Keifer Sykes
Green Bay senior guard Keifer Sykes shoots for 2,000 career points tonight when the Phoenix face Illinois-Chicago in Horizon League action.
Sykes is one of four seniors on the Green Bay roster that hail from the Windy City (Greg Mays, Alfonzo McKinnie and Josh Humphrey the others) and will be playing their final collegiate game in their hometown.
Sykes stands at 1,981 points for his career, 19 away from 2,000. He scored 19 points in the first meeting, a 78-55 Green Bay victory at the Resch Center on Jan. 20.
Sykes is second on Green Bay’s all-time scoring list, behind leader Tony Bennett (2,285) as the only Phoenix player to score at least 2,000 career points. He would also become the 10th player in Horizon League history to reach the mark and the lone player in league history to accumulate 2,000-plus points, 400-plus rebounds and 400-plus assists.
Sykes has been the starting point guard for the Phoenix for the past four seasons, starting 120 games entering tonight. Last week, Sykes was named one of 17 finalists for the 2015 Bob Cousy Award, handed annually to the nation’s best point guard.
Green Bay (21-7, 10-4HL) is the defending Horizon League champions, but won’t have a chance to repeat this season. The best the Phoenix can do is the second seed for the upcoming Horizon League Tournament.
AUDIO: Coach Brian Wardle says 2,000 points is a rare accomplishment in college basketball :11
AUDIO: Sykes would like to get 2,000th point in Chicago where he grew up :15