The Wisconsin Herd would sound like a classified sort of deer if you put it together. While there are a lot of deer in the Badger state, the aforementioned name is actually the newest name of the Milwaukee Bucks organization. They are the G-League, or as many would know it as the NBA Developmental League prior to the name switch, team for the Bucks. They started their first season in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. For location sake, look up Green Bay, Wisconsin on a map and travel about 60 minutes south and that's where Oshkosh is. The Herd play in what is called Menominee Nation Arena. I got to attend a game in the late Winter there and I do tell the story of the game.
Upon entering the arena, you'll likely know that it is a state of the art arena, as it is brand new for a brand new team. You will also realize it is for a minor league team, like a G-League team is. It doesn't have major frills, major concession stands or anything like that. It is basic, with a very clean fan shop for merchandise on the Herd and the Milwaukee Bucks. The concessions are a lot of what you would expect at a Milwaukee Bucks game, in terms of food and drinks. There are less concession stands but that's due to accommodating for about three thousand people rather than nearly 20 thousand. The upper level ticket buyers can get more specialty drinks and food to them as well. So this is a very state of the art facility that fans can be happy with.
Speaking of the fans, they come out to every game. On this particular day, it happened to be warmer than usual for Wisconsin in March. The fans packed the arena. Typically for about 3,500 fans the energy level is low but this arena and the fans bring a lot more enthusiasm. The noise levels can be pretty high for a type of crowd this size, especially if the team is successful. While not as knowledgeable about the rest of the G-League teams and their arenas, I would imagine the Herd take a lot of pride in knowing that their fans bring a lot of energy for a new team.
The on-court product is likely what you would expect from a G-League team. Some young players, some players looking to get back to the big show, some who are just trying to play basketball again. There are some highs and lows to this, some really talented players but others who also make a lot of mistakes and need them corrected. For the Herd, they had Brandon Jennings at the time, who then went up to Milwaukee to play. Same goes for former first round pick D.J. Wilson, and guard Xavier Munford. Those three highlighted the Herd team on this night, although the Herd lost by more than 20 points. However, the game itself for one half was very fun. A lot of different plays were made and the pace was very frenetic. The fans in the first year will be satisfied as the team hung on strong through most of the season.
All in all, it marked a cool first trip to the Wisconsin Herd and their arena. I would say there are things to work on as they continue forward, but the first year is always a learn and see process. I would like them to add more concessions and more choices, but it will likely come with time. Otherwise, they do a good job with the product, the staff and security. Hopefully Oshkosh and east Central Wisconsin can keep supporting the Herd as they continue with their team.
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