The Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks' minor-league team, is bringing NBA action to Oshkosh

OSHKOSH - On a cold Wednesday night in January, more than 2,000 basketball fans hung with the Wisconsin Herd until the bitter end.

The Milwaukee Bucks G League team came out flat and gave up 72 first-half points against the Greensboro Swarm. Down 20 points as the lost-cause game drew to a close, Herd coach Jordan Brady called a timeout with 8 seconds left.

Fans were glad they stayed because they got a final up-close look at NBA fireworks that make a $10 seat in Oshkosh feel like a $200 seat at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

The Herd ran a crisp play set up for center Marshall Plumlee, who made a nice move in the paint and knocked the ball through the hoop.

Few in the crowd likely knew Plumlee's pedigree — he was a standout college player for Duke and played for the New York Knicks last season. His brothers, Miles (Atlanta Hawks) and Mason (Denver Nuggets), are both in the NBA.

But word is out in Oshkosh that Herd games rock thanks to players who might be on an NBA court the following day.

The Herd has sold more season tickets and raised more sponsorship money than organizers had hoped for. Several games have been sellouts and more are expected.

Herd season ticket sales are the highest of the four G League teams added this year, and they are double the league average, said spokeswoman Mallory Steinberg.

"The Herd has sold more season tickets than the other three expansion league teams combined," she said.

And at 16-12 as of Friday, the Herd is in first place of the G League Central Division.

Wednesday's game was Plumlee's first for the Herd, and it started in small-town fashion. Before the tipoff, he took the microphone, thanked the crowd for coming and led them in a hearty "Herd Up" cheer.

The fans waved their green "Swat the Swarm" swatters and settled into their seats.

"I hear there are a lot of dunks and three-pointers," one guy said to his friend as they filed into the Menominee Nation Arena, the $21-million arena that local investors built in a matter of months to accommodate the Herd.

That insight was spot on.

Both teams made plenty of long-distance shots. And there were spectacular slam dunks including a reverse dunk off an alley-oop pass slammed down by the Herd's Cliff Alexander.

It was like the players were auditioning for the NBA — because they were. Plumlee, for one, was in Milwaukee working out with the Milwaukee Bucks the following morning.

That's exactly the way the Bucks want it when it comes to both the fans and players.

Although the folks in Oshkosh may not realize it, the Bucks closely manage the Herd operation. From the fun and games during timeouts to the plays on the court, it's an extension of the big league operation.

Dave Dean, the Bucks vice president of basketball operations, is also the Herd general manager. He was at the Bucks game in Milwaukee when the Herd played the Swarm but watched the game live on his tablet.

"The Bucks and the Herd, we speak exactly the same language," Dean said.

"Coach Brady runs every single thing that we do here," said Bucks General Manager Jon Horst.

"We're all aligned with what the goal is for the G-League — to spread Milwaukee Bucks basketball to Wisconsin," Horst said.

"And to help develop those players."

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Fans gave the experience a thumbs up on Wednesday night.

"It's a great environment and the arena is very nice," said Dave Frohrip of Fond du Lac, who was attending his first Herd game with daughter Emily, 12, and her basketball team.

"I follow college basketball, so I kind of know who some of these guys are," he said at halftime.

"She's been glued to the game the entire time," Frohrip said.

Emily's favorite part: "Getting to high-five the players as they came out."

That meeting of small-town Wisconsin with one of the world's most popular pro leagues is exactly what the Bucks wanted when they landed a G-League team.

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.

"People are really getting excited about this team," said Ian Wegner, one of the owners of the new Fifth Ward Brewing Co. that opened nearby about the same time as the arena late last year.

"They're surprised by the quality of the basketball," he said of the pregame crowd that filled his brew pub.

Herd President Steve Brandes said that excitement has translated to several sellouts, including upcoming games Saturday and Wednesday .

"There are a lot of things going right," Brandes said.

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With a dozen home games remaining, there's hope in Oshkosh that a season highlight will come in the next few weeks: an appearance by Bucks star Jabari Parker who is coming off of a year-long knee injury rehab.

"I get asked all the time; 'When is he coming?' " said Greg Pierce, who led the team of investors that built the new arena and has a Parker jersey hanging in the office of his wealth management company.

There's evidence supporting his optimism.

The Bucks have said Parker will return before the All-Star Game break in the middle of February. He has worked out with the Herd in practices in Milwaukee and it has gone well, Dean and Horst said.

"The schedules would have to fit, first of all," Horst said.

The best time for a Parker visit, given the Bucks timeline, would be when the Bucks are on the road and the Herd are at home. That would point to Herd games Feb. 9 or 10.

Horst said that although Parker has not been medically cleared, he was nearly ready for action. Part of the decision, he said, will turn on "whether or not Jabari thinks it's important" to get a minor league game in before he rejoins the Bucks.

If that happens, it'll cap an already successful season in Oshkosh, Pierce said.

"There's not a lot going on up here in the winter," he said.