Jan. 22, 2002

By Kevin Zeise, Sports Information Intern

When Dylan Page was diagnosed with mononucleosis and James Wright suffered a broken leg, coach Bruce Pearl and the Panthers didn't panic.

That's because Justin Lettenberger, who was playing solidly before the injury to Wright, was ready to step in as a bigger part of the Panther lineup on both ends of the floor.

Lettenberger, who was averaging 5.6 ppg and 2.6 rpg in nearly 14 minutes per game before the second matchup with Western Michigan, has stepped up his solid play and become one of the first options off the bench for Pearl. In the five games since Page was sidelined, Lettenberger has seen his averages increase to just over six points per game and nearly four rebounds each time out. His minutes have also increased, up to an average of nearly 17 minutes per game.

"Obviously, it hurt the team a lot when James went down and when Dylan got sick with mono," Lettenberger said. "I just wanted to help pick up the slack a little, by trying to pick up a couple more rebounds per game. Everyone has had to pick up their game a notch, because we're missing a large part of both our offense and defense."

Lettenberger's play can easily be described as consistent. He's currently second on the team in field goal percentage, hitting his shots at a 65 percent pace. He trails only freshman Adrian Tigert, who's shooting at a 67 percent clip.

Lettenberger has also shown that he can light up the scoreboard at times. He was one of only three players in double figures in the comeback win against Virginia Tech, dropping in 10 points. He scored another 10 in the Horizon League opener, a 22-point win over Youngstown State.

Another number that's a bit surprising at first glance is that Lettenberger and Tigert are the only two players taller than 6-foot-5 to have played in every game.

But what might be most surprising about Lettenberger isn't how he's contributing to the success of the Panthers. Rather, it's more of a shock to find out that he's a walk-on, typically not the source of such durability and consistency. "Teams might have overlooked me a bit my first year under coach Ryan, since I was a walk-on and a freshman, but I think last year I stepped up a little and got to play more and contribute a bit more," Lettenberger said. "You can't overlook a person on a team because they're a walk-on, because it's your team against them, and if you overlook them, that person might be the one that beats you."

But in spite of the increased production and increased playing time he's received, Lettenberger still approaches each coming game the same way he's approached each previous one in his career at UWM.

"I still go into every game and treat it like every other game," he said. "I still go into every game looking to contribute where we're missing things that James and Dylan gave to this team."

Though Page is due to return this week, Lettenberger has shown that he can put together solid minutes and help contribute.

For a walk-on, that's more than many would expect.