Feb. 13, 2002

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Game #25 - Wright State (14-9, 6-6 Horizon) at Milwaukee (14-10, 9-3 Horizon)

Thurs. Feb. 14 - 7 p.m. CST - Klotsche Center - Milwaukee, WI

TV: None

Radio: 1290 AM, WMCS - Bill Johnson's pregame show begins at 6:45 p.m.

Internet: www.uwmpanthers.com

Thursday's Game

UWM wraps up its 2001-02 home schedule by welcoming Wright State to the Klotsche Center. Thursday's game tips off at 7 p.m.

Thursday's Opponent

The Raiders remain one of the most dangerous and talented teams in the Horizon League and will be looking to start a late-season push with a win over UWM. Brothers Seth and Cain Doliboa stand third and fourth in the Horizon League in scoring, each averaging more than 17 points per game. Each is also in the top 10 in rebounding. The Raiders own impressive road wins at Butler and Loyola. UWM won the first matchup between the two teams, 86-80, in overtime.

Last Time Out

UWM bounced back from a heartbreaking loss at UIC Thursday night with an easy 96-76 win over Youngstown State Saturday night at the Klotsche Center. The Panthers led by 16 points at halftime and the Penguins could get no closer than 12 points in the second half. Clay Tucker and Jason Frederick scored 23 points apiece for the Panthers as UWM recorded a season-high point total.

Checking The Standings

UWM enters Thursday's game tied with Butler atop the Horizon League standings. Loyola is a game back and Detroit two games back in one of the tightest league races in years. Those two teams play in Detroit tonight, while Butler plays at UW-Green Bay. Wright State enters play three games out of first place and in sixth place in the league.

High League Marks

UWM's 9-3 record in league play is UWM's best after 12 games in a Division I league. In fact, UWM had never been two games above .500 in a Division I league before this season.

Winning Numbers

The nine wins UWM has already recorded in league play are the most UWM has ever won in a Division I league. And, UWM is now assured its first winning season in a Division I league. The Panthers are also a single win away from guaranteeing a third-straight winning season overall, something that hasn't happened since the early 90's. UWM had won seven league games twice before - last season and during the 1993-94 season, when UWM was a member of the Mid-Continent Conference.

Packing Them In

Thanks in part to a turnout of 3,580 fans Saturday night for the game with Youngstown State, UWM set a new season total attendance record with one game still remaining on the schedule. 38,638 fans have now watched the Panthers this season, surpassing the 37,663 that watched last season. It's been another record-breaking year at the Klotsche Center when it comes to attendance. The Jan. 30 crowd of 5,015 set a new Klotsche Center attendance record and marked the second sellout of the season for the Panthers. The season average attendance is up to 3,220 per game, on pace to set another new school record. The top 10 Klotsche Center crowds are:

#1 - 1/30/02 vs. Butler 5,015 #2 - 12/27/01 vs. Wisconsin 4,903 #3 - 2/5/00 vs. UWGB 4,833 #4 - 2/3/01 vs. UWGB 4,510 #5 - 11/23/99 vs. Wisconsin 4,323 #6 - 1/20/01 vs. Butler 4,234 #7 - 12/30/00 vs. Colorado 4,147 #8 - 1/26/02 vs. Detroit 4,119 #9 - 2/10/01 vs. UIC 4,112 #10 - 1/5/02 vs. UWGB 3,689

Honors Thursday Night

A pregame ceremony will honor three members of the Panther program Thursday night. Walk-on Will Ryan, the son of former UWM coach Bo Ryan, will be appearing for the final time at the Klotsche Center. Though Ryan has played just three years of college basketball, he sat out a season as a redshirt at UW-Platteville and another year after transferring from UWP, exhausting his eligibility. Meanwhile, UWM will also honor junior Clay Tucker for his recent accomplishment of passing the 1,000-point mark in his career. Senior manager Kevin Colbert will also be honored prior to the game.

Oh So Close

UWM's three league losses have been remarkably close, with the three defeats coming by a combined seven points. UWM has been beaten at the buzzer by UIC and missed a shot at the buzzer that would have given them the regular season series sweep over Butler. By contrast, UWM's nine league wins have come by an average of nearly 14 points and six of the nine wins have come by at least 10 points.

