Green Bay Chosen as League Favorite for Seventh-Straight Year; Tesha Buck (Sioux) Selected to Preseason All-League 2nd Team

GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – For the seventh consecutive season, the Green Bay women’s basketball team will enter the season as the Horizon League preseason favorite, as announced by the league office during its media day event on Wednesday. Receiving individual recognition was both Kaili Lukan (Barrie, Ontario) and Tesha Buck (Mdewakanton Sioux), who both landed on the preseason All-League Second Team.

The Phoenix is no stranger to being picked to win it all, making it seven-straight preseason polls as the top vote getter. Green Bay received 16 of a possible of 27 first-place votes, leading the way with 229 points. Defending Horizon League Tournament Champion Wright State came second in the poll, receiving nine first-place votes which was followed by Cleveland State in third, the only other team to receive a first place vote after notching two.

Green Bay is coming off its 16th-consecutive regular season championship, after going 22-10 overall and 13-3 in league play in 2013-14. According to another preseason poll, the Phoenix should make it 17 in a row.

After leading the Phoenix in scoring a season ago, Lukan was joined by her teammate Buck on the All-League Second Team. Lukan averaged 11.5 PPG and started in all 32 games for the Phoenix after missing the previous season with an injury.

Buck, the reigning Horizon League Freshman of the Year, joins Lukan on the All-League Second Team, after starting in all 32 games in her freshman year. Buck became the first true freshman to start a season opener since 2009 and averaged 10.4 PPG and 5.3 RPG.

It should come as no surprise to see Green Bay without a player on the All-League First Team, as the program has consistently used multiple players and a balanced attack to dominate the league. Checking in atop the preseason poll is also familiar territory for the Phoenix.

Green Bay received votes in the first edition of the Associated Press Top 25 poll released last week and has again garnered national attention this preseason. The Phoenix opened up its exhibition season with a 74-50 victory over Michigan Tech last Saturday and will play its final tune-up game this Thursday (Nov. 6) at home against UW-Oshkosh at 7 p.m.