UWGB men's basketball coach Doug Gottlieb lands three recruits in final days of April

GREEN BAY University of Wisconsin-Green Bay mens basketball coach Doug Gottlieb was busy leading up to the NFL draft last week with his duties as a national radio host, but it hasnt kept him from landing recruits.The Phoenix added point guard LeBron Thomas, who spent his first two years at NJCAA Division I Vincennes University (Indiana), on April 20.Shelton Williams-Dryden, a forward from DI West Georgia, followed April 24, while DII Lewis University guard Rob Stroud announced his commitment April 25.The Phoenix previously received a commitment from Carnegie Mellon University guard Justin Allen.LeBron Thomas excited to play for UWGBThe 6-foot-3, 195-pound Thomas will be a junior next season.

He would have had an opportunity to play for other schools, but something that occurred during the recruiting process with the Phoenix still sticks with him.Gottlieb met Thomas parents, LaToya and Derrick, before even meeting Thomas after he flew to Columbia, South Carolina, which is about an hour from where Thomas grew up in Bishopville.

Gottlieb drove to Chicago at 3 a.m.

to catch a flight to Washington, D.C., and then to Columbia.

He had to squeeze in the visit right before a dead period hit and coaches arent allowed to talk with recruits or their families.Thomas never had somebody make such an effort.I thought that was really cool, he said.

My parents loved him.

My dad really loved him.

My mom loved him.

They were just speaking like, LeBron, look how high this man speaks of you.

Look at what he wants to do for you.It made me emotional.

I never had somebody like this that wants me to do this and expect high of me and always going to be there for me no matter what.

When I went on my visit, I told him I never had this.

My brothers, when we grew up, we never had nothing easy.

We always have been underdogs.

Having this opportunity and what Coach is saying what he will do for me and what the staff say, Im just blessed and Im grateful.

Im ready to do anything it takes to be the best and make Green Bay the best.Thomas was a two-time NJCAA All-American at Vincennes, finishing with more than 1,000 career points, 300 assists and 275 rebounds.He helped lead the Blazers to a combined 58-9 record and averaged 14.3 points, 5.8 assists and 4 rebounds per game this season.Thomas is a big-time playmaker, both for himself and teammates.

He has a strong midrange game and often can draw fouls driving to the hoop.When Thomas visited Green Bay, Gottliebs message to him was clear.You have gifts that we only dreamed of having, Gottlieb told Thomas.

We want to build this thing around you.

But you have got to say yes for it to happen.Thomas became emotional during that moment, attempting to fight back tears.

It didnt take him long to commit.Im just grateful, Im thankful, Thomas said.

Thank you, God, for everything.

I just really appreciate Coach for believing in me.

It took a very long time to get people to notice me, and Im just so grateful for everything.Shelton Williams-Dryden proves himself at DI levelWhile Thomas will get his first crack playing at the highest level of collegiate basketball, Williams-Dryden has proven he can do it.The Milwaukee native played his first two seasons at Milwaukee Area Tech before transferring to West Georgia, which played at the DI level for the first time this season.The 6-6, 220-pound Williams-Dryden was one of the best players in the Atlantic Sun Conference as a junior, finishing third in the league in scoring (17.6 ppg) and field goal percentage (55.2%) and third in rebounding (7.5 rpg).He scored 20 or more points 14 times and had six double-doubles.I first took my visit there, they treated me like I was family, Williams-Dryden said.

They didnt treat me like I was just a recruit that was coming to visit the school.And its close to home.

Being close to home made it a plus-10, but once I got there and met the teammates, I was like, Forget every school.

This was the best visit I had.

I have got to come here.UWGB women's recruiting: Big offseason continues with addition of Hortonville's Peppler sistersGottlieb was the first coach to contact Williams-Dryden when he entered the portal.Williams-Dryden liked Gottlieb right away.

But the Phoenix got a huge assist from Jerry Smith, who is the teams director of player development.Smith had a legendary high school career at Wauwatosa East, played at Louisville from 2006 to 2010 and played five games in the NBA for the New Jersey Nets in 2011-12.Williams-Dryden has known Smith for quite some time.

Smith told him that Gottlieb is a good guy, and with the trust he has in Smith, that was more than enough.Williams-Dryden did not experience losing until this season, when West Georgia went 6-25.He was on winning teams during his two years on varsity at Bay View High School and then was a star for a Milwaukee Area Tech team that was one of the best NJCAA squads in the nation.Williams-Dryden averaged 15 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 66% his freshman year, helping Tech win the NJCAA Division II national championship.

He followed by averaging 19.6 points and 9.4 rebounds and being named a first-team JUCO All-American as a sophomore.It earned him an opportunity to play at the DI level, and now hes ready to help the Phoenix after it struggled to a 4-28 record this season.

He believes he will provide toughness and leadership for his new team, not to mention the ability to score.

Williams-Dryden proved all three of those things in 2024-25.Going into (West Georgia), I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, Williams-Dryden said.

When I did leave JUCO, I had no offers.

I had no Division I (schools) talking to me.

It was more DII.

I feel like I was good enough to play DI, and I had to go prove that I could.It was a big challenge, for sure.

Especially when you are on everybodys scout.

I had to guard bigs all year, 6-10.

It was fun, but it was challenging.

I learned from everything this year, and I picked Green Bay to be able to change their program around and get back to the winning point.Williams-Dryden also entered the NBA draft at the same time he put his name into the transfer portal.Players must withdraw from the draft by May 28 to retain their NCAA eligibility.I have been doing a lot of pre-draft training, Williams-Dryden said.

I have been hearing a lot of feedback on what I do need to work on.

Yes, I am going to withdraw and focus on this year and winning and evolving my game.Rob Stroud will add key element for UWGBThe 6-5, 200-pound Stroud averaged 17.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and shot 55.9% in his second season at Lewis after spending his first two collegiate years with Kankakee Community College in Illinois.Stroud did not respond to a text message, but its clear what UWGB likes about him: He can guard and rebound, and hes at times a man playing among boys.

Like Thomas and Williams-Dryden, the senior will get an opportunity to earn a role on a team that has worked hard to add talent the past couple of months, even if it meant traveling 1,000 miles to get it done.This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Doug Gottlieb adds three more recruits to UWGB men's basketball team.

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