A moment of raw frustration from Green Bay Phoenix head coach Doug Gottlieb has become the talk of college basketball. The incident occurred immediately after his team suffered a heartbreaking 80-78 loss to Robert Morris, a game they seemed to have firmly in control until the final minutes.
A Dramatic Collapse Captured on Camera
The Phoenix were leading comfortably, having built an 11-point cushion with less than four minutes remaining on the clock. However, the momentum shifted dramatically, culminating in a stunning collapse. As the final buzzer sounded, a visibly angry Gottlieb walked off the court. Broadcast cameras followed him toward the tunnel, where he turned toward a row of chairs and sent one flying in a startling display of emotion.
This outburst, televised for all to see, quickly spread across sports media, overshadowing the game's result and stirring immediate debate about the coach's conduct. The loss also halted the early signs of progress the team had shown in Gottlieb's second season.
Gottlieb Points to a Costly 'Lack of Communication'
Speaking to local media shortly after the game, Doug Gottlieb did not shy away from addressing the defeat and his own reaction. He pinpointed a critical 10-second violation with just 35.7 seconds left as the breaking point. This turnover wiped out Green Bay's narrow lead and fueled Robert Morris's game-closing run.
Gottlieb attributed the fatal error directly to "a lack of communication" among his players. He was brutally honest in his assessment, calling the finish "embarrassing" and detailing where his young team faltered under pressure. Robert Morris expertly capitalised on each mistake, hitting a go-ahead three-pointer after the turnover. The win was sealed when Nikolaos Chitikoudis scored with only 2.4 seconds remaining on the clock.
Mixed Emotions and a Path Forward
In his post-game review, Gottlieb expressed conflicting feelings. He stated he was "encouraged by our effort and our defense and how we executed" for large parts of the contest. However, he contrasted that with his stark criticism of the finale, reiterating, "That was just embarrassing how we lost the game."
In a candid moment, he added, "Yeah, we're actually a good basketball team. I know it's surprising to people. We're actually pretty good, but we played like idiots at the end of the game." The loss was a tough blow for a program showing improvement; the Phoenix have already matched last season's win total at 4-6.
The team now faces the immediate challenge of regrouping. Their next test comes against Wright State on Sunday. They must stabilise after a defeat that slipped away in the final possessions and a moment of sideline anger that will undoubtedly follow the coach into the next matchup.
