While there are a few more weeks until the first game at Menominee Nation Arena, Oshkosh is eager for the arrival of the Wisconsin Herd.
The 2017-18 NBA Gatorade League (G League) season is the first for the Milwaukee Bucks-owned Herd. The Herd will begin its season with a November 6 road matchup against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, with their first game at Menominee Nation Arena targeted for December 1.
Initially, the Herd was to play the Menominee Nation Arena on November 17, but the team’s first three home games will now be played at Milwaukee’s BMO Harris Bradley Center. The team is hoping that its new home will be ready for the newly-scheduled Oshkosh debut, particularly with the signs of support from fans and sponsors already being strong. More from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
“Beyond expectations. We’re way beyond expectations,” said Milwaukee Bucks President Peter Feigin. “We’ve been beyond surprised.”
The Bucks named Oshkosh as the Herd’s home in February, choosing the Fox Valley over several other state cities that sought the team. Construction of a new arena began a month later, and the Bucks named a front office and coaching staff and began to assemble a team.
Sponsorships are about triple what was expected, said Greg Pierce, the local businessman who led the effort to assemble private investors to build the $21 million arena.
Pierce budgeted $350,000 a year for sponsorships, which include the naming rights for the new building.
The Herd is one of four expansion teams joining the G League for the 2017-18 season. The others are the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, Memphis Hustle, and a new version of the Erie BayHawks that is owned by the Atlanta Hawks.
RELATED STORIES: Wisconsin Herd to Begin G League Season in Milwaukee; New for 2017: Menominee Nation Arena
