Feb. 23, 2002

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Game #27 - Milwaukee (15-11, 10-4 Horizon) at Detroit (15-11, 10-5 Horizon)

Sat. Feb. 23 - 3:05 p.m. CST - Calihan Hall - Detroit, MI

TV: None

Radio: 1290 AM, WMCS - Bill Johnson's pregame show begins at 2:45 p.m.

Internet: www.uwmpanthers.com

Saturday's Game

UWM continues its three-game road swing to close out the 2001-02 season with a visit to Detroit. Saturday's contest tips off at 3:05 p.m. CST.

Saturday's Opponent

The Titans have been off since an 11-point win over Youngstown State Monday night and enter Saturday's game with a chance to move into second place in the Horizon League with a win. Greg Greys continues to be an offensive force for Detroit, averaging 17 points per game, including 21 ppg in league play. Marc Mazur has become an inside force for the Titans. He tallied 17 rebounds en route to his fourth double-double of the season Monday night and averages 5 ppg and 5 rpg this season.

Last Time Out

UWM couldn't overcome 61 percent shooting from the field by Cleveland State as the Vikings scored a 69-67 upset win Thursday night, knocking the Panthers out of first place in the Horizon League. UWM held a nine-point lead in the first half and Cleveland State held a 10-point lead in the second half but the game came down to the final few possessions of the contest. Jamaal Harris hit a three-point shot with 1:39 remaining to break a 64-all tie and give Cleveland State the lead for good. Theo Dixon scored 22 points to lead the Vikings, while Clay Tucker and Adrian Tigert scored 17 apiece for the Panthers.

Checking The Standings

UWM enters Saturday's contest one-half game behind Butler for first place in the Horizon League but just a half-game ahead of Detroit for second place in the league. At 9-6, Loyola sits in fourth place in the league and could still move into the number three spot with a win in the final game of the year at Wright State.

Championship Race

UWM and Butler each hold control their own destiny in an effort to win the 2001-02 Horizon League regular season championship. Butler would clinch at least a share of the title with a win over UIC on Saturday. UWM, meanwhile, would do no worse than a share of the league crown with wins in its final two games. Detroit also remains mathematically alive for the league title, but the Titans would need a win Saturday and have UIC beat Butler.

Breaking The Ties

Ties in the league standings at the end of the regular season now appear inevitable and UWM's status in the league's tiebreaking system is a mixed bag. If UWM wins out and shares the league title with Butler, the Panthers would claim the number-one seed in next week's league tournament by virtue of having two wins over Detroit. If UWM should fall into a second-place tie with Detroit, the Titans would claim the number-two seed by virtue of UWM's loss to Cleveland State on Thursday night, dropping the Panthers to the third seed. A three-way tie at the top between Butler, UWM and Detroit would land Detroit as the number one seed, UWM as the number two seed and Butler as the number-three seed. The Bulldogs fall because of their early-season loss to Wright State, a team both Detroit and UWM swept during the regular season.

The Rest Of The Tournament

Officially, only the bottom three seeds for next week's Horizon League Tournament have been set. Cleveland State clinched the seventh seed with its win over UWM Thursday night, UWGB is locked in as the eighth seed and Youngstown State will be the ninth seed. UWGB and Youngstown State will play in the play-in game Friday night. If UIC loses to Butler on Saturday, the Flames would be the sixth seed in the tournament, while the winner of Sunday's Loyola-Wright State contest should hold the fourth seed, with the loser falling to the fifth seed. Those two teams would then play each other again in the quarterfinal round of the tournament.

High League Marks

UWM's 10-4 record in league play is UWM's best after 14 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 10 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 have also guaranteed themselves a third-straight winning season overall, something that hasn't happened since the early 90's. With another victory, UWM will have recorded its most wins since the 1992-93 season, when the Panthers went 23-4. The most league games UWM won previous to this season was seven - last season and during the 1993-94 season, when UWM was a member of the Mid-Continent Conference.

Road Warriors

Despite Thursday's loss at Cleveland State, 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.

Sweeping Success

The win over Wright State last Thursday gave UWM the regular-season series sweep over the Raiders, a first since the two teams started playing in the same league. It was also the second sweep of the season for the Panthers - the first time UWM has swept two league opponents since the 1995-96 season. The Panthers face a daunting task in trying to win their final two games of the regular season. UWM has never swept Detroit and the Panthers have not swept UW-Green Bay since the 1992-93 season, when UWM was an independent.

