Pre-season injuries to a pair of expected contributors have their status up in the air with less than a week to go until Green Bay’s official season opener at Oklahoma State on Monday night.  Both junior Foster Wonders and sophomore Isaiah Miranda missed last week’s exhibition game against St. Norbert at the Kress Center, a 102-73 Phoenix victory.

Both players are expected to be key contributors this season. The 6’5” Wonders – who suffered an apparent ankle injury a few hours prior to tipoff against St. Norbert in the team’s shootaround – for his shooting prowess, and the 7’1” Miranda for his size and elite athleticism.

“He just sprained it today,” head coach Doug Gottlieb answered in the postgame press conference when asked what Wonders’ prognosis looks like.  “We go pretty hard on the day of game.  It was a drill we do every day called play off two where he drives in and he holds the ball…he just rolled his ankle.”

Wonders, who was seen wearing a boot on his left foot, is one of five returners for Green Bay this season and is one of the top three-point shooters in the Horizon League, if not all of mid-major college basketball.  Gottlieb has previously stated he wants the sharpshooter from Iron Mountain, MI to significantly increase his number of three point attempts this season. 

And if last week’s exhibition game was any indication – 22 of the team’s 33 made field goals were three pointers – there will be plenty of shooting opportunities. 

“Luckily we have ten days and he’ll be over at Club Five getting some special treatment,” Gottlieb said.  “I have no doubt he’s diligent and hopefully we’ll have him for Oklahoma State and if not, we’ll need him for St. Thomas because he’s a maker, not a shooter.”

Miranda, meanwhile, continues to recover from offseason surgery and is working towards making his Green Bay debut against his former team in the season opener.

“I don’t know if I’m really at liberty to say, but he’s cranked up his workouts of late,” Gottlieb said when asked about Miranda’s recovery, joking that “if he wants to tell us that he’s still banged up, I have some warm up dunks to show him that show, ‘seems like you’re okay to me big fella.”

Miranda – a former top 40 prospect and a four-star recruit coming out of high school – adds much needed height, length, and athleticism to the Phoenix lineup along with the ability to knock down outside shots. 

Perhaps being available for matchup against his former program will help the recovery process go just a little bit quicker.

“I know he wants to play against Oklahoma State obviously, it’s one of the reasons why I [scheduled] the game,” Gottlieb said. “But he’s got to be fully ready, fully cleared…so he’s not yet.  He’s done non-contact stuff.  We’ve got a ten day window.”