With all five starters returning following a third place showing in the Horizon League a season ago, the hopes are high for the Green Bay Phoenix this season.  In each of head coach Tod Kowalczyk’s seasons at Green Bay his squad has finished higher than the pre-season poll predicted, as well.  With the Phoenix tabbed for second this season, there is only one spot to go in the upwards direction and that is the one Kowalczyk and the Phoenix have their eyes on. 

The Phoenix return all fiver starters from a year led by two seniors.  Point guard Ryan Evanochko was named to the pre-season first team.  The league’s leading returning playmaker, Evanochko averaged nearly 16 points a game last season while handing out better than five assists per contest.  The 6’2” 200-pounder has a great first step and does a tremendous job getting to the basket.  Among guards last season, only Wright State’s DaShaun Wood got to the free-throw line more than Evanochko. 

Fellow senior Josh Lawrence anchors the front court.  The 6’7” 230-pound forward has started all but one game last season and posted better than nine points and nearly five rebounds a game.  Down the stretch, Lawrence turned it on for the Phoenix averaging 12 points and nearly seven rebounds over Green Bay’s last six regular season contests.  Lawrence, like most on the Phoenix, is a decent shooter as well. He led the Horizon League with a 44.6% from three-point range. 

Starting alongside Lawrence in the frontcourt are a pair of sophomores.  Part of Kowalczyk’s highly touted recruiting class Terry Evans and Mike Schachtner along with Ryan Tillema are the future of the Green Bay program.  With a combined 92 starts last season, the future is now. 

Evans, listed at 6’5” and 195-pounds, led the Phoenix in rebounding snagging 5.5 rebounds per contest and chipping in eight points a game.   Evans uses great quickness and athleticism to do a bit of everything for the Phoenix on the wing.

Mike Schachtner surprised a lot of people last season.  At 6’9” and 215-pounds, Schachtner proved he could score inside and outside at the Division I level last season.  After a slow start to his freshman campaign,Schachtner turned it on in conference play scoring in double digits for 12 out of 16 Horizon League contests.  For the season, he averaged better than ten points and four rebounds.  For his efforts Schachtner was named to the league’s all-newcomer squad.

Tillema was probably the most sought after recruit of the class last season and he showed flashes of why some high-major programs wanted him.  At 6’8”, Tillema has a smooth shooting stroke and excellent ability to put the ball on the floor and score as well.  Tillema averaged nearly nine points a game and hit 37.6% from three-point range.  He scored better than 20 points in four of the last nine games of the season for the Phoenix.  With his skills he should become a more consistent scorer this season.

Senior forward Aswan Minatee appeared in all 31 games last season and provides an instant physical presence for the Phoenix at 6’5” and 230 pounds.  Minatee shot a team-high 48.4% from the floor, scoring six points and grabbing three rebounds per game. 

Junior forward Tevah Morris is another strong physical player that the Phoenix can use for muscle.  At 6’9” 250 pounds Morris is a very strong rebounder, posting a nearly nine rebound per 40 minutes average. 

Sophomore Cordero Barkley has good athleticism and quickness to go with his huge wingspan.  He appeared in 30 games last season.

Junior guard Ryan Werch is a three-point marksman, hitting nearly 42% of his three-point attempts last season.  Left unwatched, Werch can single-handedly knock a team out with a handful of three-pointers. 

Forward Randy Berry red-shirted last season and is considered to be a bit more athletic than Schachtner, a scary thought for the rest of the Horizon League.  Incoming freshman guard Troy Cotton can do a bit of everything at either guard position.  Transfer Chase Sukut looks to be groomed as the next point guard for the Phoenix after Evanochko graduates.

The Phoenix return every major contributor from last season and have their sight set on capturing the Horizon League title.  The Phoenix will have to improve the performances on the road where they posted just a 2-6 record in conference play.  Those six loses were by an average of nearly 13 points, as well.  With experience at every position the learning curve is over for Green Bay.

--Joe Dlugosz is the editor of Ramblermania.com, a website dedicated to Loyola-Chicago sports information.  For more of Joe's writing, visit: www.ramblermania.com --ed.