Phoenix Sophomore Sykes Short in Stature, Big on Talent

"The little guy always wants to prove you can hang with the bigger guys so that's been an edge all my life," says Green Bay Phoenix guard Keifer Sykes.

What Sykes lacks in height he makes up for in speed and explosiveness.  Plus, he can hold his own in the weight room.

"He's probably our strongest guy in the lower body when it comes to squatting, hang cleaning, all those explosive lifts," says Phoenix Head Coach Brian Wardle.  He's becoming more and more explosive.  It's hard to scout that speed."

The 5'11" point guard is following up a phenomenal freshman season by leading Green Bay in scoring as a sophomore.

"His work ethic went way up over the off-season," Wardle said this week.  "As we say, strengthen your strengths and work on your weaknesses.  He really did that this off-season.  His perimeter jumper is more consistent, and his left hand is better off the dribble.  Those are two big things he's worked on. There's still a lot more things that Keifer Sykes can do and add to his game, which is what's exciting about him."

Exciting is the perfect way to describe the only player under 6'0 tall on the Phoenix roster.  Sykes is 4th in the Horizon League in scoring at more than 15.3 points per game.  As a point guard the 19-year old must balance when to shoot and when to distribute. He's been doing a good job of that so far this season scoring in double-digits in 17 of 19 games and leading the team in assists in all but five games this year.

"You have to work on balance as a point guard," says Sykes.  "Time and score, you've got to see mismatches, game plans, there's a lot of stuff that goes into it."

"It is a happy medium as a coach on telling a young guy to go score now or find the open man now," adds Wardle.  "He's definitely doing a better job picking his spots.  He's a guy that can go for 25-30 (points), and he's also a guy that can get you 10-12 assists.  It's always fun coaching those guys."

The point guard's passion for the game is obvious; in fact, he wears his love for basketball on his sleeve.  Sykes has a number of tattoos including a basketball in the shape of a heart on his right arm.

"All my tattoos mean something," says Sykes.  "I have my mom's name my father's name.  I have a lot of stuff that means something to me.  Basketball, I really work hard at it. I love basketball."

Below that ink is a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Junior about the true measure of a man, words that have helped Sykes overcome challenges in his young life.

"My dad always preached to me about being a man," Sykes says. "It just says that a man is not judged by what he does when he's comfortable, but a man is judged by what he does when he faces controversy.  And that's when you have to bounce back and that's what shows your true strength."

The second year player continues to show his size is not a weakness on the court.

"I always play with an edge, the underdog mentality," Sykes says.  "Just to prove people wrong and just to get wins.  That's all that matters to me at the end of the day."

So while winning a League Title may be a tall task, with a talented young team led by the exciting Sykes, Green Bay has no intention of coming up short.