it there, regardless of how things go,” Ouimette said. “Obviously, I’m hoping for a great basketball experience. Green Bay is a good school that will get a good coach who can give us a great experience.”
Basketball is in Ouimette's blood
Ouimette comes from a basketball family.
Her mother, Melissa, was her high school coach and played one season in college under the legendary Pat Summitt at Tennessee before transferring to Northwestern.
She was a standout at D.C. Everest while in high school and was named Miss Basketball in 1989.
Her younger sister, Kristina, recently completed her junior season at Lakeland and has scored 1,725 career points. She has several DI offers, including one from UWGB.
Having a mother who played the sport was a big influence growing up.
“She made me fall in love with basketball,” Ouimette said. “I don’t know if I would have found this sport on my own if it wasn’t for her. I just love everything about it.
“She has gotten me to where I have gotten. Taught me all my skills. She is literally the reason that I am at this position now. Having her as a coach for as long as I did was amazing. I could not have asked for a better coach.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: UWGB women's basketball adds transfer Ouimette amid coaching search
