GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Just a few months after wrapping up his playing career at UW-Green Bay, Preston Ruedinger is beginning the next chapter of his basketball journey.
The former Phoenix guard has joined Doug Gottlieb's coaching staff as an assistant, making a quick transition from leading Green Bay on the court to helping develop the program from the sidelines.
For Ruedinger, accepting the position was an easy decision.
"It was kind of a long talk," Ruedinger said of his conversations with Gottlieb. "It kind of started before the year last year even, but I'm really excited to be back. I still feel like there's some unfinished business. We had a great year, but we want to be even better next year."
Watch the story here:
After graduating, Ruedinger said he took a few weeks to decompress before deciding what came next. He spent time working construction with his father while weighing whether to pursue a professional basketball career overseas or begin coaching.
"When the opportunity came available here, it was a no-brainer for me," he said. "I wanted to jump on board and get back to work."
The Oshkosh native transferred to Green Bay from Valparaiso and spent three seasons with the Phoenix, appearing in 88 games while developing into one of the Horizon League's top guards.
During the 2025-26 season, Ruedinger started all 33 games and averaged 11.6 points, 5.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game, earning All-Horizon League Second Team honors. He also finished among the conference leaders in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio, helping lead Green Bay's turnaround during Gottlieb's second season as head coach.
The year before, Ruedinger earned Horizon League All-Academic Honorable Mention recognition while leading the Phoenix in both minutes played and assists.
Now, he'll use that firsthand experience to help develop the next generation of Green Bay players, with responsibilities that include working with the point guards, emphasizing defense and assisting with recruiting.
"It's very valuable," Ruedinger said of making the transition from player to coach. "Even just going back and watching the old games the last two years and saying, 'Here, this is what it actually looks like.' I've done it for two years. These are the reads. This is who you're supposed to look at. Understanding what Coach Doug is thinking and having that in-game experience is going to be so much more valuable."
The transition from teammate to coach has happened quickly, but Ruedinger believes the relationships he built as a player have helped smooth the process.
"I built a good enough relationship with the guys that are returning that they respect and understand that boundary now," he said. "I'm here to help them. I've been in the system long enough to know what Doug wants, what we want to see and how it should be done."
Although coaching is a new chapter, Ruedinger said it has been on his mind for a while.
"I think like two years ago was probably when I started first thinking about it," he said. "As a kid, you think you're going to play forever, but that's just not reality."
His biggest coaching influence has been his father, Dennis Ruedinger, a longtime coach at Lourdes Academy who led the Knights to the WIAA Division 4 state championship in 2021 with Preston on the roster.
At Lourdes, Ruedinger was an Associated Press First Team All-State selection as a senior, averaging 25.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, five assists and 2.5 steals per game. He finished his high school career with 2,349 points — the 12th-most in Wisconsin history — while shooting 45.3% from 3-point range.
Ruedinger said watching his father coach shaped the philosophy he hopes to bring to Green Bay.
"Honestly, I think it was how he built relationships with all the guys," Ruedinger said. "When you're able to build a relationship and make that family culture, basketball takes care of itself. Becoming a family and building that chemistry is what takes your teams to the next level. That's something more important to me than even the X's and O's."
He said his father continues to be a resource as he begins his coaching career.
"We talk every day," Ruedinger said. "He's been a huge help mentally and relieving some stress. I'm definitely going to use him as a mentor going forward."
Ruedinger said staying in Green Bay ultimately came down to giving back to the program and community that invested in him.
"Being able to help the program that helped me for the last three years means a little bit more," he said. "Being in the community that invested in me, I get the chance to invest in them now, and I think that played a huge role in my deciding factor of being a coach."
Ruedinger also believes the relationships built within the program are what make Green Bay special and why so many former players choose to return.
"You don't get the relationships that you make here," he said. "The donors, the fans — they invest in you. They make you feel important to the program."
Looking ahead, Ruedinger believes the Phoenix are poised to build on last season's success.
"I think we're going to take a big step," he said. "We're more athletic. We're going to pressure the ball more. We're going to play a little different. We played one of the slowest paces in the country last year because that fit our personnel. This year we're going to run, jump, get in the passing lanes, but at the end of the day we're still going to play physical."
The Phoenix will open the preseason with exhibition games against Marquette and Wisconsin, contests Ruedinger said have already created excitement around the program.
"I think we're really excited," he said. "The Kress Center is going to be packed. I think the fans are really excited about it. There's a lot of buzz already."
