UWGB assistant coach Nic Reynolds cherishes year he spent coaching brother Noah: 'Nothing but fond memories'

GREEN BAY – When Noah Reynolds entered the NCAA transfer portal last month, there remained a glimmer of hope he might find his way back to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay for his final season of college basketball.

Those hopes ended Monday when Reynolds announced his commitment to play at Texas Christian University.

The 6-foot-3 guard proved he was a Power Six talent in his one season with the Phoenix.

The opportunity to play at the highest level proved too difficult to pass up. So were the figures thrown at him when it came to NIL money, although it wasn’t all about dollars considering he had larger offers than TCU.

Reynolds did not return a text message to talk about his new home, but leaving UWGB wasn’t as simple as it might have been for most Horizon League players jumping to the Big 12.

His brother, Nic, is an assistant coach with the Phoenix. A long list of family members either live in Green Bay or the surrounding area and attended his games. His head coach, Sundance Wicks, has been next to him his entire career, including his first two seasons at Wyoming.

A prized transfer: How former Wisconsin recruit Noah Reynolds landed at UWGB

Reynolds put on an absolute show for Phoenix fans in what turned out to be one of the best seasons for any UWGB player since the program moved to Division I in 1981.

Reynolds averaged 20 points, 4.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds and shot 51.1%. He had an excellent chance to be the Horizon League's player of the year if not for a high ankle sprain that cost him games at the end of the season.

He is one of four players in UWGB’s DI era to average 20 or more points for an entire season, and the other three often are considered the best in program history.

Tony Bennett. Jeff Nordgaard. Keifer Sykes.

If Reynolds had played his entire career at UWGB after a standout prep career at Notre Dame High School in Peoria, Illinois, he very well could have been part of the Mount Rushmore of all-time-best Phoenix.

There were several reasons UWGB enjoyed one of the greatest single season turnarounds in Division I history this season, going from 3-29 in 2022-23 to 18-14 in 2023-24.

Reynolds left no doubt he was at the top of the list, the undisputed alpha who had the ability to put so much pressure on a defense that it made everyone around him a little bit better.

UWGB faces future without Noah Reynolds

But there now is only one Reynolds left on the team, and the big brother is still processing not having his little brother beside him next season.

“You hear people throw out bittersweet all the time, but that’s what it is,” Nic said. “We are so incredibly close, so I think the only part of me that is sad is, man, this year went by fast. I’m not going to get to see him every day. I’m not going to get to hang out with him every day. That is a lot right now. Obviously, the coaching side of it is like, dang, you are bummed. You lose such a pivotal piece, and he did so much for us from a leadership standpoint. He is irreplaceable, I have no issues saying that.

“That’s the part of me that is sad. But I will get over that. I will be sure to let him know that. I think he kind of was looking at me (Monday) like, ‘What’s up?’ And that’s all it is. Dude, I’m just going to miss being around you every day. Was every day happy and sunshine and rainbows? No. But, man, we had so many more good days than we did bad and enjoyed every moment of it.”

Nic probably is not impartial when it comes to Noah, but he was not bashful last spring and summer while talking to Phoenix supporters when they asked how good his brother was going to be for the team.

He told every single one he believed Noah would join the all-time great guards in program history, right there with Bennett and Sykes and Rahmon Fletcher.

Nic received his share of awkward stares. They thought the new assistant was downright crazy.

There were no ‘I told you' moments for Nic during the season. Instead, it simply was joy that his brother showed everyone his talents in so many ways on the court.

“It really is hard for him not to stay, knowing everything that is out there, knowing the market,” Nic said. “I think that just speaks to the character of who he is as a person. This community has been awesome. There has been nobody relatively close to the program that said anything but great things about him. People understand.”

There was a part of Nic that wanted Noah to stay, but the other part wanted the very best for him. If that is in Texas, so be it.

“I think he was able to come to Green Bay, and he did so much for us,” Nic said. “He got his swagger back.”

Noah left the staff with a shining example to show prospects. Somebody else has an opportunity to be the next great one.

Nic isn’t allowed to comment on potential recruits per NCAA rules, but Noah’s success likely helped land recent commitments from Northern Iowa’s Cole Henry and Southern Illinois’ Scottie Ebube.

This time last year, neither might have looked twice at the Phoenix and its rebuilding efforts.

“Can we go get another Noah Reynolds?” Nic said. “Probably not. But can we get incrementally better at every position? Hell, yeah. People are seeing that. … It goes a long way with what Coach Sunny was able to do, what our guys were able to do. Noah was obviously a huge part of that. But the core of guys we have right now, with a Foster Wonders, with a Marcus (Hall), a DJ (Douglas), a Preston Ruedinger. Mac Wrecke, who redshirted.

All those dudes along the line, Amari Jedkins, those are our biggest assets. We have a legit core of guys who care, who are working their ass off right now. When we do bring guys in on visits, they are able to see this is a family.”

Nic Reynolds: 'I'm just glad it happened'

Nic will forever be grateful for Noah’s brief time at UWGB. He got to coach him in a formal setting for the first time and had one of the best seats in the house to watch him shine.

He reminded himself every day not to take it for granted. Wicks allowed both to be themselves, and other players never showed jealousy or had concerns that Noah somehow got better treatment.

Nic told them they all felt like his little brothers by the time the season was done.

“Just one of them is my blood brother and a pain in my ass,” he said, laughing. “Nothing but fond memories looking back. I’m just glad it happened. Green Bay was such a great place to do it and have so much family surrounding us. It was super special.”

Their grandmother attended every game. Other relatives came to more than they missed. After each contest at the Resch Center, win or lose, they would wait for the two brothers in the lobby.

Nic and Noah would get hugs, take pictures and spend time with loved ones.

So, yeah, there are no regrets.

“Aunts and uncles would have baked goods and all types of stuff,” Nic said, before cracking one final joke. “We will see. A lot of that might cease now that Noah is gone.”

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Noah Reynolds announces he will transfer to TCU, leave brother Nic