Tucker Climbs The Charts

Clay Tucker's 17 points Thursday night moved him into second-place all-time on UWM's Division I scoring list. Tucker now has 1,183 points, 234 shy of Chad Angeli for the all-time lead. 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. Tucker also became UWM's all-time leading three-point shooter when he hit two three-point shots in last Thursday's win over Wright State. Tucker hit four more against Cleveland State and now has 201 in his career.

A Real Tiger Inside

Freshman Adrian Tigert tallied a career-high 17 points in Thursday's loss at Cleveland State and appears to be peaking at just the right time of the season. Thursday's effort marked the eighth time this season Tigert has been in double figures. It was also the third-straight double figure effort for Tigert. 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 and is UWM's fourth-leading scorer in Horizon League play.

High Scoring

UWM continues to lead the Horizon League in scoring, pouring in 76.7 ppg. The 67 points UWM scored Thursday night was its lowest output in its last five contests. Prior to Thursday, UWM has scored more than 90 points in each of its last two games. That feat was also recorded last year, but it took a four-overtime game at UIC and a double-overtime game at Loyola. The last time the Panthers scored 90 or more points in back-to-back regulation games was the 1992-93 season, when the Panthers actually had a streak of three-straight games with more than 90 points.

Second-Half Push

For just the second time in its last nine contests, UWM was outscored in the second half by Cleveland State on Thursday night, 41-38. On the season, UWM has outscored its opponent in the second half 17 times, including in 16 of its last 22 games. UWM has outscored its opponents by a combined 280-235 in the second half of the last five games. Two teams have had notable second-half performances against the Panthers recently - Cleveland State shot 71 percent in the second half Thursday night and UIC hit 9-of-15 three-point shots in the Feb. 7 game,. Otherwise, UWM opponents have connected on just 8-of-54 shots from three-point range in the second half of the last six games.

Packing Them In

Thanks in part to a turnout of 3,305 fans Thursday night for the game with Wright State, UWM finished the 2001-02 home season with a number of new attendance records. The season average of 3,226 breaks the record of 3,139 set last season. Plus, a total of 41,943 fans moved through the turnstiles this season, setting a new season total attendance record. The total surpasses the 37,663 that watched last season. Plus, UWM has spent the last few years rewriting the single-game attendance record list. The Jan. 30 crowd of 5,015 set a new Klotsche Center attendance record and marked the second sellout of this season for the Panthers. 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

Oh So Close

UWM's four league losses have been remarkably close, with the four defeats coming by a combined nine 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.

Winning Big

For the fourth time in league play, UWM claimed a win of at least 20 points Feb. 14 against Wright State. That added to a school record for 20-point league wins for UWM, besting the two UWM had recorded in each of the last two years. The 26-point win last Thursday over Wright State was the second 26-point win for the Panthers in league play this season. That is the second-largest margin of victory in a league win for the Panthers. 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 was the third-largest in school history. UWM's 10 league wins have come by an average of nearly 15 points and seven of the 10 wins have come by at least 10 points.

Tough Trio

For the first time in the last five games, the trio of Clay Tucker, Ronnie Jones and Jason Frederick were not in double figures Thursday night, as Frederick scored just seven points. Feb. 14 against Wright State, Tucker scored 21, Frederick scored 20 and Jones added 10. Feb. 9 against Youngstown, Tucker and Frederick each scored 23 points with Jones adding 13. At UIC Feb. 7, 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. Three players were in double figures Thursday night in the loss to Cleveland State and that followed back-to-back games where the Panthers landed five players in double figures. That has happened three times in total 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.

Providing Assistance

UWM has broken the school's single-season Division I record for assists after collecting 15 more Thursday night. The Panthers now have 431 assists on the season, moving past the previous record of 417 assists. But, UWM saw another streak snapped Thursday night as the Panthers failed to collect at least 20 assists for the first time in four games. UWM continues to lead the Horizon League in assists, though, and the Panthers have tallied 102 assists in the last five games. UWM collected a season-high 26 in the Feb. 9 win over Youngstown State. The 26 assists equal the second-most ever in UWM's Division I history. The Panthers average 16.6 assists per game. Individually, Clay Tucker, Dan Weisse and Ronnie Jones all rank in the top 12 in the league in assists.

