University of Wisconsin-Green Bay senior guard Keifer Sykes finally got an invitation to the Horizon League's media day.

That's what happens when you're considered the best player in the nine-team league, which Sykes proved last season and again Wednesday when he was named the Horizon's preseason player of the year during media day in Chicago.

It was a little less than one year ago that Sykes was planning to make the trip to his hometown to attend this event. But then he was told he couldn't go after it was learned each team was allowed to bring only one player. That invitation went to former standout Alec Brown.

But there is no doubt this season: The Phoenix is Sykes' team, and it should be a good one after it was picked to finish first in the preseason poll for the second straight year.

UWGB received 32 of 41 first-place votes and had 357 points, beating Cleveland State by 22 points in a voting process conducted by head coaches, sports information directors and media members. The Vikings were the only other team to receive a first-place vote.

The Phoenix just has to hope the 2014-15 season ends differently than last season, when Brown and Sykes were hobbled with injuries and the Phoenix lost to UW-Milwaukee in a Horizon League tournament semifinal. This, after UWGB won the regular-season crown for the first time in 18 years with a 14-2 record in league play.

Despite the loss of Brown, the Phoenix returns four starters in Sykes, guard Carrington Love, guard-forward Jordan Fouse and forward Greg Mays.

"This is a new team, a new roster, a new schedule and a whole new set of challenges," Wardle said in a news release. "We appreciate the respect that we have received from those around the league and we welcome the expectations, but we know that preseason rankings do not mean anything. The expectations within our locker room are higher than anything from the outside, and that is what drives us to attack each day and get better."

Sykes also was named to the Horizon's preseason first team, while Fouse was named to the second team.

The 6-foot Sykes was the league's player of the year as a junior after averaging 20.3 points, 4.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.

He set a school record by being named the Horizon player of the week six times and was named an honorable-mention selection on the Associated Press All-America team. He joined former Phoenix standouts Tony Bennett (1992) and Jeff Nordgaard (1996) in receiving the honor.

Sykes is ranked 10th on UWGB's all-time scoring list with 1,492 career points and is on pace to join Bennett as the only players in program history to score 2,000 points.

Fouse, meanwhile, was named to a Horizon League preseason team for the first time.

The 6-7 junior averaged 6.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last season and ranked in the Horizon's top 10 in rebounding, blocks, steals and assists while setting UWGB's single-season steals record with 68.

Fouse has been named to the league's all-defensive team each of his first two seasons and was the runner-up to Brown for the defensive player of the year last season.

— and follow him on Twitter @scottvenci.

Horizon League preseason poll

1. UWGB (32 first-place votes), 357

2. Cleveland State (9), 335

3. Detroit, 239

4. Valparaiso, 228

5. Wright State, 186

6. UW-Milwaukee, 182

7. Oakland, 178

8. Youngstown State, 95

9. Illinois-Chicago, 45

All-Horizon League first team

Keifer Sykes, UWGB

Juwan Howard Jr., Detroit

Corey Petros, Oakland

Trey Lewis, Cleveland State

Alec Peters, Valparaiso

All-Horizon League second team

Anton Grady, Cleveland State

Jordan Fouse, UWGB

Matt Tiby, UW-Milwaukee

Kahlil Felder, Illinois-Chicago

Bobby Hain, Youngstown State