New group makes Green Bay faster and more athletic but does it make them better?
To paraphrase coach Boone in Remember the Titans, "you're not going to replace a Mike Schachtner and Ryan Tillema."
That doesn't mean you don't try.
Replacing Schachtner in your program, but not in your heart, will be Matt Smith. Smith will even be wearing #43. He has good size at 6'7" and 200 lbs and should be able to play multiple positions for coach Kowalczyk. He's a good finisher in the lane and can take a bump and still get the ball to the rim. Of all his HS stats. the 2.5 blocks/game sticks out. Green Bay averaged 2.5 blocks/game as a TEAM last season. His work ethic is going to make him hard to keep off the floor. Smith grew up about an hour outside of Dallas, TX so get ready for a few "first time I've ever seen snow" stories this fall/winter.
Committing about the same time as Smith is another wing, Troy Snyder. Snyder is a couple inches shorter than Smith (6'5") but has a better base. Snyder, a Bolingbrook, IL native, was snatched out from under UIC and Loyola. Assistants Angres Thorpe and Brian Wardle know Illinois well and it shows. Snyder is a scorer with a high ceiling for coach Kowalczyk. He can score from anywhere on the court and has the ability to put up big numbers on any given night. He played a high level of competition at Bolingbrook HS so he should be ready to go when the Phoenix kick off their season November 13th against UAB.
Another Illinois commit for the Phoenix is Seth Evans. Evans is a pure point guard who isn't going to wow you with any particular skill but will find a way to beat you. Evans' best traits may be things that aren't found in a boxscore. He's a good leader who is the classic ‘extension of a coach' on the court. Evans is a pass-first point guard and a coach's son which explains his basketball aptitude. He still needs to work on his shot to keep the defense honest and will have a hard time finding minutes in the GB backcourt. Evans has the inside track at point guard when Rahmon Fletcher graduates after next season.
Derek Semenas is the other guard in this Green Bay class. He'll redshirt this season with a guaranteed scholarship in the future. He has the best size of any Phoenix guard at 6'3" and has good range. That's a combination that certainly makes Semenas someone to watch for next season. This season, he'll have to settle for being Troy Cotton's understudy and hitting the weight room to get some muscle on his thin frame.
Who's going to replace Terry Evans as the defensive stopper and energy guy? It could be Rian Pearson. Pearson is very athletic and has the ability to finish above the rim...in traffic. He's already a good defender who can defend multiple positions and is going to be an elite defender by the time he's done at Green Bay. Sound familiar? Unfortunately, he also has the same range as Terry Evans. He's not going to light the world on fire from three-point range but is more of a work in progress from the perimeter. He suffered a knee injury a few weeks back but in talking with his high school coach, Brad Oestreich, I think he'll be back sooner rather than later. Pearson could be the most exciting player in this class and is sure to be a part of some "did you see that" moments at the Resch over the next four years. Here is my entire conversation with Pearson's high school coach Brad Oestreich:
Backing up Randy Berry and Pat Nelson this year could be JUCO Greg LeSage. The only player in this class not coming from high school, LeSage is a hard worker with a developed body that is going to be a solid rotation guy for the Phoenix. At 6'8" 225, LeSage is a solid rebounder and has a high motor on both ends of the floor. He's a hard worker and should fit in nicely for coach Kowalczyk.
The final piece of this recruiting class is also the largest. Clayton Heuer is a 6'9" Wisconsin native who could end up being the best player in this class. Heuer can run the floor and his size should allow him to finish at the rim consistently. He has one other trait you can't teach, good hands. One of the most frustrating things in life is watching a big man fight for good position then have a bounce pass go off his knee. Heuer has touch to go with his good hands and is a guy that the Green Bay coaching staff could develop into a big-time Horizon League player.
Two things stood out about this Green Bay class. There are a lot of winners in this group and each one of them talked about the facilities in Green Bay as a factor in their recruiting. Seth Evans was on a high school team that won 65 games in a row and Greg LeSage was part of a very good NJCAA DII team. Don't discount what winning at the amateur level means to a recruiting class. Going into last season coach Brad Stevens said it over and over about his excellent freshmen class. Coach Kowalczyk has started something but it will be up to the four seniors on the GB roster to pass on that winning tradition.
When I visited campus a couple weeks ago it was a perfect sunny afternoon and I could see why the area is such a great recruiting tool. The Kress Center (where the Green Bay men practice) may be the best athletic facility in the league, and that doesn't go unnoticed to an 18-year-old kid. The facilities have to be good to get a kid from Texas to move that far north, right?
Overall, this is going to be a very important class to Green Bay basketball. The size of the class and the youth, with only one JUCO, signals a couple things to me. First, it's a change in philosophy from last year with two JUCOs not working out. Second, it means last year's success has given coach Kowalczyk the ability to plan several years into the future. Next year the Phoenix will be young so it's important to get these freshmen meaningful minutes this season.
This is recruiting profile 3 of 10 that will be released over the next two weeks. Tomorrow: Loyola
Tags: Green Bay - Men's Basketball