Tough Trio

The trio of Clay Tucker, Ronnie Jones and Jason Frederick have each been in double figures in the last three contests. Saturday night, Tucker and Frederick each scored 23 points with Jones adding 13. Last Thursday night, Tucker scored 20, followed by 17 from Frederick and 12 from Jones. The streak started against Loyola Feb. 4, when Tucker tossed in 20 while Frederick scored 16 and Jones pitched-in with 15.

Balancing Act

UWM's balance offensively continues to be a story this season. Saturday night, the Panthers had five players in double figures for the third time this season. UWM has also had four players in double figures four times this year. Twice this season, UWM has had six players hit three-point shots and all five starters make a three-point basket. It last happened at Loyola Feb. 4 after happening at Colorado Dec. 30.

Pouring In The Threes

UWM knocked in 16 three-point shots Saturday night, the second-most this season and just two off the school's all-time record. UWM made 17 three-point shots at Colorado this season - the school-record for the most threes in a non-overtime contest. The overall school record is 18, set last year in the four-overtime loss at UIC.

Player Of The Week

The best week of Jason Frederick's junior season landed him Horizon League Player of the Week honors Monday. Frederick knocked down a career-high six three-pointers and scored 23 points in the win over Youngstown State Saturday night. He scored 17 points and connected on 3 threes last Thursday at UIC while he scored 16 points and made four three-point shots at Loyola Feb. 4. For the week, Frederick averaged 18.7 ppg while shooting 63 percent (17-of-27) from the field and 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from three-point range. Frederick appears to have shaken loose of his mid-season slump. He has now connected on 28-of-58 from beyond the arc in his last nine games and has made 16-of-29 threes in his last four games.

District Honoree

Junior Clay Tucker has been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches/Pontiac District 11 All-District Second Team. Tucker, a second-team all-Horizon League performer last year, is a strong candidate to become just the second player in UWM history to be named to the all-league first team of a Division I league following this season. Tucker is also a candidate for the league's player of the year honor, an award no UWM men's basketball player has ever won.

Streaking Ronnie

After scoring 13 points Saturday night, junior Ronnie Jones has scored in double figures in 13 straight games - equaling the fourth-best streak in the school's Division I history. The streak dates back to a 19-point effort against Colorado. He has also knocked down a three-point shot in 15 straight contests. Jones is UWM's second-leading scorer in league games, pouring in an average of 17.5 ppg. The top consecutive double-figure games streaks:

#1 Von McDade 20 games ('90-'91) #2 Shannon Smith 18 games ('94-'95 into '95-'96) #3 Chad Angeli 14 games ('99-'00 into '00-'01) #4 Chad Angeli 13 games ('99-'00) Ronnie Jones 13 games ('01-'02)

Providing Assistance

UWM continues to lead the Horizon League in assists after collecting a season-high 26 in Saturday night's win over Youngstown State. The Panthers average 16.4 assists per game and UWM has 65 assists in its last three games. The 26 assists equal the second-most ever in UWM's Division I history. UWM is also easily on pace to break the single-season school record for assists, which currently stands at 417. The 394 total assists already this year rank as the fourth-most in the school's Division I history. Individually, Clay Tucker, Dan Weisse and Ronnie Jones all rank in the top 11 in the league in assists.

Shooting Touch

UWM has shot 50 percent or better in a game just three times this season - twice against Youngstown State and once against Wright State. The Panthers shot a season-high 54 percent at Youngstown Jan. 2, then shot 50.8 percent in their win over the Penguins Saturday night. UWM shot exactly 50 percent in the overtime win at Wright State Jan. 17.

Weisse Works It

Dan Weisse had the best offensive game of his season Saturday night, knocking down all four of his three-point shots to account for a season-high 12 points. It marked the first time this season Weisse reached double figures offensively.

1100 Club

Clay Tucker has now surpassed the 1,100 point mark in his career, making him just the third Panther in the school's Division I history to surpass 1,100 points. With 23 more points Saturday night, Tucker now has 1,146 points. Craig Greene is second on the all-time scoring list with 1,168 points, while Chad Angeli is UWM's all-time leading scorer in Division I, recording 1,417 points in his four seasons as a Panther. During Tucker's senior season, the all-time school mark of 1,693 points - set by Larry Reed during the mid-1960's - should be within Tucker's reach.

Following Clay

Clay Tucker's 23 points Saturday night marked the 22nd time in 24 games the junior has been in double figures. Against Detroit Jan. 26, he had a streak of 10 straight games in double figures broken. Earlier this season, Tucker also saw a 12-game double-figures streak snapped.

