Former Marinette star Sam Sommerfeldt leads Badgers basketball managers

While Zach Kinziger, a former De Pere basketball star, will be taking the court for the University of Wisconsin exhibition game against UW-Green Bay on October 15, another local basketball legend, Sam Sommerfeldt, will be working in a different capacity. Sommerfeldt is a sophomore guard at UW and has become the head basketball manager for the Badgers, taking up the reigns from Taylor Yaklich, who graduated and moved on to ESPN Madison.

As the head manager, Sommerfeldt is responsible for ensuring the basketball operation runs smoothly. This includes tasks such as helping with clocks during practice, cleaning the court, packing or moving equipment, assisting with film breakdown, and ordering food. Sommerfeldt started in this role in his freshman year, aiming to start at the ground level and work his way up.

Over the past two years, he has taken on increasing responsibilities, including leading the team as their top manager this season, following the departure of Yaklich.

Sommerfeldt's journey to this position began in April 2024 when UW-Green Bay was seeking a new men's basketball coach. Jordan McCabe, a former Kaukauna star, joined the Phoenix as an assistant but stayed with UW-Green Bay due to a close friendship with Sommerfeldt's family. Sommerfeldt, who grew up a die-hard Badgers fan, began working with McCabe as a manager in the summer of 2024, helping out at the Kohl Center and doing whatever was needed.

This experience helped him earn a spot as one of the Badgers' managers upon arriving in Madison for his freshman year. Sommerfeldt has no plans to pursue coaching after graduation, as he grew up in a household with a father who was a basketball coach and a brother who excelled in the sport.