It was a three game week for Will Ryan and the Green Bay Phoenix (4-21, 3-13 Horizon League), and if we’re being honest, the only real positives worth noting were moral victories and individual performances.
I look forward to the day we can look back on these difficult times as Phoenix fans and grow an ever greater appreciation for the success I sincerely believe is just around the corner. It may sound cliche, but trust the process.
So, without further ado, let’s recap the last week of Green Bay basketball.
The week kicked off on Monday morning with forward Cade Meyer being named the Horizon League freshman of the week.
The Monroe (Wisc.) native averaged 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in their two road contests.
Meyer is the second UWGB freshman to receive the award this season, with the other being point guard Kamari McGee who has won it twice.
After a four game road trip, Green Bay returned home for two games. Green Bay lost their first game to Wright State 79-62 on Wednesday. The Phoenix had just eight active players in this game, as has been the trend for the better part of the last month.
The lone bright spot in this one was freshman point guard Kamari McGee scoring a career high 24 points, adding five rebounds and three steals as well. He’s continued to play at a high level for head coach Will Ryan and is gaining plenty of valuable experience.
Walk-on Nate Jenkins also added 12 points and five assists. He’s been quite the find for this program.
Their second game of the week resulted in a 71-62 loss to Northern Kentucky. This was the fourth straight game a Horizon League opponent shot better than 50% from the field against Green Bay. Defense and tired legs have been a real issue for the program during league play.
Freshman Cade Meyer led the team with 14 points while also getting contributions form Emmanuel Ansong (12 points) and Nate Jenkins (11).
In their third and final game of the week, Green Bay traveled to Milwaukee for a Sunday matinee against the UW Milwaukee Panthers. The Phoenix led 22-17 at the break, but a 19-0 second half run from UWM proved to be too much to overcome.
Green Bay went on to post arguably their worst offensive performance of the season, and ultimately lost 54-44 to their in-state rival.
Cade Meyer scored a career-high 18 points and Nate Jenkins tacked on 15 more, but got very little assistance on that end of the floor.
This loss brings Green Bay’s losing streak to a disappointing eight consecutive games.
Recruiting
On a lighter note, Green Bay did extend a scholarship offer to New Mexico Junior College guard Chris Bready.
The 6-foot-5 210 pound guard played his high school basketball in the state of Wisconsin, so there are certainly ties to the area. He’s a play-making wing with excellent size that can stretch the floor – which is a significant area of need within the program.
On the season Bready is averaging 14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting 40.7% from 3.
Green Bay returns home this weekend for their final home games of the regular season. On Friday, the Phoenix will host Purdue Fort Wayne at 7 p.m. (I’ll be in attendance), followed by Cleveland State on Sunday.
Visit https://horzizoneroundtable.com/ for the best Horizon League basketball coverage all in one place.
