UWGB's Sundance Wicks in discussions to become next basketball coach at Wyoming

GREEN BAY − It appears the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball team is one step closer to losing Sundance Wicks.

Wicks, coming off a successful first season at UWGB that earned him Horizon League coach of the year honors, is believed to be in deep talks with Wyoming to become its new coach.

He already informed UWGB of his intentions to speak to Wyoming. His contract requires he notify the school prior to any discussions with other potential employers.

Wyoming is in the process of looking for a new leader after ESPN reported Thursday that Jeff Linder was expected to leave to take an assistant position at Texas Tech.

Neither school has announced the move by Linder.

Wicks did not return a text message about his future.

UWGB athletic director Josh Moon said he didn’t have updates to provide and did not have any additional comments.

If Wicks does land at Wyoming, the timing could not be worse for UWGB this late in the offseason.

The team still doesn’t even have a full roster, with three scholarships remaining.

While the transfer portal has closed for players to enter it, the NCAA grants a 30-day immediate portal window for those whose head coach leaves for another school.

It would be risky for anyone to enter this late in the offseason, but there is a chance UWGB would have to replace additional players if some decide to leave.

It could make sense for UWGB to promote assistant coach Pat Monaghan and give him the job for at least next season rather than try to do a coaching search this late like it did in 2020.

UWGB fired Linc Darner during the middle of May that year and hired Will Ryan a few weeks later.

Ryan only lasted 2½ seasons before being fired and eventually replaced by Wicks. Along with the COVID-19 pandemic, it didn’t help him to get off to such a late start entering his first year.

Monaghan has played a key role in recruiting several of the players on the team, including guard Foster Wonders and recent commit Scottie Ebube, both of whom were at Southern Illinois when Monaghan was an assistant before coming to Green Bay when Wicks was hired.

Monaghan has been an assistant at the DI level for each of the last seven years. He was at UW-Milwaukee from 2017 to 2019 and then at Southern Illinois from 2019 to 2023.

The Salukis went 67-55 in Monaghan’s four seasons. He was credited for helping develop forward Marcus Domask, the former Waupun star who became one of the best players in program history.

Although many Phoenix fans will be disappointed if Wicks indeed leaves for Wyoming, it would be difficult to blame him. Not only will he likely get a significant pay raise, but the Gillette, Wyoming, native also gets to go back home and take what will be a dream job for him.

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UWGB was on the other end of that this offseason when it hired Sheboygan native and former Phoenix star Kayla Karius, who left South Dakota after two seasons for her own dream job as the women’s coach.

Wicks’ departure at least would come with a nice parting gift thanks to the contract extension he signed last month. The buyout for another school to hire him is $705,000.

UWGB went 18-14 in Wicks’ first season after going 3-29 in 2022-23.

But just one year later, it might be looking for his replacement.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: UWGB's Sundance Wicks in talks to become Wyoming coach