Double Trouble

Clay Tucker has already tallied four double-doubles this season and just missed a fifth three weeks ago when he collected 13 points and nine rebounds in the win over Cleveland State. Tucker recorded double-doubles against UW-Green Bay and Loyola in back-to-back games - the first back-to-back double-doubles for a Panther since the 1996-97 season, when Otto McDuffie recorded double-doubles against UW-Green Bay (Feb. 24, 13 pts., 11 rbs.) and Wright St. (Feb. 28, 18 pts., 10 rbs.). The school record for double-doubles in a season is six, last set by McDuffie in the 96-97 season.

Leading The Way

Clay Tucker continues to hold the team lead in just about every category so far this season. The junior, a first-team all-Horizon League selection in the pre-season, leads UWM in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and even blocked shots. If he holds the team lead in the points and rebounds categories, he would become the first Panther to lead the team in each of those two categories since Roderick Johnson did it during the 1995-96 season. He also has a chance to be the first Panther to lead in all five categories in the school's Division I history.

Stolen Moments

Clay Tucker had three more steals Saturday night and stands in second place on UWM's all-time Division I steals list. Marc Mitchell holds the school's all-time Division I record with 156. Tucker has 55 steals in 24 games so far this season, putting him in the league lead.

Getting Defensive On The Boards

At just 6-foot-3, Clay Tucker is still towering over opponents on the boards. The junior leads the Horizon League in defensive rebounds, averaging 5.21 boards per game. Overall, Tucker is fourth in the league in rebounding at 6.5 boards per game.

Climbing Some Other Charts

Clay Tucker enters Thursday night's game a single three-point basket shy of Pat McCabe's 196 - the top career mark in the school's Division I history. Plus, Thursday will mark Tucker's 78th career start at UWM, moving him into third place on UWM's all-time list.

The Team Steals The Show

UWM tallied eight more steals Saturday night, pushing its season total to 224 in 24 games. UWM currently leads the Horizon League in steals, collecting 9.3 steals per game. The Panthers had 17 steals in the Dec. 4 win over Chicago State - the sixth-highest total in school history. UWM has had at least seven steals in 20 of its 24 games this season and the Panthers have collected 15 or more steals three times.

The Margin Of Victory?

Steals equal turnovers and the Panthers lead the Horizon League in forcing an average of 18 turnovers per game. Twice this season, UWM has forced 30 turnovers - Dec. 4 against Chicago State and Dec. 8 against Virginia Tech. Those totals tie the opponent record for UWM. Sacramento State committed 30 turnovers against the Panthers in a game during the 1991-92 season, while Illinois Tech committed the same number in a game during the 1995-96 season. UWM has forced 431 turnovers in 24 games. The single-season opponent record is 530 turnovers forced, set during the 1990-91 season, UWM's first in Division I play.

High Scoring

UWM continues to lead the Horizon League in scoring, pouring in 76.3 ppg. UIC, Wright State, Loyola and Butler also average more than 70 points per game.

Second-Half Push

UWM has outscored its opponents in six of its last seven contests in the second half. On the season, UWM has outscored its opponent in the second half 16 times, including in 15 of its last 20 games. UWM has still outscored its opponents by a combined 194-164 in the second half of the last five games. If you throw out UIC's 9-of-15 performance from beyond the arc in last Thursday's game, opponents have connected on just 4-of-40 shots from three-point range in the second half of the last four games.

D...D...D...Defense

UWM continues to play stellar defense during the Horizon League season, limiting teams to just over 66 points per game and to just 42 percent shooting from the field, including under 31 percent from three-point range. UWM has limited two league opponents - UIC and Detroit - to under 30 percent shooting from the field, while in three other league games opponents have shot under 42 percent from the field against the Panthers. The 48 points UWM gave up Jan. 26 against Detroit marked the second-lowest total for a Panther opponent this season. Chicago State scored just 47 against the Panthers on Dec. 4.

Streaks

UWM has won seven of its last nine games and, after opening the season 1-3, the Panthers have won 13 of 20 contests. Butler's win in Milwaukee Jan. 30 brought UWM's five-game winning streak to a close. That was the longest winning streak for UWM since the 1992-93 season, when the Panthers went on streaks of eight and 10 wins en route to a 23-4 season.

Charity Case

The Panthers continue to show improvement at the free throw line, having knocked down 65-of-88 free throws in their last five games - a mark just shy of 75 percent. On the season, UWM has pushed its average up to 66.4 percent, including 68 percent in league play.

