Beyond the Game: Marquette alumnus coaching at UW-GB

GREEN BAY (WITI) -- When Brian Wardle finished his basketball playing career at Marquette University in 2001, he was the third leading scorer in school history. He played professionally for two years, and then embarked on a coaching career that now has him in charge at the University of Wisconsin -- Green Bay.

"It's been kind of in my blood. I've been around the court a long time and it hasn't stopped. It's where I can get my competitive itch. I can't play anymore. Those days are done. I'm retired, but my competitiveness and passion, my love for basketball is in coaching," Wardle said.

Wardle played for Mike Deane and Tom Crean at Marquette University and then assisted Crean at MU and Tod Kowalczyk at Green Bay before becoming a head coach at the age of 30.

Wardle says he seems most comfortable on a basketball court.

"The game came easy to me. I could pick things up easily. I loved studying it. I was a film kind of geek as a player and loved getting myself better and learning new things, and I still am," Wardle said.

Maybe the biggest thing Wardle has learned is that his chosen profession may be rewarding, but it is anything but easy.

"Coaching is hard and the reason is because I can't be on the floor. I like to have some control of things. When I was on the floor at Marquette, I knew I could have some kind of control over the outcome of the game, and I could make plays. Now you can as a coach with preparation and substitutions and timeouts, but you lose that factor of being on the floor with the guys," Wardle said.

It is an evolving basketball life for Wardle, given what he does, where he does it and how his teams are showing progress, but it seems likely there will be more hoops on his horizon.

UW-Green Bay has won five of its last six games.