GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Marcus Hall didn't need much convincing to return to UW-Green Bay for a fifth season.
After helping the Phoenix make a significant jump last season, Hall considered his options before ultimately deciding there was no reason to leave.
“I feel like it's more on the player to make that spot what they wanted,” Hall said. “I feel like there was nothing wrong with Green Bay that I was like, why would I want to leave that? There's no really reason to.”
Now Hall is stepping into an even bigger leadership role as one of the few returning players on a largely revamped roster.
The Phoenix are entering their third season under coach Doug Gottlieb after finishing last season with a 18-15 record and advancing to the second round of the Horizon League tournament.
Watch the story here:
While Hall is familiar with the program, most of his new teammates are still learning what it means to play for Green Bay.
That process has been underway throughout the summer.
“I feel like we can play a lot faster and I think we can play a lot more aggressive,” Hall said. “But I don't know if that'll end up being better than last year. I feel like it takes time to build a team, and I feel like we're taking the right steps now to do that.”
Among those newcomers is junior guard Ahmere Carson, who is making the jump to Division I after playing junior college basketball.
Carson said the biggest adjustment has been the attention to detail, particularly on defense.
“I learned that all the little details matter,” Carson said. “The little details lead up to making the big steps in the game.”
Carson said Gottlieb's intensity was one of the reasons he chose Green Bay.
“I came to Green Bay because of his intensity and how he cared for the players and how he coaches his players and how he cares about the program and how he cares about the team,” Carson said.
The Phoenix also added junior forward Ne'Quan Brown, who said Gottlieb played a major role in his decision to come to Green Bay.
Brown said Gottlieb and assistant coach Aerick Sanders had a relationship with his junior college coach and supported him through a difficult previous year.
“They were supportive in that and they were open about it,” Brown said. “They were still all love. They were welcoming you and no matter what you went through ... we're here to support you. We want you on campus.”
Brown said the Phoenix have the pieces to make a run.
“I think we have something special,” Brown said. “We got a good group of guys. We got some size, some length, some dudes who care and wanna win.”
That belief extends to fifth-year guard Jaxon Edwards, who has bounced around to multiple programs during his college career.
Edwards said the Phoenix have quickly developed chemistry, with veterans helping newcomers learn the system.
“Everybody has a little bit of a chip on their shoulder coming from different programs, different levels,” Edwards said. “We definitely all have something to prove and something to say for ourselves.”
Senior forward Isaiah Sutherland is another newcomer who believes the pieces fit together.
Sutherland said he was drawn to Green Bay after seeing how the Phoenix operated offensively, particularly their five-out system and movement.
“I knew I was gonna be really complimentary to them,” Sutherland said. “I just knew that this was the right program for me.”
Sutherland said the team's veterans — including Hall — have helped establish expectations for the newcomers.
“They've been really helpful when it comes to what to expect out of the coaching staff,” Sutherland said. “If they see someone slacking, they're gonna tell them. They're gonna be straight up with them.”
And the expectations are high.
“We don't wanna be average,” Sutherland said. “We wanna be successful. We wanna be number one. We wanna win the championship in the Horizon.”
Hall knows there's still plenty of work to do before the Phoenix can determine just how good this group can be.
He also knows his final season will come with increased responsibility.
“I feel like defense is probably the biggest thing,” Hall said. “I feel like I've always been a pretty efficient offensive player, and I feel like this year I'll have to take another step with that too. But ... on the defensive side of the ball is where I need to make the biggest improvements.”
The Phoenix will get an early test when they face Wisconsin, Marquette and Illinois State in exhibition play before the regular season begins.
