It was a total team effort that helped Green Bay defeat league-leading Wright State on Sunday afternoon at the Resch Center, but it was a season-best performance from senior guard Kam Hankerson that likely raised eyebrows and excited fans the most.
Hankerson scored a season-high 22 points on 8-13 shooting and added 3 rebounds, an assist and a steal while playing turnover-free basketball in 35 minutes of action in the Green Bay’s 92-89 victory. The Phoenix got a combined 60 points from its guards in the game including a game-high 24 points from freshman Amari Davis and 14 from senior JayQuan McCloud.
“Kam did a great job,” assistant coach Ben Swank told Brian Kuklinski on WDUZ radio after the game. “Kam being 6’5” and can jump like he can jump and shoot the mid-range, he took a couple good one, two dribble pull ups over [Cole] Gentry which are good shots for him.”
“He especially was locked in and in attack mode driving it and making things happen.”
Hankerson is quietly having a solid senior season for Green Bay averaging 10.2 points and a career-best 3.2 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game. He is also having the best shooting season of his career so far knocking down 46.7% of his shots from the floor, including 42.2% from beyond the arc
Sunday was the first time this season Hankerson scored 20 points or more against a Division I opponent. His previous high was 16 back in December, also against Wright State.
The Phoenix don’t need him to reach 20+ points every game, but the coaching staff is looking for a little more consistency. Hankerson has reached double figures in scoring in 11 of Green Bay’s games against Division I competition but has not reached double figures in the other 11. He had only reached double figures twice in the team’s seven previous games prior to Sunday.
Another scoring punch to pair with Davis, McCloud, and PJ Pipes will go a long way towards helping the Phoenix reach their goal of another deep run into March.
“Kam is capable of that, we just need it over these games here to end the season on more of a consistent basis,” Swank said.
Categories: News and Notes
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