Coach Dick Bennett has a plan and it includes playing shut down defense and limited the possessions and the second half of last year went much better.  Bennett’s plan does not include bringing in some high-flying JC recruits or recruiting only from the inner cities (wink, wink).  No, they brought in an old school coach who would rely on fundamentals in recruiting and the way the game is played.  Coach Bennett lives and breathes defense!  His Wisconsin of Green Bay Phoenix hope to be at the forefront of the Horizon conference by playing as tough of man to man defense as any team in the country.  To enhance all of these changes the kids voted for a name change to separate themselves from the rival University of Wisconsin out of Madison.  This program is rising up from the depths of the lower ranks and have picked the perfect name in the Phoenix to replace the Bay Badgers nickname they had until recently.  The Phoenix are not expected to be anything special this year after having just recently moving up from NAIA and Division two basketball but I wouldn’t put it past Bennett and his boys if they improved dramatically over last year?  They did, after all, hold opponents to under 70 points a game and kept themselves in contention of every game with their defense.  Have I mentioned that this team can play defense?

Junior point guard Tom Anderson is the unquestioned leader on this team.  He is the coach on the floor and the best player as well.  Anderson is just as comfortable popping one from 18 feet as he in driving the lane and hitting an open teammate for a basket or tear dropping one over some big man’s head for two.  The most incredible thing is Anderson’s choice of shots.  This 6’2 180 pounder does not take bad shots.  EVER!  Even though he led the team in scoring he shot over 50 percent from the field.  That’s right a kid that scores over 15 points a game does not rely on the quantity of shots to produce baskets but relies on quality to get the job done.  And that this hometown kid does.  Whenever he enters a gym, Anderson will always be the smartest person in the place!  His basketball IQ is off the charts.  Anderson is the main name in Packertown at least as far as basketball goes. 

Bennett realizes Anderson needs a sidekick in crime and he has some options in fellow juniors Tom Diener, Tom Jones and sophomore Tom Brown.  Yes, there are no Dicks or Harry’s in Green Bay, just all Toms.  With Anderson rotating between point and shooting guard, Bennett needs someone to take some of the ballhandling so he could shoot more often.  Realistically, Bennett really just loves playing two point guards to control the tempo.   Anderson is a true point guard but man this team needs more scoring. Diener is a great penetrator and distributor and can score a little as well but Jones and Brown as common as there names are bring some dynamic scoring to the court so they will probably push Diener into a complimentary role. The Phoenix are just a better team when Anderson is on the floor quarterbacking.  Anderson was a huge carryover from the lower Division days and had to adjust to sharing the basketball as he was the man but he has accepted this dual quarterback role though could you imagine if the Packers ever decided to do that with Starr and Favre? 

Juniors Dennis Woeffler and Ron Ripley are the size inside for the Phoenix.  Both are big guys who can bang and take up space and grab a board or two.  Woeffler can also muscle in a few baskets.  This duo gave this team the much needed low post defense that this style mandates.  Ripley is the biggest starter on the team and eats up space down low though he is not the most physical guy on the team and is a bit thin.  He like his teammates only takes good shots so his average was not high but this six ten kid really knows how to play the game.  Ripley believe it or not might have the highest upside on this team but plays so controlled and comfortably that he does not get the recognition he deserves.  Ripley like his buddy Anderson were the stars when the Phoenix were dominant at the lower levels.  He and Woeffler started the season as the primary low post guys but his sidekick was not quite big enough and got moved to the bench where he still produced solid numbers.  He was a scoring machine just a few years ago but that was when this school was all the way down in the NAIA but is best suited in this role.  Ripley has a year left to prove he can play at the next level (he is a pro prospect) while Woeffler has another year left of showing he can play at the Division One Level.  

Junior forward Ray Willis may be the best offensive player in the front court.  A good low post and sometimes wing option, Willis had some huge games for the Phoenix.  This naturally athletic kid (the Phoenix do not have many of these) missed too many games and does not match up well with Bennett’s style of play.  He can be a bit casual at times as he actually took himself out of a game he had scored 23 points because ‘it was too easy.’  He is adjusting to the man to man defense and his motion offense and had some battles with Bennett but his offense is needed for this team to go to another level. 

Sophomore Richard Sims is a 6’3 forward who will be the first guy off the bench and brings offense to a team in desperate need of it.  Several others contributed off the bench for the Phoenix.  Sophomore Nate Barnes is another space eater in the mold of Ripley and Woeffler up front but is way more physical.  This kid from the projects of Chicago paid for his own bus ticket to Green Bay after a year at a JC but quickly proved he can play.  Barnes is a terrific athlete with size who loves to block shots and rebound.  His offense is developing but though he only played half of the year he made a huge impact with his presence down low.  He is not the type that Bennett would normally bring in (hence buying his own ticket to get here) but the fans love him with his style and toughness and willingness to do what it takes to win.  He could be starting down low next year if he continues to improve.  Juniors James Bardney and Bryan Boettchner gave the Phoenix productive minutes up front last year.  Bardney is a board man and a mentor to Barnes who he played together in a rec league game and convinced him to take that fateful bus ride to Titletown.  Ironically he lost a lot of minutes to his protégé but he is a team first player who plays a similar game.  Junior Richard Sims showed some upside in the backcourt as he was usually the first guy off the bench for Anderson.  He traded off the first half with Junior Tom ‘Delilah’ Jones but by the end was the primary wing off the bench.  Big Jim Zill is a 6’11 project who could really help this team if he develops.  He has shown signs but is foul prone and way too inconsistent as of now but man would he help as a goalie with the Phoenix press. 

The Phoenix of Wisconsin-Green Bay have to compete with the Packers for fan support.  Usually this city is football crazy for the 12 months a year.  Coach Dick Bennett has set a precedence that this team will play defense and keep itself in games.  With that being said the Phoenix were nowhere near the dominant team they were at the lower levels of Division One basketball.  Of course Rome was not built in a day and the talent that was dominant at the lower level is not quite up to this level even in the Horizon though they did finish a strong fourth with Bennett’s defense taking top billing.  That style is working but when you are playing teams filled with talented kids such as Loyola and Detroit it is hard to compete.  This team is competing but has much work to do and Coach Bennett is already getting calls to implement his style with bigger programs.  But he loves it here and for sure will be around until his son graduates.  So the Phoenix had three more years to crack the code and move up the ladder one rung at a time.  Now they need to take the next step and learn how to score a little more often.  And maybe find a seven footer with crazy skills who wants to play here instead of going to the Mother School or Marquette!