FLYING WITH THE PHOENIX: INSIDE GREEN BAY MEN'S BASKETBALL

Editor's Note: Flying with the Phoenix presented by Frontier Airlines will follow the Green Bay men's basketball team throughout the 2010-11 season as the Brian Wardle era kicks off. Director of Athletics Communications Andrew Gavin will bring you behind the scenes access to the program, with commentary and updates on the Phoenix both at home in Green Bay and on the road. 

Flying with the Phoenix archives
November 2010
December 2010

EVANS FINDING HIS STROKE AT THE RIGHT TIME
February 27, 2011 - 10:24 p.m.

After a sophomore season which has seen him at times struggle with his shot, Seth Evans (Seneca, Ill.) has picked the right time to find his rhythm. The guard scored 21 points in a pair of Green Bay games this past weekend, hitting 7-of-11 shots from the field in the process.

Evans' production is a good sign for a Green Bay team heading into Tuesday's game at 6 p.m. at Wright State in the opening round of the 2011 Horizon League Championship. In part due to the sophomore's play, seventh-seeded Green Bay has won two of its last three games and played Horizon League co-champion Cleveland State to the wire on the road Saturday.

Read more

STRONG EFFORT BY GREEN BAY SENIORS OVERSHADOWED BY PERINE'S HEROICS
February 22, 2011 - 1:31 p.m.

Senior Bryquis Perine (Milwaukee, Wis.) scored 20 points and knocked down the game-winning jumper Monday night in Green Bay's thrilling 81-80 overtime victory over Valparaiso, but his Senior Night performance also overshadowed some impressive efforts by the team's newcomers.

In fact, after Perine scored the game's opening bucket, Green Bay's non-seniors scored the team's next 34 points, helping the Phoenix build a 16-point lead. Freshman Alec Brown (Winona, Minn.) scored 14 points and junior Jarvis Williams (Milwaukee, Wis.) added 10 during that stretch. A third Green Bay newcomer - freshman Daniel Turner (McCordsville, Ind.) - scored five first-half points.

Read More

WATCH PERINE'S GAME-WINNING JUMPER
February 21, 2011 - 11:12 p.m.

BROWN ALREADY SETTING RECORDS
January 31, 2011 - 7:48 p.m.

There was little doubt in Brian Wardle's mind, or even in the confident mind of freshman Alec Brown (Winona, Minn.), that the 7-foot-1 freshman would break numerous blocked shots records in his time with the program. In fact, for most that had seen him play a couple of times, it seemed inevitable.

However, Brown holding the school's single-season blocks record along with the records for blocked shots in a game, blocked shots in a game at the Resch Center and blocks by a freshman just 23 games into his first season of college basketball might have come as more of a surprise.

Brown's 51 blocks this season place him among the top-10 in school history in career blocked shots, nearly halfway to Terry Evans's record of 132 set between 2005 and 2009.

Read More

VALENTIN'S CELEBRITY STATUS
January 28, 2011 - 2:21 p.m.

Junior Eric Valentin, who on Jan. 14 broke the world record for halfcourt shots made in a minute, has seen his celebrity status reach amazing heights in the past two weeks. Valentin, whose record was first featured on Inside Phoenix Basketball presented by Miller Lite on GreenBayPhoenix.com, has had his performance watched on Yahoo! by nearly 1.3 million viewers. He has also had interviews with multiple media outlets, including NBA TV, and has even been featured on ESPN's SportsCenter.

Below are links to some of the coverage that Valentin has received in recent weeks:

Yahoo!, by Jeff Eisenberg
Yahoo! Video
NBA TV, with Brent Barry and Dennis Scott
ESPN.com, by Eamonn Brennan
AOL Fanhouse, by Evan Hilbert
Rush the Court
Green Bay Press Gazette, by Weston Hodkiewicz

GREEN BAY PLAYERS UNVEIL THROWBACK JERSEYS
January 20, 2011 - 4:27 p.m.

The Green Bay men's basketball team unveiled the retro jerseys for Throwback Night on Wednesday at the Kress Center. The Phoenix will host Throwback Night on Friday, Jan. 28 against Wright State, and the players will wear the above jerseys from the mid-1970s.

To check out the photo gallery of the jerseys, click below.

Throwback Night Jerseys

TRIPLEHEADER OF SPORTING EVENTS FOR GREEN BAY SPECTATORS
January 14, 2011 - 1:25 p.m.

Sports fans in the Green Bay community will have plenty to fix their eyes on Saturday, both as spectators watching live in an arena or on television.

And it all starts with Green Bay basketball at the Resch Center and the Kress Center.

Green Bay's men's basketball team will kick off a tripleheader of sporting events at 11 a.m., hosting UIC in a Horizon League game at the Resch Center. The Phoenix women, approximately an hour after the men's clock shows zeroes, will tip off a Horizon League contest of their own at 2p.m., with UIC again serving as the opponent.

With two basketball victories hopefully in the books, Green Bay sports fans will have time to find a television set - their own or one at a local restaurant - and catch the pregame show before the Packers face the host Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Playoffs in primetime Saturday night.

Read more

ALEC BROWN VIDEO FEATURE
January 12, 2011 - 10:30 a.m.

Freshman Alec Brown was featured on last night's Inside Phoenix Basketball presented by Miller Lite. The 7-foot-1 freshman has made a huge impact on the Phoenix already, starting each of the team's games and breaking the program's freshman single-season blocks record and Green Bay's single-game blocks record.

Brown sat down to talk about his game, his growth spurts and life as a seven-footer while senior Rahmon Fletcher and post coach Jimmie Foster share their thoughts on the talented center.

FORMER PLAYERS REPRESENTING, TAKING PRIDE IN PROGRAM
January 7, 2011 - 2:22 p.m.

As Green Bay gets set to host Milwaukee Saturday night in a big Horizon League showdown, former Phoenix player Pat Nelson shared his thoughts on what he has seen from the team. Nelson played for the Phoenix for three seasons from 2007-10, during the time current head coach Brian Wardle was a Green Bay assistant coach.

"I have a lot of pride in this program, and I support what coach Wardle is doing and the direction things are going," said Nelson. "These young guys are playing hard and working to get better, and the future is bright."

Another 2010 Green Bay graduate, guard Troy Cotton, is playing professionally in Europe (Georgia) for Ministry of Internal Affairs Tbilisi. In 10 games this season, Cotton is averaging 11.8 points per game and knocked down 18 three-pointers. During his time at Green Bay, Cotton scored 1,251 points and knocked down 272 three-pointers.

Terry Evans, who finished playing in 2009, is playing for the Shimane Susanoo Magic in Japan. Evans is averaging 7.0 points and 5.7 rebounds through 22 games. Evans is Green Bay's record holder in career steals (237) and steals (132). He is also third all-time in rebounds with 766 in his career.