On Friday, Jan. 27, the Windy City Bulls will take on one of the best teams in the D-League, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants at the Sears Centre Arena. The same team in which the Bulls destroyed in their previous meeting, 102-78, in what was arguably the team’s most dominant performance of the year.
The Mad Ants are 16-9 good for second in the central division but are 5-5 in their last 10 games, including the loss to the Bulls. Nonetheless, they’re still a dangerous squad.
The Bulls are 9-14, last in the central division, and hope to continue to turn it around. They have some work to do however, as the team is 3-7 in their last 10 games.
In that D-League Showcase blowout win over the Mad Ants, the key player in that game was Alfonzo Mickinnie, who continues to impress, scoring 20 points. He also grabbed 11 rebounds in a double-double game, against a dangerous team.
Alec Brown also went off, dropping 14 points, and collecting 15 rebounds, and even getting two assists. The stretch big also dropped a couple of three point bombs, going 2-5 from downtown.
Tim Quarterman, who played in the game before getting the call back to the Portland Trailblazers, helped the team with his seven point, eight assist effort. Quarterman is also friends with top NBA draft pick, Ben Simmons, who unfortunately suffered a season ending injury.
But, with Quarterman gone, the Bulls depth just dropped a small bit. This gives arguably the Bulls’ hottest scorer, Aaron Thomas a chance to start once again.
And playing for Coach Nate Loenser, Thomas has given some high praise for the new coach.
“Coach Nate, he’s a good coach, he always has a plan” Thomas said. “No matter what it is, whether it’s practice or a game, he always has a plan, we just need to execute together as a team.”
On the other side of the court, we take a look at Alex Poythress, the former Kentucky star. During his senior year, Poythress averaged 10.2 points a game for the Wildcats after missing the 2014-15 season with an injury.
He would go undrafted the following year however, but did get an opportunity to play with the Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately for Poythress, this didn’t last, as he was waived after playing in just two preseason games.
So now, in the D-League, he taking advantage of the opportunities to grow as a player and he will be a man for the Bulls to keep an eye on. Poythress is 13th in the D-League in points for a reason, and the Bulls need to rely heavily on strong defense to slow him down.
If the Mad Ants go cold, and if players like Brown and Mickinnie take advantage of rebounding opportunities, then they will be in good shape. The Mad Ants are going to come into the Sears Centre angry (no pun intended) after the massacre against the Bulls the first time around.
Andre Dawkins needs to also be that spark off the bench, as he went 1-5 from three point land. He’s the team’s best long range sniper, and it will be a nice advantage for the Bulls if he gets his stroke back.
Tip-off is at 7pm.
Don’t forget to listen to all home games and read up about the squad, on the official radio home of Windy City Bulls basketball, SportsTownChicago.com.
The Mad Ants are 16-9 good for second in the central division but are 5-5 in their last 10 games, including the loss to the Bulls. Nonetheless, they’re still a dangerous squad.
The Bulls are 9-14, last in the central division, and hope to continue to turn it around. They have some work to do however, as the team is 3-7 in their last 10 games.
In that D-League Showcase blowout win over the Mad Ants, the key player in that game was Alfonzo Mickinnie, who continues to impress, scoring 20 points. He also grabbed 11 rebounds in a double-double game, against a dangerous team.
Alec Brown also went off, dropping 14 points, and collecting 15 rebounds, and even getting two assists. The stretch big also dropped a couple of three point bombs, going 2-5 from downtown.
Tim Quarterman, who played in the game before getting the call back to the Portland Trailblazers, helped the team with his seven point, eight assist effort. Quarterman is also friends with top NBA draft pick, Ben Simmons, who unfortunately suffered a season ending injury.
But, with Quarterman gone, the Bulls depth just dropped a small bit. This gives arguably the Bulls’ hottest scorer, Aaron Thomas a chance to start once again.
And playing for Coach Nate Loenser, Thomas has given some high praise for the new coach.
“Coach Nate, he’s a good coach, he always has a plan” Thomas said. “No matter what it is, whether it’s practice or a game, he always has a plan, we just need to execute together as a team.”
On the other side of the court, we take a look at Alex Poythress, the former Kentucky star. During his senior year, Poythress averaged 10.2 points a game for the Wildcats after missing the 2014-15 season with an injury.
He would go undrafted the following year however, but did get an opportunity to play with the Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately for Poythress, this didn’t last, as he was waived after playing in just two preseason games.
So now, in the D-League, he taking advantage of the opportunities to grow as a player and he will be a man for the Bulls to keep an eye on. Poythress is 13th in the D-League in points for a reason, and the Bulls need to rely heavily on strong defense to slow him down.
If the Mad Ants go cold, and if players like Brown and Mickinnie take advantage of rebounding opportunities, then they will be in good shape. The Mad Ants are going to come into the Sears Centre angry (no pun intended) after the massacre against the Bulls the first time around.
Andre Dawkins needs to also be that spark off the bench, as he went 1-5 from three point land. He’s the team’s best long range sniper, and it will be a nice advantage for the Bulls if he gets his stroke back.
Tip-off is at 7pm.
Don’t forget to listen to all home games and read up about the squad, on the official radio home of Windy City Bulls basketball, SportsTownChicago.com.