Green Bay Head Coach Doug Gottlieb Loses Cool Following Blown Lead To Robert Morris
If there is one thing Doug Gottlieb knows how to do, it’s generate a reaction. Usually, that happens behind a microphone on his national radio show. But on Thursday night, the Green Bay Phoenix head coach let his actions do the talking, and unfortunately for the furniture at the Resch Center, the message was loud and clear.
Following a gut-wrenching 80-78 loss to Robert Morris, Gottlieb was caught on camera storming into the tunnel and launching a folding chair against the wall. It was the kind of visceral, frustration-fueled moment that goes viral instantly—a perfect collision of high-stakes college hoops and a personality who knows exactly how the media cycle works.
The Collapse Against Robert Morris
To understand why a chair had to pay the ultimate price, you have to look at how this game unraveled. This wasn’t just a loss; it was a collapse. Green Bay was cruising, sitting on an 11-point lead with under four minutes left on the clock. In college basketball, that should be enough of a cushion to close out a win at home.
Instead, the Phoenix offense went ice cold, and the Colonials went on a tear. Robert Morris closed the gap with a 15-3 run that left the home crowd stunned. The turning point, and likely the moment that sent Gottlieb over the edge, came with just 35.7 seconds remaining. With the lead cut to a slim two points, Green Bay committed a 10-second violation, failing to get the ball past midcourt. It’s the kind of unforced error that haunts coaching staffs during film sessions.
That turnover opened the door. Robert Morris hit a go-ahead three, and after Green Bay managed to tie it up at the free-throw line, Nikolaos Chitikoudis drove in for the game-winning layup with 2.4 seconds left.
Gottlieb Calls Out “Idiot” Mistakes
Gottlieb didn’t hold back in the post-game presser. While he praised the team’s overall effort and defense, his assessment of the final minutes was brutally honest. “We’re actually a good basketball team. I know it’s surprising to people,” Gottlieb said to reporters. “We’re actually pretty good, but we played like idiots at the end of the game.”
He specifically cited the 10-second call as a breakdown in communication but noted that the team simply has to be more disciplined when the game is on the line. “We have guys that are not listening. So it happens. We lost the game,” he said.
A Season Of Improvement
Despite the theatrics and the “embarrassing” finish, Gottlieb has actually turned the program in the right direction. After a brutal 4-28 finish in his first year, Green Bay is currently sitting at 4-6. They have already matched last season’s win total just 10 games into the schedule.
The Phoenix are undoubtedly better, but as Thursday night proved, learning how to win close games is a different beast entirely. For now, Gottlieb will have to pick up the pieces, and perhaps a broken chair, and get his squad ready for the next one.
