Duane Ticknor, a minor-league coaching veteran who led the Dakota Wizards to back-to-back playoff appearances from 2007 to ’09, will be the next head coach of the Mad Ants.FORT WAYNE – When: 6 p.m. today
Where: Memorial Coliseum
Records: Mad Ants 10-20, Springfield 16-13
Web:
Mad Ants leaders: Ron Howard (20.5 ppg), Darnell Lazare (7.9 rpg), Travis Walton (4.4 apg)
Springfield leaders: Jerry Smith (17.7 ppg), Jeff Foote (8.4 rpg), JamesOn Curry (6.2 apg)
Key matchup: Foote, at 7-foot, and Jamar Brown, at 6-10, promise to be a load for the Ants to handle inside. What’s more, Curry is back running the point and makes the Armor better. Jerry Smith is a threat to get 30 on any night.
The skinny: The Ants are 2-1 against Springfield this season, but those games came in December, and both teams have nearly completely different personnel. … Howard and Lazare have to get 50 points between them if the Ants have a chance, and need a big effort from rookie Cam Jones if the team is to break a four-game losing streak. … Fort Wayne hasn’t won back-to-back games since Jan. 7 and 9, when it beat Canton at home and Bakersfield in the D-League Showcase in Reno, Nev.