A Real Tiger Inside

Freshman Adrian Tigert was in double figures for the sixth time this season in Saturday's win over Youngstown State after collecting 10 points. He just missed out on his third double-double of the season in the Feb. 4 win at Loyola, collecting nine points and eight rebounds. The all-stater from Oshkosh West High School has already collected double-doubles against Nebraska-Omaha and Butler.

Halves To Remember

UWM has scored more than 50 points in a half four times this season, most recently Feb. 4 at Loyola when the Panthers scored 52 points in the second half. UWM scored 54 points in the first half against Colorado and 52 points in the second half against Wisconsin. UWM also scored 51 points in the second half of its first matchup with Loyola.

Rebounding Notes

UWM was back in the lead in the rebounding column in Saturday's win over Youngstown State, outrebounding the Penguins 36-32 while collecting 11 offensive boards. After a major rebounding deficit early in the season, the Panthers have outrebounded their opponents by nearly three boards per game in league play and continue to hold a rebounding edge over their opponents in the overall season numbers.

Walking Into The Lineup

Justin Lettenberger has worked his way from reserve walk-on to starting forward for UWM. The junior first gained a more prominent role last season when James Wright suffered a sprained ankle and missed three games. This season, Lettenberger has again slid into more playing time following an injury to Wright. Lettenberger made his first start of the season at Wright State and has remained in the lineup since. Lettenberger is UWM's fifth-leading scorer in league games, averaging 6.8 ppg, and UWM's second-leading rebounder in the league, grabbing 5.5 boards per game.

Checking The Lineup

UWM fielded its seventh different starting lineup in the Jan. 17 win over Wright State, with Justin Lettenberger earning his first start of the season. The Panthers have used that starting lineup ever since. In large part due to injury, UWM has been forced to use different starting lineups throughout this season. The lineup of Clay Tucker, Dan Weisse, Ronnie Jones, Kalombo Kadima and Adrian Tigert had stayed together for the first four games of league play before the change at Wright State. Clay Tucker is the only Panther to have started all 24 games for UWM, while Adrian Tigert has started 23 of UWM's 24 games. Dan Weisse started the first seven games of the season at point guard before giving way to Ronnie Jones, who has been in the starting lineup for the last 17 games. Weisse did return to start alongside Jones for the first four games of league play. Kalombo Kadima entered the starting lineup Dec. 30 after the season-ending injury to James Wright. Lettenberger then first started for him Jan. 17. Nate Mielke and Dylan Page have each made a single start.

Weisse Is Wise With The Ball

Dan Weisse has again taken the lead when it comes to taking care of the ball, collecting 65 assists while committing just 20 turnovers in his 24 games. In league play, Weisse has 32 assists but just 13 turnovers. Last season, Weisse would have led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio but did not record enough assists to meet the minimum requirements for the list. The junior finds himself in the same position this season, averaging just under three assists per game.

Not Shy About Shooting

UWM put up 29 more three-points shots in the win over Youngstown State Saturday night, and UWM has now tried 598 three-point shots in 24 regular season games. The 41 three-point attempts by the Panthers Dec. 30 tied a school record. The Panthers also attempted 36 three-point shots in the overtime win over Virginia Tech, knocking down 10 threes in the second half and another one in overtime. Last year, UWM set a Division I school record by trying 666 three-point shots, eclipsing the 657 the Panthers tried during the 1999-00 season. The Panthers are on pace to seriously threaten the record again during the 2001-02 season.

National Numbers

The Panthers' long-range shooting has helped them make a mark in some of the NCAA's national statistical rankings. The 17 three-point shots UWM made against Colorado Dec. 30 are the seventh-most in a single-game nationally this season. It is also one shy of a school record, set last year in a four-overtime loss at UIC. Ronnie Jones is 22nd in the nation in three-point shooting percentage while, as a team, UWM is 14th nationally in three-point field goals made per game.

