All the credit (or discredit) here goes to Commissioner from the Detroit Message Board. Here is a link to the other Horizon previews he has conducted so far:
udtitanbasketball.freeforums.net/thread/1292/commissioners-2021-horizon-league-previewsGreen Bay
Your Horizon League trivia of the day: What school has had the most All-Conference players (first or second team) since the Horizon (nee MCC) absorbed the top half of the Mid-Continent Conference in the spring of 1994? (No, it’s not Green Bay). You might be tempted by Butler, but remember, they were only in the league for 18 of the ensuing 27 years.
It’s actually Wright State, which has had 19 first team all-conference players (the most of any school), and 17 second team selections (tied for the most of any school). But Green Bay does show up very well on the list, with 15 first team selections and 17 second teamers.
Oakland has done quite well since entering the league, with 9 first team selections in 8 years—the highest “per season” average of any school. Kampe has a knack for promoting his players, which Tony Paul is always happy to oblige (and this is not to say OU hasn’t had some very good individual players). Despite winning just two regular season titles in the HL—isn’t that embarrassing?--the Titans look pretty good here, with 16 first teamers (tied with Butler for the most after Wright State) and 16 second team selections, for 32 total, tied with Green Bay for second most. The Titans also have the second most Player of the Year selections, after Butler. In fact, the Titans have had more players recognized with league honors than any other team in the MCC/Horizon since the league took on its modern shape with the absorption of the top half of the Mid-Continent/Summit.
Here’s a little table:
School Yrs.
in Conf. 1st Team 2d Team Total
All Conf All D All New/
Fr. POY DPOY N/FOY 6th POY
Wright State '95-'21 19 17 36 11 17 5 0 6 0
Detroit '95-'21 16 16 32 19 18 5 1 7 2
Green Bay '95-'21 15 17 32 20 11 3 2 0 2
Butler '95-'12 16 12 28 21 10 6 2 3 0
Milwaukee '95-'21 11 17 28 4 15 2 0 1 0
UIC '95-'21 9 15 24 13 17 2 2 3 1
Cleveland State '95-'21 9 12 21 15 14 1 3 2 1
Loyola '95-'13 8 7 15 5 5 0 0 1 2
Oakland '14-'21 9 4 13 4 8 2 0 1 1
Valparaiso '08-'17 8 5 13 4 5 2 2 1 3
Youngstown State '02-'21 7 4 11 8 10 0 1 0 1
Northern Kentucky '16-'21 3 3 6 3 4 1 1 1 0
Northern Illinois '95-'97 3 1 4 2 2 0 0 1 0
IUPUI '18-'21 0 3 3 2 0 0 1 0 1
Xavier 1995 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0
La Salle 1995 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Robert Morris 2021 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fort Wayne 2021 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Key
1st Team - First team all conference selections since 1995
2d Team - Second team all conference selections since 1995
Total - Total 1st/2d team all conference selections since 1995
All-D - All Defensive team selections since 1996
All New/Fr. - All Newcomer team selections (1995-2013), All Freshman (2014-2021)
POY - Total Player of the Year selections since 1995
DPOY - Total Defensive Player of the Year selections since 2008
N/FOY - Total Newcomer of the Year (1995-2012)/Freshman of the Year (2013-2021)
6th POY - Total 6th Man of the Year selections since 2008
Unfortunately for Phoenix fans, I don’t see anyone on the roster who is an especially likely candidate for post-season honors this year. After a subpar 8-17 mark last year, Green Bay’s top three players—Amari Davis, PJ Pipes, and Josh Jefferson—hit the transfer portal, and Terrance Thompson, last year’s most hyped recruit, headed off to the juco ranks after a disappointing season. The argument around Appleton, Suamico, and other northern Wisconsin metropolises is that second year coach Will Ryan now has his type of players, guys who buy into and understand Ryan’s system (more on that below). I’m dubious that that will compensate enough for the talent level to compete in the Horizon this year.
The most likely player to garner post-season honors for Green Bay is junior Emmanuel Ansong (or, as I’ve classified people in these previews by eligibility remaining, he’s a redshirt sophomore). As an undersized, 6-4 forward without a three-point shot, Ansong was lightly recruited in high school and ended up signing with Ryan at D-2 Wheeling. After a strong freshman year there, he followed Ryan to Green Bay and is the club’s top returning scorer (10.4 ppg) and rebounder (5.3 rpg). It took a bit of time for him to adjust to D-1 play, but he was really kicking it at year-end, averaging 15.4 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 66% from the floor in Green Bay’s last 7 games. Ansong plays way above his size and is a very nice piece to build around. But he needs someone bigger to help inside on defense and on the glass.
