Joe Wolf, known as one of the best basketball players in Wisconsin high school hoops history, has died.
The news of Wolf’s death was first reported by Mark Miller, the longtime editor of the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook. Wolf died of an apparent heart attack, Miller wrote on X.
Wolf was 59 years old.
Wolf, who starred at Kohler High School during the early 1980s, was most recently an assistant coach with the Wisconsin Herd, the Milwaukee Bucks‘ G-League affiliate.
The Bucks confirmed Wolf’s death. He played and coached for the franchise.
“The Milwaukee Bucks and Wisconsin Herd are deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of Herd assistant coach and Kohler native Joe Wolf,” the statement said. “Throughout his life, Joe touched many lives and was a highly respected, adored and dedicated coach and player across the NBA. His well-regarded talent was instrumental for the Bucks and Herd over eight years with the organization, including as a player and coach.”
Wolf was the 13th pick in the 1987 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers after a four-year career at the University of North Carolina. He played for nine teams across 11 seasons in the NBA, including one year with the Bucks in 1996-97.
He returned to the franchise as an assistant coach from 2008-13.
Wolf, a power forward who stood 6-feet-11, was an all-Atlantic Coast Conference player at North Carolina from 1983-87 and was coached by the legendary Dean Smith. Wolf played one year with basketball icon Michael Jordan.
Wolf was a superstar at Kohler and led the team to three state titles in 1980, 1982 and 1983. His brother, Jeff, was the head coach of Kohler’s only other state title team in 1999.
Joe Wolf brought his best at the state tournament.
As a junior, he scored a game-high 34 points on 16-of-28 shooting in Kohler’s 61-56 win over Thorp in the 1982 Class C final. In the semifinals that year he had 24 points in Kohler’s 67-54 victory over Washburn.
Wolf’s 58 points were the most in the Class C tournament that year. And his 24 field goals in the two games remain a state tournament record for Division 3. His 21 field goals in the 1983 state tournament are fifth all-time for Division 3.
He was voted as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s greatest high school basketball player in Wisconsin history in a 2005 poll.
“With his size and skills, he was the best I’ve seen,” Win Parkinson, who coached at Milwaukee Tech for 33 seasons, told the Journal Sentinel in 2005. “He was in the state tournament at the same time we were and I went to see him play at Sheboygan.
“He had a heck of a following and a heck of a career. I just look at him as one of the most complete players I’ve ever seen.”
After his playing career ended with an elbow injury in 1999, Wolf got into coaching. He began as an assistant for his brother at Kohler.
“I was told if you’re going to be a coach, you have to learn how to coach,” Wolf told the Sheyboygan Press in 2017.
Wolf landed in the then-NBA Development League, then got a call from Bucks coach Scott Skiles in 2008 to be an assistant coach.
“We love Wisconsin,” Wolf told the Journal Sentinel. “This is where home is; this is where family is.”