Comeback Kids

Not that UWM wants to make a habit of falling behind, but the Panthers have shown incredible resiliency in coming from behind for three big wins this season. Against Butler Jan. 19, the Panthers trailed 50-37 with 11:39 to play before rallying for the win. UWM struck back with six straight points in an 11-second span to spark the comeback, and the Panthers then won the game at the buzzer. A week earlier, the Panthers had trailed by 11 in the first half against UIC before outscoring the Flames, 52-15, over the final 24 minutes of the game. On Dec. 8, the Panthers put together the best comeback in school history, trailing by 21 points with under 11 minutes to play before coming from behind to beat Virginia Tech. Plus, UWM has notable comebacks even in defeat. Jan. 30, UWM was down 13 to Butler and closed the gap to one before losing by a point. Dec. 27 against Wisconsin, the Panthers came back from a 15-point deficit to grab a five-point lead, only to lose in the closing seconds.

Road Warriors

UWM has won four road games for the first time in its Horizon League and MCC history. The previous high was two, set during the 1998-99 season. The four road wins also equal the most UWM has ever won in a Division I league. The Panthers won four road league games while a member of the Mid-Continent Conference during the 1993-94 season.

Margin Of Victory

Two of UWM's league wins have included noteworthy margins of victory. The 26-point win at home Jan. 12 over UIC was the second-largest league win of all-time for UWM. The Panthers beat Loyola by 34 points, 92-58, in 2000. Meanwhile, the 22-point win Jan. 2 against Youngstown State marked the largest margin of victory in a league road game for the Panthers. The previous high was 19 points in a win at Loyola in 1999. In Division I road games, the margin of victory is the third-largest in school history.

Working Overtime

UWM won in overtime for the second time this season Jan. 17, adding to the list of accomplishments during the 2001-02 campaign. In fact, UWM had not won two overtime games in the same season since the 1988-89 season, when the Panthers won a double overtime game with UW-Parkside and an overtime contest at Northern Colorado that sent UWM to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Last season, UWM was 1-3 in overtime, and, entering this season, UWM had lost 17 of its last 19 overtime contests.

From The Depths Of The Bench

Bruce Pearl's promise to play at least 9-10 players throughout this season continues to pay dividends for the Panthers. UWM has settled into a nine-player rotation for much of league play, with all nine averaging at least 11 minutes per game and only one player (Clay Tucker) averaging more than 30 minutes per game.

Is There A Doctor In The House?

The UWM injury report has had names on it all season long. James Wright is out for the season after breaking his leg in the Dec. 27 contest with Wisconsin. Derek Huff is out indefinitely after off-season foot surgery. Transfer Rob Sanders - who was not eligible to play in games this season - injured his knee in practice, had surgery last month and will not return to practice this season. Dylan Page also missed six games after being diagnosed with mono, but has returned to play in the last 10 games.

Defense Is Half The Battle

Three halves of basketball stand out in the Panthers' defensive scrapbook so far this season. UWM allowed just 11 points in the second half Jan. 12 in the win over UIC. The 11 points given up also mark the fewest UWM has ever given up in a single half of a league game, breaking the old mark of 17 points set against UIC on Feb. 17, 1996. The Panthers allowed just 18 points in the first half against UW-Green Bay Jan. 5. That beat the 19 first-half points the Panthers allowed against Chicago State Dec. 4. The Phoenix shot just 29 percent from the field in the first half. UWGB wound up shooting just 39 percent for the game, the fourth-lowest mark by an opponent this season. The season low was the 33.9 percent Chicago State shot in an 84-47 loss to the Panthers Dec. 4 until UIC shot under 30 percent on Jan. 12.

Oh What A Comeback

The 21-point comeback UWM mounted Dec. 8 against Virginia Tech marks the greatest comeback in Division I history for the Panthers. UWM was down 58-37 with 10:27 to play in the game before outscoring Virginia Tech, 36-15, to force overtime. Other notable UWM comebacks include:

Feb. 18, 1993 * Down 11 with 16:12 remaining @ CS-Northridge - won 75-74

Jan. 13, 1993 * Down 11 with 5:11 remaining vs. UWGB - won 75-68 in OT

Jan. 24, 1994 * Down 11 with 3:52 remaining @ Western Illinois - won 74-67

Dec. 12, 1996 * Down 11 with 9:38 remaining vs. NE Illinois - won 55-54

Jan. 14, 1999 * Down 13 with 18:11 remaining @ UIC - won 52-50

Beating The Big Boys

The overtime win over Virginia Tech Dec. 8 in Louisville marked the first time UWM has beaten a school from the Big East.

Player Of The Week

The week of Dec. 3-8 was one of the best weeks of junior Ronnie Jones' career. The junior averaged almost 20 ppg in three games during that week, and his work earned him Horizon League Player of the Week honors. The week was highlighted by his first start of the season Dec. 8 against Virginia Tech. Jones scored 25 points in the comeback win, with 23 of the points coming in the second half and OT.

