GREEN BAY, Wis. – At 7-1, it would come as no surprise that Phoenix senior Alec Brown won the team’s dunk contest.
It would also come as no surprise that point guard Keifer Sykes won the 3-point contest.
What might come as a surprise, however, is that neither of those statements is true. In fact, the opposite is what actually happened. Such is the weird world of Green Bay’s odd couple, a combination of players who create their own inside-out offense and have the Phoenix ranked preseason No. 1 in the Horizon League this season.
“I don’t think there are many teams in the country – I don’t care what level – that have their point guard win the dunk contest and their 7-footer win the 3-point contest like we had,” head coach Brian Wardle said. “It’s a unique pairing, but I think all great pairings are unique.”
Unique as it may be, the pairing is highly effective. Sykes and Brown were both named to the preseason All-Horizon League first team and combined to average exactly 30 points per game last season.
This summer, the duo took to the camp circuit together to further their on-court chemistry.
“We’ve built a rapport with each other playing a bunch, talking to each other, talking about how to win,” Sykes said. “The chemistry that he and I have is just the kind of things to gain playing with someone for a long time: eye contact, knowing his spots and knowing how to pass to his shooting pocket. It helps our relationship on the court.”
While Brown was forced to sit out all games during the team’s end-of-summer trip to the Bahamas, Sykes didn’t think it would have a negative effect on the duo’s ability to play together.
“We’re roommates on the road. We’re two of the leaders,” Sykes said. “I’m pretty sure a three-game tournament [compared to] him and me playing about 90 games together isn’t going to throw anything off.”
Sykes and Brown now look to try to make good on their team’s preseason ranking.
“It’s nice, obviously, to be recognized,” Brown said. “But it’s a prediction, it’s a pre-season ranking. Anything can happen but I think it’ll be a nice little motivator for the season, to live up to that.”
For Sykes, the fact that this is Brown’s senior year is a motivating factor – especially since it was unclear for a time whether Brown would return or pursue professional ball.
“It’s No. 1 on our list as a team. You want to win for the seniors because those are the guys that you’re playing for,” Sykes said. “You have years left and they don’t. With them being in their senior year, you want to send them out with a bang. There’s nothing more special than being ranked preseason No. 1, you know, going in the right direction.”
Brown certainly appreciates the support.
“It would mean the world to me [to win a Horizon League championship],” Brown said. “It’s what I’ve been trying to do ever since I got here, and this is probably the best chance we’ve had since I’ve been here. If we could do that, it would be pretty cool.”
The realization how fortunate he is to have this unusual – yet effective – duo isn’t lost on Wardle.
“You’re only as good as the players you put on the floor – you’ve got to have good players to make you look like a good coach,” Wardle said. “It’s my job to motivate them, give them a vision, teach them to play together and play unselfish and teach them the basics of the game and just put them in a position to succeed. I’ve done my best to do that, and I’m still getting better at it, but I feel like when you have players like Keifer Sykes and Alec Brown on the floor for you, you’re going to be in a good position in most games to compete and have a chance to win.
“I’m very blessed. I know that as a coach. I think I’ve probably not told them that enough, but I know I’m very lucky because not only are they our best players, they’re hard workers, they’re very humble, they’re grateful for everything – there’ no sense on entitlement in those two young men. We as coaches can take that for granted and I try not to every day.”
As the Phoenix head coach, Wardle has had a front row seat to watch Sykes and Brown grow together as teammates, as ballplayers and as young men.
“They balance each other so well on the players on the floor and as personalities,” Wardle said. “Keifer’s extremely outgoing and loud and funny, and Alec is more of a sit-back, laid-back guy. It’s funny how they really fit each other. I think that’s why it works, to be honest. Oftentimes, when you have the same type of personality and the same type of game on the court, those combinations that we’ve seen at all levels may not work out.
“They are different kinds of people and different kinds of personalities, but really they have a ton of similarities when it comes to their values and their morals – family – and their love for the game of basketball. They really got closer this offseason.”
Tags: Green Bay - Men's Basketball