Ryan hopes he’s found that big man in 6-9, 230 lb. juco transfer Tutu Majok, who averaged over 10 rebounds a game at Bossier Parrish CC. Majok is a rim protector and a good passer—exactly the type of center who should make Ansong an even better player. But Majok is unproven at the D-1 level, and if he doesn’t rise to the occasion, the forecourt is all question marks behind him and Ansong. Cem Kirciman and Japannah Kellogg were both minor contributors last year. Both retain freshman eligibility. 6-8 Freshman Cade Meyer is a solid recruit who will get every chance to play. I see Meyer as a multi-year starter for Green Bay, but whether he ready for big minutes as a freshman is more questionable. Ditto for Brayden Daily, a 6-6 small forward (wing). Finally, walk-on Small forward Ryan Claflin started 11 games last year as a freshman, averaging 2.4 points. Obviously, somebody needs to step up—Majok is the most likely candidate.
In the backcourt, Ryan starts with Lucas Steiber, a walk-on last year who ended up making the HL All-Freshman team. Steiber’s a nice quarterback, although he needs to improve both his outside shooting and his ability to finish at the rim. The other guards, like the forwards after Ansong, are all question marks.
First, there’s a trio of transfers, none of whom looks like a sure winner. Mitch Listau is a shooting guard who comes over from Belmont, where he played regularly but in a limited role as a three point specialist, averaging 8 minutes per game in 2020 and 11 in 2021, with a career 2.9 scoring average. Nate Jenkins, another shooting guard, transfers in from Iowa State, which would be more impressive if he’d been a scholarship player there rather than a walk-on. He played more than many walk-ons, getting into 10 games last year at almost 5 minutes per game, but averaging less than a point per game. The third is Donovan Ivory, a young man with commitment issues. Ivory signed with UMass-Lowell and joined the team in the fall of 2019, but gave up his scholarship after one semester (playing a total of 17 minutes in 3 games) to transfer to Boise State as a walk-on. He became eligible for Boise last December, but after playing a total of 6 minutes in 3 games, left the team to transfer to Green Bay. Maybe he’ll stay put this time—like Listau and Jenkins, he’s a native Cheesehead, and may be ready to settle down.
Other backcourt candidates are Blayton Williams, who joined the team from the juco ranks a year ago but missed the 2020-21 season with injuries, and juco transfer Randy Tucker, who gets on the floor to shoot threes (almost 60 percent of his shots at Vincennes CC came from behind the arc). Steiber’s likely back up at the point will be freshman Kamari McGee, another Wisconsin kid who led his high school team to a 25-0 state title. He’s said to be quick and explosive off the first step, and carries a 4.0 GPA. My sense is that McGee may be the best of the bunch, but I’m going to pencil him down as Steiber’s backup, at least to start the season.
Ryan’s “system,” which has drawn a lot of attention, is the basic “swing” offense used by his father, former Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan. On defense, it’s the “pack line” made popular by former Green Bay and Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett, and kept in place later by Bo at Wisconsin. The swing offense is made to order for a small but effective inside player like Ansong, and the belief is that with Ryan having a full year to recruit his style of players (i.e., more players like Ansong), the team’s offense, one of the least effective in the league a year ago, will improve. Meanwhile, the “pack line” is a defense—a sort of sagging man-to-man aimed at stopping penetration—that is made to order for our Titans, with their strong three point shooting. The Titans shot 56% from behind the arc in sweeping the Phoenix last year. But it can cause real problems for teams with weak three-point shooting. That latter category likely includes projected contenders Milwaukee, Northern Kentucky, and Cleveland State, making the Phoenix a potentially dangerous opponent for better teams. Still, overall, it just doesn’t look like the talent is there to escape a bottom third finish. As noted, Ansong is a nice piece—but that said, I’m not sure he’s one of the top 15 players in a rejuvenated Horizon. Steiber’s solid at the point, but several conference teams have point guards who are as good or better. And after those two, literally everything is a question mark. Of the conference projections I’ve seen so far, none have the Phoenix picked higher than 10th. I’d have to agree.
Probable Starters
PG – Lucas Steiber, 6-3 RS Fr. (3.8 ppg, 4.0 apg, 29.5% 3Pt)
SG – Mitch Listau, 6-4 2xRS Soph. (3.1 ppg, 35.0% 3Pt. at Belmont)
SF – Emmanuel Ansong, 6-4 RS Soph. (10.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
PF – Cade Meyer, 6-8 Fr.
C – Tutu Majok, 6-9 RS Soph. (10.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg at Bossier CC)
Bench
PG – Kamari McGee, 6-0 Fr.
SG – Nate Jenkins, 6-2 RS Soph (0.6 ppg at Iowa State)
SG – Donovan Ivory, 6-6 RS Soph (played 6 minutes at Boise State)
SG – Donavan Moore, 6-3 RS Soph (2.6 ppg in 7 games)
SG – Blayton Williams, 6-3 RS Jr. (missed 2021 with injury)
SG – Randy Tucker, 6-4 RS Soph. (8.5 ppg, 38.8% 3Pt at Vincennes CC)
F – Japannah Kellog, 6-8 2xRS Fr (4.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
F – Ryan Claflin, 6-6 RS Fr. (2.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg)
F – Cem Kirciman, 6-8 RS Fr. (1.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg)
F – Brayden Dailey, 6-6 Fr.