Midwestern Collegiate Conference report

SportsLine.com Report
April 10, 2000

The perennially powerful Phoenix never could get it going. Road wins were impossible to come by and coach Mike Heideman began to feel the heat from a frenzied fan base unaccustomed to such rough sledding.

Green Bay won just once on the road and, compounding the misery, was knocked out in the first round of the league tournament by intrastate rival Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The past season could signal a serious short-term decline in this once-proud program's fortunes. Gone are the two seniors who carried the team, guard B.J. LaRue and forward Jerry Carstensen.

A glance at 2001

With LaRue and Carstensen gone, the team will be more heavily reliant on Canadian center Mike King, a good scorer who played his way onto the league's all-newcomer team. But King can't do it alone and unless a few younger players prove they are ready to accept more of the load, it could be a long winter in Green Bay.

The Coach

Mike Heideman is no Dick Bennett. That's what the critics have been saying ever since Bennett bolted the Phoenix to take the University of Wisconsin job. Today, Bennett is the toast of Cheeseland while Heideman, his former assistant, struggles to keep UWGB above .500. It's Heideman's challenge now to avert what could become a serious decline. Attendance at Brown County Arena is down slightly and, after another season like the one just completed, you can bet even more fans will find something else to keep busy on those frigid Green Bay nights.

Who'll Be Back

Whatever success the Phoenix has next season most likely will be traced to the play of center Mike King and guard Ryan Mueller. They are the best of a mediocre returning lot. One player to watch is swingman Lance Hargrove, who had his moments as a freshman.

Who's Gone

LaRue and Carstensen were this team's conscience. They played hurt and they played hard. It's difficult to imagine any team missing two players more.