'He's our spirit animal': Former Oshkosh Lourdes star Preston Ruedinger is making his presence felt with UWGB

GREEN BAY – A few minutes after the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball team beat UW-Milwaukee on Saturday at the Resch Center, star junior Noah Reynolds made a point to give a shout-out to fellow guard Preston Ruedinger.

“Guys like Preston, they take a lot of pressure off me,” Reynolds said. “A lot of people don’t know, but Preston has dealt with so much the past month. For him to come out and play that way, I’m really proud of him.”

The 6-foot-2 Ruedinger has been a key contributor in the five games he has played, but he indeed has dealt with a lot since the start of the season.

He missed the opening two games because of a sprained ankle and made his Phoenix debut Nov. 15 at Valparaiso, the school where he spent his first two years before entering the NCAA transfer portal in the spring.

Ruedinger was in the starting lineup in each of the three contests after he returned but then missed a game against St. Thomas after falling ill with COVID-19.

It was his first time getting the virus, and it was not a fun experience for him after he lost about 10 pounds.

His conditioning isn’t where he wants it to be quite yet — he dealt with cramps against UWM — but he’s getting closer to finding his groove.

“It’s been a roller coaster, just to be frank,” Ruedinger said. “But my teammates have picked me up, and that’s the biggest thing. All credit to my teammates for still believing in me and giving me the confidence to go out and perform.”

The former Oshkosh Lourdes standout has been everything the Phoenix coaching staff could have hoped for when he picked the school in April.

Ruedinger has been a steady presence on and off the court.

He is averaging 7 points and 1.8 assists in 27 minutes while shooting 46.7% (14-for-30). He’s also second on the team with six steals.

UWGB coach Sundance Wicks calls him the team’s spirit animal, before going into an impromptu "Rudy!" chant in reference to the inspirational movie about former University of Notre Dame football player Rudy Ruettiger.

It shouldn’t be surprising considering Ruedinger was made a team captain and earned a scholarship at Valpo entering his sophomore season, one year after he joined the program as a walk-on.

“He’s the type of guy, he matches my passion,” Wicks said. “You will see him on the defensive end of the floor when we need to get a stop, he is screaming at the top of his lungs, ‘Let’s get a stop.’ Slapping the floor, like a Steve Wojciechowski moment.

“That’s the type of guy you have got to have. I think the fans and the crowd resonate with that. They see this young man have this spirit, this energy about him, it means so much to him to be a Phoenix that you can’t not get behind him. Crap, I get behind that. I want to get in the stance on the sidelines when I see him in that stance, because I love that.”

Ruedinger’s not just doing that stuff during a big game against an in-state rival. He’s doing it all the time.

If players aren’t making enough shots in practice, if somebody isn’t running fast enough, he is the guy who will say something.

Wicks believes every team must have an emotional leader. Ruedinger certainly is one.

“When he’s healthy and a full-go, he’s a different player,” Wicks said. “I thought we saw a little bit of that swagger come out against Milwaukee. He hit some shots early, had some tough ones, had that little George Gervin scoop shot from about 15 feet.

“He made some big plays for us, and he’s going to continue to make big plays for us as he gets closer to 100 percent.”

Ruedinger hasn’t been healthy for a good stretch since his rookie season with the Beacons.

He injured a shoulder entering his sophomore year and played just nine games in 2022-23 before undergoing season-ending surgery, although he was able to retain a year of eligibility and has two more remaining after this season.

Ruedinger proclaimed himself healthy after he committed to UWGB, and despite the ankle injury early on, the shoulder has felt great.

It has shown in his play, but when asked about his performance, he gave a shout-out to Reynolds the way Reynolds did to him.

“He is leading us in assists,” said Ruedinger, who scored 2,349 points during his prep career and led Lourdes to the WIAA Division 4 state title as a senior in 2021. “He’s a great passer, a great decision-maker while scoring the ball.

“I think the coaches put me in good positions and my players helping me out just make me look that much better.”

UWGB tops rival UWM: 'This is something to celebrate'

Another benefit playing at UWGB has been the opportunity for family and friends to come watch him. That never was more evident than against the Panthers, when 35 of them were in the stands.

It’s good to be back home.

“When I went into the lobby after in the Resch, it was pretty cool,” Ruedinger said. “It was awesome.”

UWGB’s next opponent, SIU Edwardsville, will look familiar

The Phoenix plays at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at 7 p.m. Wednesday, a program full of people with former ties to UWGB.

SIUE coach Brian Barone spent five seasons as an assistant under Brian Wardle in Green Bay from 2010 to 2015, helping lead the team to a 95-65 record and the Horizon League regular-season championship in his final year.

Barone was credited with helping to recruit and develop two of the best players in UWGB history in former Indiana Pacers guard Keifer Sykes and center Alec Brown, who was drafted by the Phoenix Suns.

Barone’s staff at SIUE includes associate head coach Colin Schneider, who was the director of basketball operations under Wardle before leaving in 2014 to become the video coordinator for the Memphis Grizzlies, and assistant Angres Thorpe, who served in the same role for two seasons at UWGB under Tod Kowalczyk.

SIUE athletic director Andrew Gavin was the assistant AD for communications for five years at UWGB before leaving in 2015.

Deputy athletic director Dan McIver spent almost two decades at UWGB in both that role and as senior associate athletic director. He served as the interim AD for four months in 2013 after Ken Bothof was hired at Northern Kentucky.

As part of a home-and-home series, SIUE will play at UWGB next season.

“Having a chance to be a head coach at a great university here in Edwardsville is an honor,” Barone said. “We have accomplished a lot here and want to continue to build towards long-term success the right way. Our matchup against Green Bay will be a great test for our team.

“Green Bay is a great place, and while I was there, we accomplished great things. Two of my children were born there. Whenever I have a chance to be on a sideline against a quality opponent, I get excited. In my career, I have been part of amazing communities and universities. Green Bay is definitely on that list.”

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Oshkosh Lourdes' Ruedinger feels at home with UWGB men's basketball