By: Andrew Gavin (@GBGavin)
GreenBayPhoenix.com

GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - Head coach Brian Wardle and the Green Bay men's basketball program will host its annual coaches clinic at the Kress Events Center on Thursday, Oct. 18 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. With Wardle serving as the emcee and speaking between each speaker, the clinic will feature three other college coaches, with Phoenix assistant Brian Barone and UW-Oshkosh head coach Pat Juckem speaking and South Suburban College head coach John Pigatti doing skill instruction.

Wardle is in his third season with the Phoenix, and his team will begin official practice for the 2012-13 season on Friday, Oct. 12. The head coach welcomes back all five starters to a team which won eight of its last 11 games in 2011-12, including 7-foot-1 junior Alec Brown (Winona, Minn.). Wardle's roster includes four freshmen hailing from the state of Wisconsin - Jordan Fouse (Racine), Carrington Love (Milwaukee), Nick Arenz (Onalaska) and Ryan Bross (Menomonee Falls).

Barone is in his third season on the Green Bay coaching staff after previously serving on coaching staffs at Marquette, Illinois State and Indiana. A former teammate of Wardle's at Marquette, Barone has played for and coached under Indiana head coach Tom Crean. On Green Bay's staff, Barone works with the team's guards while also focusing on the team's offensive philosophy and recruiting. Barone hails from a basketball family, and his father and brother currently working for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Juckem is beginning his first season as the head coach at UW-Oshkosh after working in the same role at Coe College for the past seven seasons. At Coe, Juckem guided his teams to 105 wins and two conference championships while being named the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year on two occasions. A Wisconsin native, Juckem is a 1995 graduate of Lawrence Univiersity, where he also served as an assistant coach from 1999-2005.

Pigatti begins his seventh season in 2012-13 as the head coach of South Suburban College in South Holland, Ill. In 2011-12, Pigatti guided a team which included current Phoenix junior Sultan Muhammad (Grand Rapids, Mich.) to a school-record 33 wins and a third-place finish at the NJCAA National Championships. In his six seasons at SSC, Pigatti has compiled an impressive record of 173-36. In his coaching career, Pigatti has served as an assistant coach for six Division I schools, including St. Francis, Chicago State, Akron, Western Michigan, Texas A&M and Creighton.

All coaches in attendance will also be invited to attend a social at Hagemeister Park following the clinic for five dollars.To RSVP, please contact either assistant coach Jimmie Foster (fosterj@uwgb.edu) or director of basketball operations Colin Schneider (schneidc@uwgb.edu).

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