A man with a plan -- Ken Bothof is having an impact (9/12/06)
In the fifth year of a five year master plan UWGB Athletic Director Ken Bothof has the Phoenix program looking pretty darn good.
When he arrived in 2001 the department needed a plan - to say nothing of a solemn prayer. Most everything was on life support with the exception of the women’s basketball program where Kevin Borseth’s team was coming off back to back NCAA Tournament appearances.
Some delicate and tough decisions were needed for the once proud men’s basketball team, the cash cornerstone of the department. Green Bay sports fans had expectations that weren’t being met and the fan base was dwindling.
The challenge was digging out of a hole and winning the Packer loving community over to a new era. That’s where the plan came in. Bothof says, “My focus has always been to look ahead. We had to connect with students and the community.”
As the girders for the roof on the new Kress Center go up on campus, looking ahead seems easier. Bothof got a call last December from Chancellor Bruce Shepard confirming that the last piece of the private funding campaign had fallen in place. Bothof says, “that moment and a call I received from Borseth telling me he was passing up the University of Colorado head coaching position were moments I won’t forget.”
Without the help of the Kress Foundation and other donors UWGB could have lost $7.5 million in state matching funds and with it the entire $33.5 million renovation and expansion of the Phoenix Sports Center. The potential loss of Borseth, the most successful coach in the history of the Horizon League, speaks for itself.
The Kress Center is about 25-percent completed and the race is on to get the roof on the 4,500 arena and men’s practice facility by the end of November. The cardiovascular and workout areas are ahead of schedule.
Bothof is amazed that the women’s program has played before sell out crowds at the old Phoenix Sports Center despite having facilities with, “uncomfortable seating, few rest rooms and no parking.” The Kress will help build the fan base and with it revenue.
The men’s games will remain across town in the shade of Lambeau Field at the Resch Center. The Packer mystique and the still new 10,000 seat arena add up to a special big league environment.
Bothof’s first big challenge was hiring a men’s coach. Tod Kowalczyk has proven to be an in your face competitor and a tireless recruiter. He’s brought in more talent than anytime in the school’s history but the competition has gotten tougher in the Horizon League. Game attendance has gone up. It is still short of the glory days of the early and mid 1990s.
For Bothof that five year plan keeps coming back to the basics of reaching out to students and the community. He realizes he’s raised expectations. The staffing is in place, teams with potential to reach NCAA Tournaments have been recruited, and with the fall 2007 opening of the Kress Center the facilities will all be in place.
Footnote: All men’s and women’s league basketball games will be video streamed again this season. Women’s volley ball will also be streamed.