Shooting Touch

UWM has shot 50 percent or better in a game four times this season - twice against Youngstown State and twice against Wright State. The Panthers shot a season-high 59 percent Feb. 14 against the Raiders, including a 62 percent effort in the first half and a 60 percent mark from beyond the arc.

Streaking Ronnie

After scoring 14 more points Thursday night junior Ronnie Jones has scored in double figures in 15 straight games - marking the third-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 17 straight contests. Jones is UWM's second-leading scorer in league games, pouring in an average of 16.7 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 Ronnie Jones 15 games ('01-'02) #4 Chad Angeli 14 games ('99-'00 into '00-'01) #5 Chad Angeli 13 games ('99-'00)

Finding Frederick

Jason Frederick had one of his few off-nights of late Thursday night, making just 2-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-8 from three-point range. Entering the contest, Frederick had averaged 19 ppg in the last four games while shooting 64 percent (25-of-39) from the field and 57 percent (17-of-30) from three-point range. Frederick has still posted stellar numbers down the stretch in league play. He has now connected on 34-of-73 from beyond the arc in his last 11 games and has made 22-of-44 threes in his last six games.

Weisse Works It

Dan Weisse put together the best offensive games of his season in the Panthers' final two home contests. Weisse scored 12 points against Youngstown State Feb. 9 and scored 12 more against Wright State Feb. 14. Weisse made eight of nine three-point shots in those two contests. Weisse scored five points in Thursday's loss to Cleveland State.

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 top candidate for the league's player of the year honor, an award no UWM men's basketball player has ever won.

Following Clay

Clay Tucker's 17 points Thursday night marked the 24th time in 26 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 in the Jan. 24 matchup with Cleveland State when he collected 13 points and nine rebounds. 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 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 57 steals in 26 games so far this season, ranking him second in the league.

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 5.2 boards per game. Overall, Tucker is fourth in the league in rebounding at 6.3 boards per game.

The Team Steals The Show

UWM tallied four more steals Thursday night, pushing its season total to 236 in 26 games. UWM currently leads the Horizon League in steals, collecting 9.1 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 21 of its 26 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. Thursday night, the Panthers forced Cleveland State into 20 turnovers. 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 468 turnovers in 26 games. The single-season opponent record is 530 turnovers forced, set during the 1990-91 season, UWM's first in Division I play.

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

UWM continues to play strong defense during the Horizon League season, limiting teams to just over 66 points per game and to under 44 percent shooting from the field, including 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 eight of its last 11 games and, after opening the season 1-3, the Panthers have won 14 of 22 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 81-of-111 free throws in their last six games - a mark just shy of 74 percent. On the season, UWM has pushed its average up to 66.5 percent, including 68 percent in league play.

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 beaten on the boards, 37-31, Thursday night, though the Panthers did hold a 12-6 advantage on the offensive glass. After a major rebounding deficit early in the season, the Panthers have outrebounded their opponents by over two 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 6.0 ppg, and UWM's second-leading rebounder in the league, grabbing 5.6 boards per game. Lettenberger collected 10 rebounds Thursday night.

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 26 games for UWM, while Adrian Tigert has started 25 of UWM's 26 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 19 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 70 assists while committing just 22 turnovers in his 26 games. In league play, Weisse has 37 assists but just 15 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-point shots in the loss to Cleveland State Thursday night and UWM has now tried 646 three-point shots in 25 regular season games. The 41 three-point attempts by the Panthers Dec. 30 against Colorado 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 break the record again during the 2001-02 season - probably in Saturday's contest at Detroit.

Pouring In The Threes

UWM knocked in 16 three-point shots Feb. 9 against Youngstown State, 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. The Panthers did follow the performance against Youngstown by knocking down 12 more threes against Wright State and UWM hit 11 more at Cleveland State Thursday night.

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.

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 12 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 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 sixth-lowest mark by an opponent this season.

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

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. 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. They are also the third-most in a game in league history, two off the record of 12 set by Darrin Fitzgerald of Butler.

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. This week's show will feature UWM junior Clay Tucker and other special features.

Forever Young

The 2001-02 Panther squad doesn't include a senior among the regulars. 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.

Up Next

UWM wraps up the 2001-02 regular season at UW-Green Bay Monday night. Tickets for Monday's game - which may sell out - are available through the UWM Ticket Office at 414-229-5886.