OSHKOSH, Wis. — While girls and boys high school basketball just finished up and March Madness heats up, the first women's basketball team in Northeast Wisconsin is gearing up for its first season.
The Wisconsin GLO, owned by Fox Valley Pro Basketball, will play at Menominee Nation Arena beginning with an exhibition game on May 10, as part of the five-team Global Women's Basketball Association.
Newly-tapped GM Brad Fischer, also the UW-Oshkosh women's basketball head coach, said the team will be home for professional players who don't quite make it into the WNBA but might play professionally overseas.
"We're trying to be the best of both worlds," Fischer said. "We've got a lot of players playing overseas from this country that go over there to make a living and we feel like we can kind of supplement that in the offseason. Typically they come back to work out or run camps and things like that, so to give them a professional option where we pay and take care of them, I think it's a win-win for everybody and I think people in the Fox Valley are going to see really high-level basketball this summer."
Fischer is in the process of finalizing the team's coaching staff and 12-woman roster. He said once contracts are finalized, sports fans in the Fox Valley and throughout Wisconsin will recognize the names and faces of many of their players to be announced, with many playing college ball in Big 10 programs like Wisconsin or with local ties, such as UW-Green Bay or at the high school level.
"As soon as those names are released, I think people will see the girls' excitement, and they're going to see how serious we are," Fischer said. "They know a lot of these girls as all-conference, player of the year, all-american types, and they're going to be right in our backyard playing together. I think this is going to be the best basketball team ever assembled in Wisconsin, and it's going to be the who's who of players that have been at the state tournament, winning all-state awards and then going on to lead their colleges to great careers as well."
GLO will also host local try-outs April 20 from noon to 2 p.m. at Menominee Nation Arena.
"I would just encourage them that this opportunity isn't available all over the country, and I just think if you come out, you'll enjoy it," Fischer said. "They're going to be really family-friendly, they're giving out glow sticks at every game, and they're going to have all the things that minor-league baseball and those type of things provide. So in a 13-game schedule, it's a short season so there's not a lot of opportunities to come see it, but you will see a very high level of basketball and I guarantee that your family will have fun, especially little girls who will hopefully get to see their future heroes up close."
