By Chris Terlop
Coming into the 2013-2014 season the Green Bay Phoenix had the most controversial offseason in the history of the program and had multiple players leave school all together. With an important season over halfway down for a squad that came within seconds to heading to the Horizon League Championship almost a year ago, many questions have been answered, but one remains. Is this the year?
Is this the year the Phoenix win the Horizon League tournament? Is this the year the Phoenix go to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1996? Is this the year the Phoenix make noise and become a Cinderella story?
For the first time in a while, the answer is yes.
This Phoenix group, under Head Coach Brian Wardle, has everything you look for in a competitive college team. They have the show stopping guard in Keifer Sykes, who is now garnering national attention, and is 20th in the country in scoring with 20.6 points per game. They have a presence in the middle with 7’1’’ senior Alec Brown, who is tenth in the NCAA with 3. 29 blocks per game.
They also have one more thing that most mid-major teams do not, size and athleticism across the board. The aforementioned Brown is joined on the court with the combination of Jordon Fouse (6’7’’), Greg Mays (6’9’’), Vincent Garrett (6’6”), Kenneth Lowe (6’8’’) to go along with Sykes and the 6’1’’ Carrington Love. This team will not stop with a Horizon League Championship and a NCAA berth, they will surprise the country and win an upset or two in the Big Dance.
This is the most complete team that Wardle has ever had to mold, they can run, shoot, and play physical with almost any team in the country. Last year it was Dunk City, maybe this is the year the Phoenix can come up with something just as catchy.
You can hear Chris on Sportsline M-F and Saturdays at 8 am. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisTerlop
