After just one season at UW-Madison, NDA girls basketball alum Gracie Grzesk is coming home.
Grzesk will bring her talent, her legacy, and three remaining years of eligibility to coach Kayla Karius and the Phoenix of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Her return is not only exciting for Notre Dame fans but for the entire Green Bay community.
Grzesk was a part of the 2024 girls basketball graduating senior class at NDA that brought home three state championships, and one runner-up, and had less than 10 losses over their four years of high school.
Because of the impact she and her teammates made on Green Bay, Grzesk already has so much community support behind her.
“It’s really surreal being able to come back to Green Bay and feel all the community support around me,” Grzesk explained. “Just when I’ve been home I’ve had countless people come up to me and say how excited they are to see me back home. Just knowing there’s a huge fan base of people that have watched me since middle school, high school, and now at the college level is super cool.”
This won’t be the first time there has been a Grzesk on the campus of UW-GB.
Gracie’s dad Gary played for the Phoenix from 1992-1996 where he played in three NCAA tournaments and was defensive MVP all four years. He also was an assistant coach for Green Bay in the 2002-2003 season.
Her mom Liz has also been around UW-GB. While Liz didn’t play for the Phoenix, she assisted women’s Head Coach Kevin Borseth from 2002-2004.
“My parents left a legacy behind at Green Bay, and ultimately I think the opportunity to come home and play for my dad’s alma mater is really, really special,” said Grzesk.
After visiting Drake University and UWGB, Grzesk chose Green Bay, and head coach Karius had a big pull in that decision.
Karius was the first college coach to call Grzesk when she was an assistant at Wisconsin. Karius also recruited Grzesk at Drake, South Dakota, and now at UW-GB.
“I think having such a great connection with her and having her recruit me at a bunch of different places really made the decision a lot easier for me,” she said.
“I wanted a winning program with a great culture and close to home,” said the NDA alum. “Green Bay really checked all my boxes. I am excited for a new start and an amazing opportunity back in my hometown.”
