Green Bay’s Basketball Team Isn’t Just Looking for Games—They’re Trying to Change the Rules

Doug Gottlieb didn’t come back to college basketball just to play it safe.

In his first year as head coach of the Green Bay Phoenix men’s basketball team, the longtime radio voice and former college star watched his team struggle through a 4-28 season. But rather than sit idle and follow the usual offseason routine, Gottlieb is doing something bold—maybe even revolutionary.

He and his athletic department have filed a waiver with the NCAA asking for something that’s never been done before: permission for a current NCAA team to play in The Basketball Tournament, better known as TBT—a high-stakes, $1 million, winner-take-all summer showcase that typically features alumni teams and overseas pros.

To Gottlieb and Green Bay, it just makes sense.

Same Type of Competition—Just Not in Europe

Every four years, NCAA programs are allowed to take their players overseas to face off against professional teams. Spain, France, Belgium—wherever the flights land. The idea is to give players experience, exposure, and team chemistry. But those trips come with huge costs, and for a mid-major like Green Bay, that kind of spending just isn’t realistic right now.

What Gottlieb doesn’t understand is why playing against pros in Europe is fine—but playing against similar pros in a U.S. tournament like TBT is off-limits.

“Look, if we drove three hours north and played in Canada, it would be allowed,” Gottlieb said. “But playing here in the States? That’s a no-go. It’s the same kind of competition. Why should the location make that big a difference?”

A Modern Game in an Outdated System

That question—why location matters more than substance—is at the heart of Green Bay’s waiver request. NCAA rules haven’t changed much in decades, even though college basketball clearly has. Players now transfer more frequently. NIL deals are the norm. And the four-year plan the NCAA used to count on? That’s falling apart.

“College sports is evolving at warp speed, but the rulebook is stuck in the past,” said Green Bay athletic director Josh Moon. “It was built for a system where every athlete stayed four years. That just isn’t how things work anymore.”

The original intent of the foreign trip rule was to make sure each player got one big experience before graduating. But in a world where players might transfer three times, what does that rule even accomplish?

TBT Offers Something Foreign Tours Can’t: Accessibility

For Green Bay, the TBT option isn’t just about better basketball—it’s about affordability, flexibility, and realism.

Foreign trips often cost six figures. For schools already watching their budgets, especially with the looming House settlement that could impact how athletes are compensated, those kinds of expenses are harder to justify than ever.

“Let’s be honest,” Moon said. “Not every program has the financial muscle to fly across the world. TBT gives us a way to compete, grow, and get better, right here at home.”

And yes, the $1 million prize is part of TBT’s appeal, but Green Bay insists that’s not what this is about.

“If it comes down to it, we’d donate the prize money to charity,” Moon said. “We just want the opportunity for our players to compete at a high level without spending money we don’t have.”

Support Is Building—Inside and Out

Green Bay isn’t alone in thinking the current system needs change. Horizon League commissioner Julie Roe Lach has thrown her support behind the waiver, saying it’s time to rethink how the NCAA handles summer development opportunities.

Even TBT organizers are backing the idea. CEO Jon Mugar says the tournament has already been in casual talks with about ten NCAA programs in the past year.

“We’ve always partnered with universities through alumni teams,” Mugar said. “Working with active teams just feels like the next logical step.”

And while this would be a first for a full roster of NCAA players, there is at least a small precedent: in 2022, Division III player Jarred Houston joined a TBT squad called We Are D3. He was eligible, and the team was accepted. They lost in the first round, but the point is—it’s been done.

Timing Could Finally Be Right

This isn’t Green Bay’s first attempt. They tried to get in last year too, but the NCAA rejected their waiver too late for the school to make an appeal. With more lead time now, they’re hoping the committee takes a second look.

The team could use a spark. After a rough first year under Gottlieb, this summer could be about more than just workouts and practice—it could be about creating momentum.

“Everything about this makes sense for us,” Gottlieb said. “We get real competition, we build team chemistry, and we do it in a way that respects our financial reality.”

He added, “It’s not just about our program. It’s about common sense.”

Source: Green Bay files waiver to play in The Basketball Tournament

If the NCAA Says Yes, Everything Could Change

If the waiver is approved, Green Bay would be the first NCAA team ever to compete in TBT. And that could open the door for others—especially mid-majors without the funds for European travel.

It would also mean more exposure. TBT is a nationally televised event, full of passionate fans, buzzer-beaters, and real emotion. It would be a chance for college players to compete under pressure in a professional-like setting, all while repping their school.

“It’s not just basketball,” Gottlieb said. “It’s a life experience.”

The Wait Begins

Right now, Green Bay is in a holding pattern. The NCAA hasn’t responded yet to the latest waiver request, and no timeline for a decision has been given.

Moon says they’re hopeful. Gottlieb is cautiously optimistic. But no one’s assuming anything.

Still, just filing the request makes a statement. Green Bay isn’t just asking to play a few extra games this summer. They’re asking to rewrite a small part of the NCAA rulebook. And maybe—just maybe—they’ll be the spark that gets it done.

“We’re not trying to break the rules,” Gottlieb said. “We’re trying to update them.”

And in today’s college basketball world, that might be the most important battle of all.

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