The rising Phoenix are next challenge for Southeast team

Wisconsin-Green Bay is coming off a lopsided loss to Michigan State.

By Marty Mishow ~ Southeast Missourian

Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball coach Gary Garner warns people not to be fooled by Wisconsin-Green Bay's 58-point loss Tuesday night.

After all, that pounding came at 10th-ranked Michigan State. The Phoenix, said Garner, will probably be one of the better teams Southeast faces all season. Tonight's matchup of 1-1 squads will tip off at 7:05 p.m. in Green Bay, Wis.

"I saw the tape of that game against Michigan State, and Michigan State looked like the No. 1 team in the country," Garner said. "Wisconsin-Green Bay is a very good basketball team and this is going to be a really good test for us."

In Tod Kowalcyk's second season as UWGB's coach last year, the Phoenix turned in one of the nation's top 10 improvements, going 17-11, which included a third-place showing in the Horizon League. Kowalcyk's rookie campaign featured a 10-20 record.

And, with four starters returning, the Phoenix are expected to continue their ascent. One publication picked them to win the Horizon League while that conference's official preseason poll has them third in a tight race, trailing perennial league powers Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Illinois-Chicago.

Southeast, however, might be catching the Phoenix at just the right time as both of their second-team preseason all-league selections might not play tonight.

Brandon Morris, a 6-foot-1 senior guard who led the Phoenix in scoring last year with 10.9 points per game, is definitely out, as he is ineligible for the first semester.

Javier Mendiburu, a 6-5 senior guard who nearly recorded a triple-double during Wisconsin-Green Bay's season-opening 68-53 win over IUPUI, missed the Michigan State game with a sprained ankle and is questionable for tonight. Mendiburu had 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists against IUPUI.

Scoring leaders for the Phoenix through two games have been 6-7 junior forward Benito Flores (12 ppg) and 6-2 sophomore guard Ryan Evanochko (11 ppg).

Garner hopes Southeast is closer to full strength tonight than it was during Tuesday's 81-64 win over Division II Rockhurst, which came on the heels of a season-opening 77-73 loss at Bradley on Nov. 19.

Senior forward Dainmon Gonner, after scoring a career-high 36 points against Bradley, missed Tuesday's game with a viral infection. He is probable for tonight.

Senior guard Mike Nelke did not play against Rockhurst because of a sprained wrist and he remains questionable.

Also not likely to play is junior forward James White (injured knee), who missed the first two games, while senior guard Derek Winans (leg stress fracture) has not yet practiced and won't return for at least a few more days. Winans was Southeast's leading scorer each of the past three seasons.

"We got a lot better against Rockhurst, but we're still so far behind because of all the injuries," Garner said.

Garner said Wisconsin-Green Bay is strong defensively and on the boards, meaning Southeast -- which beat the Phoenix 63-62 in last season's opener at home -- will have to earn everything it gets.

"They're very sound on the defensive end of the floor, and they rebound the heck out of the basketball," Garner said. "The crowd will be into it, and it will be a big challenge for us. We'll really have to earn it, but if we could win this game, it would be really big."