FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Green Bay men's basketball is wrapping up their road trip tomorrow when they face off against Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Mastodons are 10-4 in league play and currently sit in second behind Cleveland State.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Green Bay (2-22, 0-13 HL) at Purdue Fort Wayne (17-8, 10-4 HL)
Saturday, Feb. 8
6:00 PM CST | Game Notes
Follow the action: Watch(ESPN+) | Listen (Mixlr) | Live Stats
ABOUT THE MASTODONS
The Mastodons are making a run for the Horizon League title under 11th-year head coach John Coffman (195-150).
Purdue Fort Wayne had the HL's most potent offense (83.0 ppg), led by the Horizon League's active leading scorer, Jalen Jackson, who averages 20.1 points per game. The Mastodons are one of the best shooting teams in the league, shooting 47.8 percent from the floor (second in the HL) and 38.2 percent from three (first in the HL). PFW makes 10.7 threes per game which is the seventh most in the NCAA.
Rasheed Bello is another big piece for PFW, averaging 14.7 points and 4.2 assists per game. Corey Hadnot II is the third and final Mastodon averaging in double figures, putting up 10.2 points per contest.
LAST MATCHUP
Purdue Fort Wayne came to Green Bay on December 29 and took down the Phoenix 83-67.
The Phoenix had two players score in double figures, led by
Preston Ruedinger, who had 12 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
Ryan Wade matched a season-high 11 points from the bench and
Marcus Hall added nine points, five assists, and two steals.
The Mastodons shot well and spread the ball around, with Quinton Morton-Robertson leading the way with 16 points, while Jalen Jackson and Trey Lewis finished with 15 and 12 respectively. PFW made 15 of their 27 shots from deep (55.6 percent).
SERIES HISTORY
Green Bay and Purdue Fort Wayne have played 10 times in the two schools' histories. The Phoenix is 2-8 against the Mastodons all-time including an 0-3 record on the road. Green Bay has lost its last eight games against PFW.
LAST TIME OUT
Yonatan Levy registered a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but the Green Bay men's basketball team fell to the Detroit Mercy Titans 67-57 on the road Saturday.
In addition to Levy's double-double, the Phoenix (2-22, 0-13) were led by Preston Ruedinger, who added 13 points and six rebounds, and by Marcus Hall, who put up 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
Orlando Lovejoy led the way for the Titans, finishing with 19 points, five steals, four rebounds and four assists. Legend Geeter also had 15 points and seven rebounds.
MIDSEASON REINFORCEMENTS
Before this Thursday's game against Wright State, the Green Bay men's basketball team added Yonatan Levy, a 6'9" freshman forward from Hamerkaz, Israel, to the 2024-25 active roster. Levy played for Hapoel Eilat of the Israeli Basketball Premier League in 2023-24 and received final eligibility certification from the NCAA in December. In five games played, Yonatan is averaging 10.8 points and 5.8 rebounds. He had a career day against Cleveland State on Jan. 25, finishing with 19 points and nine rebounds. He also racked up 15 points and 10 rebounds against Detroit Mercy this past Saturday.
JEREMIAH JOHNSON
Jeremiah Johnson has made big strides in the last month. Since Dec. 14, the freshman has scored double figures in six of his 11 games. Across those 11 games, Johnson is averaging 11.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.
MAC ATTACK
Redshirt freshman Mac Wrecke had a career day on Dec. 21 against Drake, scoring 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting in 30 minutes. Wrecke has started the last 15 games, scoring in double figures in five of them.
MONEY MARCUS
After a Horizon League All-Freshman Team selection, a season ago, Phoenix forward Marcus Hall has been outstanding to start the 2024-25 Season. Hall is currently averaging 12.5 points and 4.1 rebounds in 33.9 minutes per game shooting 43.9 percent from the floor and 36.1 percent from three-point range.
FREE POINTS
Green Bay had made their chances at the free throw line count. GB is knocking down 79.0 percent from the line, which ranks 9th best in the NCAA.
ROY RETURNS
After a stint at NAIA Langston University, where he was named an NAIA All-American First Teamer, Anthony Roy has returned to the Division I floor with Green Bay. After 11 games back in Division I, Roy has averaged 25.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. He also shoots 50.3 percent from the floor and 43.2 percent from three. Roy is sending waves throughout the country, he is first in points per game and first in three-pointers made per game with 4.4, as well as being first in three-point attempts per game at 10.1. Roy has scored 30+ points in five out of 11 games, and 20+ points in nine of his 11 starts this season. Roy is currently out for an extended period with a lower-body injury.
INTERNATIONAL TALENT
The 2024-25 Phoenix roster features players from three foreign countries and eight different U.S. states. Ben Tweedy is from Australia, Roee Oselka and Yonatan Levy are from Israel, and Mouhamadou Cissé is from Senegal.
TOP 10 TURNAROUND
After a program-low 3-29 season in 2022-23, Green Bay bounced back with a resilient 18-14 record a season ago in head coach Sundance Wicks' lone season with the Phoenix, jumping from last in the Horizon League to third. That 15.0 game turnaround is tied for the 10th-best turnaround in NCAA Division I history.
NEW LOOK ROSTER
The Phoenix underwent a roster transformation this past off-season. Of GB's rostered players, five are returners, three are transfers, and nine are incoming freshmen.
FAMILIAR FACES
Multiple returners will play large roles in the upcoming 2024-25 season, including Foster Wonders, Preston Ruedinger, and Marcus Hall. Last season, Ruedinger averaged 8.4, Wonders averaged 7.8, and Hall averaged 6.4 points per game. Mac Wrecke and Ryan Wade are the other two returners and will be featured in Coach Gottlieb's rotation.
OFFSEASON RECAP
A lot happened during the 2024 offseason. Let's get you caught up:
May 12 – Sundance Wicks named Wyoming head men's basketball coach
May 14 - Doug Gottlieb is named the 10th head coach in Green Bay men's basketball history.
June 6 – The rest of the coaching staff is announced, consisting of Aerick Sanders, Damon Archibald, Dennis Harrington, and Kaden LeCapitaine, joining Jordan McCabe.
Over the summer - The Phoenix brings in eight freshmen for the 2024-25 season: Ayden Goll, Jeremiah Johnson, Ben Tweedy, Bennett Basich, C.J. O'Hara, Brady Fitzgerald, Caden Wilkens, and Roee Oselka. Five transfers make their way to Green Bay this season including, Donovan Santoro, Anthony Roy, and Mouhamadou Cissé.
PRESEASON #HLMBB POLL
PL. TEAM (1st PLACE VOTES) – PTS.
T1. Milwaukee (15) – 421
T1. Purdue Fort Wayne (14) – 421
3. Northern Kentucky (4) – 389
4. Oakland (5) – 345
5. Wright State (4) – 315
6. Youngstown State (1) – 272
7. Cleveland State – 252
8. Green Bay – 171
9. Robert Morris – 148
10. IU Indianapolis (1) – 91
11. Detroit Mercy – 79
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