Record Setter For Ronnie

When UWM traveled to Youngstown State to open league play Jan. 2, Ronnie Jones put together a career night. In the win, Jones tossed in a school-record 10 three-point shots and scored a career-high 33 points. Jones made 10-of-12 three-points shots and 11-of-14 field goals overall. The performance against Youngstown included one of the best individuals halves in UWM basketball history. Jones converted all seven of his field goal attempts and made six-of-six three-point tries in the half, scoring 20 points.

Also On The Jones Performance

The 10 three-point shots Ronnie Jones hit Jan. 2 equal the second-most in a single game by a Division I performer this season. T.J. Sorrentine of Vermont hit 11 against Northeastern on Jan. 17, while Earnest Porter of Nicholls State hit 10 three-point shots on Dec. 17 in a game against Troy State. The 10 three-point shots are also the third-most in a game in league history, two off the record of 12 set by Darrin Fitzgerald of Butler in 1987.

Tournament Honors

Three Panthers have been honored following UWM's appearances in tournament play this season. Ronnie Jones was named to the all-tournament team at the Jim Thorpe Association Classic while Clay Tucker and Jason Frederick were each named to the Tribune Cyclone Challenge All-Tournament Team.

A Record You'd Rather Not Have

UWM's 0-for-21 stint from three-point range against Western Michigan easily became a new school record. Previously, the Panthers' poorest output from three-point range was an 0-for-7 effort against Valparaiso in 1996. UWM's 0-for-21 effort was also one shy of the most attempts without a make in NCAA Division I history. Canisius went 0-for-22 from three-point range against St. Bonaventure in 1995.

Bruce Pearl On Basketball

Fans can be a part of Bruce Pearl's radio show every Monday night live from Hooligan's on North Avenue in Milwaukee. The coach and special guests will talk Panther basketball from 7 until 7:30 p.m. each Monday night live on 1290 AM, WMCS. This past week's special guest was UWM Director of Athletics Bud Haidet.

Lights ... Camera ... Action

The Panthers are getting plenty of TV time during the 2001-02 season, with the next TV game set for Feb. 25 at UW-Green Bay on WMLW-TV 41. The Horizon League semifinals - if UWM is involved - will also air on TV-41, while the championship game is on ESPN. Plus, "The Bruce Pearl Show" airs every Sunday at 10:30 p.m. on CBS-58, with a replay Mondays at 6:30 on TV-41.

Forever Young

The 2001-02 Panther squad is a young one and doesn't include a senior. Seven regulars are juniors, with transfer Jose Winston becoming eligible as a senior next year. UWM is also now regularly starting freshman Adrian Tigert and was starting sophomore James Wright before his season-ending injury. Freshman Chris Hill and sophomore Nate Mielke have also slowly worked their way into the regular rotation for UWM.

Hometown Touch

One of the themes of the 2001-02 basketball season for the Panthers is being "Milwaukee's Home Team." The Panthers are stocked with local talent. James Wright, Kalombo Kadima and transfer Jose Winston are all from Milwaukee. Jason Frederick hails from suburban Waukesha. No fewer than eight other players in the Panther program are from the state of Wisconsin, including Justin Lettenberger from Manitowoc and walk-ons Ben Brey, Tom Becker, Will Ryan and Marcus Conigliaro, all of who hail from the state of Wisconsin.

Fox Valley All-Stars

Adrian Tigert is the second stellar product to come to UWM out of Oshkosh West High School and the Fox Valley Association. Dan Weisse is also from Oshkosh West. The presence of the two players gives UWM the winners of three of the last four Fox Valley Association Player of the Year awards. Weisse won the award in 1998 as a junior and again in 1999 as a senior, while Tigert won the award last season after leading the Indians to a runner-up finish in the state.

In Waiting

Two Panthers are sitting out the 2001-02 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Jose Winston, a former Wisconsin Mr. Basketball, is a transfer from Colorado. Winston was a high school standout at Milwaukee Vincent. Rob Sanders is a transfer from Toledo. Sanders sat out last season as a redshirt, and will have three years of eligibility remaining beginning next season.

Up Next

UWM closes out the regular season with three road games, beginning next Thursday night at Cleveland State. UWM will also play at Detroit Feb. 23 and at UWGB Feb. 25.