GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball team is heading west for a two-game set at Worthington Arena in Bozeman, Montana. The first of the two will be a road game against Montana State on Monday, Nov. 20, followed by a neutral site game against UC Riverside on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
 
Monday, Nov. 20 – BOZEMAN, Mont. – Worthington Arena
Green Bay (1-2) vs. Montana State (2-1)
8:00 PM CT
Follow the action: Watch (ESPN+) | Listen (WDUZ The Fan) | Live Stats 
 
Tuesday, Nov. 21 – BOZEMAN, Mont. – Worthington Arena
Green Bay vs. UC Riverside
8:00 PM CT
Follow the action: Listen (WDUZ The Fan) | Live Stats | Game will not be live streamed
 
ABOUT THE BOBCATS
Montana State has started the year 2-1 after wins over Northwest Indian College and Cal, and a loss to Seattle U. The Bobcats' last time out was a 63-60 win at Cal. So far this season, the Bobcats have outshot their opponents, especially from three. MSU has shot 33.3 percent while holding their opponents to 24.0 percent shooting from deep.
 
Montana State has a balanced offensive attack led by Brandon Walker, who averages 16.0 points per game. Three other Bobcats also average in double figures, Patrick McMahon (13.0), Brian Goracke (12.7), and Jaqari Miles (10.0).
 
ABOUT THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside has dropped three straight since winning their opener against UC Merced 76-69. The Highlanders have losses to Utah, Portland, and North Carolina. The Highlanders have struggled shooting to start the season, shooting 32.4 percent from the field and 29.1 percent from three.
 
UC Riverside spreads the scoring around, with just two players averaging over 10 points per game. Barrington Hargress leads the team with 11.8 points and 4.3 assists per game. Ben Griscti is the other Highlander above the 10-point mark, averaging 10.3 points to go with 3.5 rebounds per contest.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Green Bay men's basketball team fell on the road last Tuesday night at Valparaiso, 64-59. Noah Reynolds led Green Bay with 24 points and seven rebounds. Jones finished with his first double-double of the season, scoring 13 points and pulling down a game-high 15 rebounds. Foster Wonders chipped in with eight points off the bench. Valpo eventually took the lead 43-42 at 9:04 and never gave it back up. Reynolds attempted to lead a late GB comeback after racing down the court and making a layup to make the score 61-59 with :14 seconds remaining, but three free throws from Valpo iced the game down the stretch.
 
REYNOLDS ON A MISSION
Noah Reynolds has been a leader on the court for the Phoenix this season. He is currently second in the HL in scoring, averaging 20.3 points per game. Reynolds also averages a team-high 4.7 assists per game and 4.7 rebounds per game.
 
EFFICIENT ELIJAH
Elijah Jones is the other Phoenix who averages double-figure points, scoring 11.7 per contest. Jones was big in GB's last game, scoring 13 points and pulling down a game-high 15 rebounds. His 15-rebound performance was the first from a Phoenix player since 2019.
 
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. 
 
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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