GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay men's basketball head coach Sundance Wicks is on the hunt for his first Division I win as a head coach, which he could get tomorrow night at Valparaiso. The Phoenix are traveling to Valparaiso for a 7 p.m. tipoff on Tuesday.
Tuesday, Nov. 14 – VALPARAISO, Ind. – ARC Arena
Green Bay (1-1) vs. Valparaiso (1-1)
7:00 PM
Follow the action: Watch (ESPN+) | Listen (WDUZ The Fan) | Live Stats
ABOUT THE BEACONS
Led by first-year head coach Roger Powell Jr., the Beacons have started the 2023-24 season 1-1. Valpo got a 100-61 win over Trinity Christian in their season opener before falling to IUPUI 66-56 on Friday, Nov. 10.
Guard Isaiah Stafford has started the year strong, leading the team averaging 16.0 points per game. Stafford has shot well from distance, knocking down 6-of-14 attempts (42.9 percent). Another guard, Jaxon Edwards, has also been a leader for the Beacons, averaging 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game.
LAST TIME OUT
Sundance Wicks got his first win as the head coach of the Green Bay Phoenix on Thursday, Nov. 9 against St. Francis (Ill.). The Phoenix won 72-56 and was led by 23 points and 10 assists from Noah Reynolds. Elijah Jones was also close to a double-double, finishing with 19 points and eight rebounds. Rich Byhre also chipped in with 11 points.
OFFSEASON RECAP
A lot happened during the 2023 offseason. Let's get you caught up:
March 14 - Sundance Wicks was named the ninth head coach in Green Bay men's basketball history.
March 30 - The rest of the coaching staff is announced. Pat Monaghan, Zach Malvik, and Nic Reynolds are added as assistant coaches and Adam Owens is retained as the Director of Basketball Operations.
April 19 – Will Eames, David Douglas Jr., Preston Ruedinger, and Rich Byhre are added to the roster.
May 1 – Noah Reynolds, Elijah Jones, and Foster Wonders join Green Bay.
June 2 – Rahmon Fletcher joins the staff as the Director of Player Development.
IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN GB
Green Bay hired Sundance Wicks as the program's next head coach on March 14, 2023. Wicks comes to the Phoenix after three seasons as an assistant coach at Wyoming. In his first season with the Cowboys, Wicks helped revamp an offense that led the Mountain West in scoring at 76.5 points per game. Prior to his time with the Cowboys, he spent two highly successful years as the head coach at NCAA DII Missouri Western State in St. Joseph, Missouri. The Gillette, Wyo., native, led the Griffons to 18 wins in 2019-20, which was the most by the program in 10 years. In his first season at the helm of the program, his team doubled their win total from the year before. In his two seasons, Wicks mentored six All-MIAA players and an NABC All-District selection. Coach Wicks' first win at Green Bay came on Thursday, Nov. 9 against St. Francis (Ill.).
NEW LOOK ROSTER
The Phoenix underwent a roster transformation this past offseason. Of GB's 15 rostered players, three are returners, six are transfers, and six are incoming freshmen.
FAMILIAR FACES
Two of Green Bay's six transfers have played for coach Wicks prior to his time in GB. Will Eames played under coach Wicks at Missouri Western State in 2019-20 when he was the MIAA Freshman of the Year and All-MIAA honorable mention. Another Phoenix that has played for coach Wicks is Wyoming transfer Noah Reynolds. Reynolds was the second leading scorer on Wyoming last year, averaging 14.5 points per game in 19 games played.
EFFICIENT ELIJAH
Elijah Jones is currently shooting 90.9 percent from the floor, which is the fifth-highest percentage in NCAA DI.
BROTHERLY LOVE
The aforementioned Noah Reynolds' older brother Nic Reynolds is an assistant on the coaching staff at Green Bay. The two are from Peoria, Ill., but have many family members in the Fox Valley area. Nic played four years at Columbia College and has had coaching stints at Columbia, Illinois-Springfield, Purdue Northwest, Denver, Southern Arkansas, and now Green Bay.
MAKING THE JUMP
Another name fans should look out for is Rockhurst transfer Rich Byhre. A Delafield, Wis., native, Byhre led Rockhurst in scoring (17.9 ppg), rebounding (8.1 rpg), blocks (22), minutes (33 mpg), and shooting percentage (50.5%). At the conclusion of the season Byhre was named an NABC Division II All-American.
PRESEASON #HLMBB POLL
PL. Team (1st-place votes) – PTS.
1. Northern Kentucky (18) - 435
2. Milwaukee (10) - 397
3. Wright State (12) - 392
4. Cleveland State (1) - 362
5. Youngstown State (3) -342
6. Oakland - 280
7. Robert Morris- 186
8. Purdue Fort Wayne- 166
9. Detroit Mercy- 132
10. IUPUI - 116
11. Green Bay - 96
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