The hits keeping coming for the Green Bay Phoenix.

The team is in the midst of an eight game losing streak after suffering a shocking 72-70 home loss to Michigan Tech on Wednesday afternoon, a Division II team from the Upper Peninsula.

Green Bay was without its star player and the nation’s leading scorer, Anthony Roy, for that game and also saw their captain Preston Ruedinger leave the game early as well with a head injury.

The extent of Ruedinger’s injury is not known but head coach Doug Gottlieb called Roy’s injury “pretty substantial” in his postgame press conference at the Resch Center on Wednesday afternoon, even leaving open the possibility of his star missing the rest of the season.

“Anthony has a pretty substantial lower leg injury,” Gottlieb said. “He’s going to be out for a bit.  We do believe that he’ll play this year, but it’s not fully determined the extent of it.”

Roy suffered the injury last Saturday in the game at UC-Santa Barbara, an 83-66 loss that saw the Phoenix let a 9-point second half lead slip away.  Green Bay led by 2 when the injury happened with about 13 minutes left to play.

He was seen with a boot around his left foot and using a scooter to keep any weight off of his ankle on the sidelines during the Michigan Tech game.

Gottlieb gave a shoutout to Dr. Alan Shamrock, the team’s foot and ankle specialist with Prevea Health that is evaluating and treating Roy’s injury.  According to Gottlieb, Dr. Shamrock has previously treated other athlete injuries including star NFL running back Saquan Barkley. 

Despite only scoring 11 points in 20 minutes against UCSB, Roy’s 25.7 points per game still leads the nation, though the 6’5” senior is now tied with Villanova’s 6’8” forward Eric Dixon.

The Phoenix will need to figure out a way to replace Roy’s enormous amount of production in his absence.   In the 11 games he has played this season, he has accounted for nearly 35% of the team’s total points, 23% of the team’s total assists, and 18% of the team’s total rebounds.

There will be plenty of opportunity and Green Bay will need players to step up if there is any hope of stopping the current skid. 

“We’re going to have to adjust, especially without Ant, and just get to be a better basketball team in the meantime,” Gottlieb said.

It will be a tall task with a road game at undefeated Drake up next followed by the resumption of Horizon League play where the Phoenix host the league’s preseason co-favorite Purdue Fort Wayne, followed by the conference’s toughest road trip at Wright State and Northern Kentucky, and then a re-match with red-hot Milwaukee on January 11^th.

While a return date for Roy isn’t yet known, there is still hope that he will suit up again for the Phoenix this season.

“It’s not going to be next game or the game after that, I don’t know the length,” Gottlieb said. “I do know that it’s a pretty substantial injury.”

“But I also know that we feel like there’s a better than average chance that he plays for us this season.”

Photo via Kyle Malzhan / X