Feb. 24, 2002

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Game #28 - Milwaukee (15-12, 10-5 Horizon) at UW-Green Bay (7-19, 4-11 Horizon)

Mon. Feb. 25 - 7 p.m. CST - Brown County Arena - Green Bay, Wis.

TV: WMLW-TV 41 in Milwaukee

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

Internet: www.uwmpanthers.com

Monday's Game

UWM wraps up the 2001-02 season with a contest in Green Bay against the Phoenix. The game begins at 7 p.m.

Monday's Opponent

The Phoenix appear to be playing their best basketball of the season down the stretch, including a win at Cleveland State Saturday afternoon. Of late, UWGB has also suffered narrow losses to Butler and Wright State and recently broke Detroit's home winning streak. DeVante Blanks, the league player of the week last week, leads UWGB in scoring, averaging nearly 13 ppg. Greg Babcock averages 11 points and six rebounds per game and had 27 points and 16 rebounds in the win over the Vikings Saturday. UWGB is locked into the eighth seed for the league tournament and will play Youngstown State in the play-in game Friday night.

Last Time Out

UWM would rather forget its trip to Calihan Hall this season, as the Titans blitzed the Panthers with runs to end the first half and start the second half en route to a 94-61 win. Detroit led just 24-22 with 6:30 to play in the first half, but 14 minutes later the Titans led 71-37 and the outcome was never in doubt. Greg Grays scored 26 to lead Detroit, while Adrian Tigert scored 18 to lead UWM.

On The Line Tonight

UWM enters Monday's game a half-game behind Detroit for second place in the Horizon League. The Titans completed their season with their win over UWM Saturday, so the Panthers would claim a tie with a win Monday night. The second-place finish would be the highest ever for the Panthers in a Division I league.

Tournament Bracket

The 2002 Horizon League Tournament bracket is set regardless of the outcome of Monday night's game. UWM will hold the third seed in the tournament and will open play at 7:30 p.m. CST Saturday night against sixth-seeded Illinois-Chicago. The tournament will open Friday with eighth-seeded UWGB facing ninth-seeded Youngstown State. The winner of that game will play top-seeded Butler at 1:30 p.m CST Saturday. Other quarterfinal matchups will have fourth-seeded Wright State facing fifth-seeded Loyola at 11 a.m. CST Saturday and second-seeded Detroit facing seventh-seeded Cleveland State at 5 p.m. CST Saturday. The semifinals are at 4 and 6:30 p.m. CST Sunday, with the championship game next Tuesday at 6 p.m. CST.

Breaking The UWM Ties

With a win Monday night, UWM would officially be tied with Detroit for second place in the league. But, UWM falls to the third seed by virtue of its loss to Cleveland State, a team Detroit swept during the regular season.

High League Marks

UWM's 10-5 record in league play is its best after 15 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 losses in its last three road games, 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. Detroit, meanwhile, remains the lone league location where the Panthers have never claimed a win.

Sweeping Success

UWM will be looking for its first season sweep of UW-Green Bay since the 1992-93 season, when the Panthers were a Division I independent. UWM has swept two league opponents this season - Wright State and Youngstown State. That's the first time UWM has swept two league opponents since the 1995-96 season.

Oh So Close

Four of UWM's 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.

On The Other Hand

UWM's 33-point loss at Detroit Saturday was easily the worst of the season for the Panthers and their worst since a 41-point drubbing at the hands of Illinois last year. It also marked UWM's worst league loss since its last visit to Calihan Hall for a Senior Day contest. Detroit claimed an 88-48 win over UWM on Feb. 22, 2000.

A Tale Of Four Games

UWM has split its last four games and statistics bear that out. In the two wins over Youngstown State and Wright State, the Panthers shot 50.8 percent against the Penguins and 59 percent against the Raiders. In the losses to Cleveland State and Detroit, the Panthers shot 37 percent against the Vikings and 31 percent against the Titans.

Finding The Hoop

UWM has shot under 40 percent in back-to-back games, but the Panthers have shot under 40 percent just four times during the entire season. In fact, the other two times also occurred in back-to-back games - UWM shot just 36 percent against Virginia Tech Dec. 8 and just 30 percent against Western Michigan Dec. 15.

Defense Is The Key

There's little question much of the Panthers' success this season has been connected to success on the defensive end of the floor. UWM has limited seven opponents under 40 percent shooting and opponents shoot 44.7 percent from the field on the season. But, in five of UWM's losses - including the last two - opponents have shot at least 50 percent from the field. In four of those games, the opponent has shot at least 55 percent from the field.

Yo! Adrian

Freshman Adrian Tigert has posted back-to-back games with career highs in points. After scoring 17 points Thursday night at Cleveland State, Tigert scored 18 points in Saturday's game at Detroit. He has pushed his season average up to 8.1 ppg and averages 9.7 ppg in league play. A strong candidate for the league's all-newcomer team, Tigert also has two double-doubles this season and made 14-of-21 field goals in the two games this past week. The all-stater from Oshkosh West High School has also been in double figures in four straight games.

Paging Dylan

Sophomore Dylan Page posted one of his better offensive games of the season Saturday against Detroit. He tallied 10 points in 20 minutes of action, the fourth time this season he has reached double figures. He also equaled a career-high by knocking down two three-point shots.

Tucker Climbs The Charts

Clay Tucker's 17 points Thursday night in the loss at Cleveland State moved him into second-place all-time on UWM's Division I scoring list. Tucker added 11 more at Detroit Saturday and now has 1,194 points, 223 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 the Feb. 14 win over Wright State. Tucker hit six more over the weekend and now has 203 in his career.

High Scoring

UWM continues to lead the Horizon League in scoring, pouring in 76.1 ppg. The 61 points UWM scored Saturday was its lowest output in its last six contests and its second-lowest offensive output of the season. Prior to Thursday's 67-point effort at Cleveland State, UWM had 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.

Providing Assistance

UWM has broken the school's single-season Division I record for assists after collecting 32 more assists in the two games this past weekend. The Panthers now have 448 assists on the season, moving past the previous record of 417 assists. UWM recorded 20 or more assists in four-straight games during league play, a string that ended with the contest at Cleveland State. UWM continues to lead the Horizon League in assists, though, and the Panthers have tallied 119 assists in their last six 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.

Not Shy About Shooting

UWM has set a new school record for three-point attempts after trying 29 threes in Saturday's loss to Detroit. The Panthers have now attempted 675 three-point shots on the season, eclipsing the record 666 three-point shots last season. In fact, UWM has attempted 1,998 three-point shots over the last three seasons. 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.

Streaky Shooting

UWM has struggled from beyond the arc in its last two games after posting stellar shooting numbers in the two previous games. The Panthers made just 6-of-29 three-point shots Saturday, bringing their two-game total to 17-of-58. But, in the two games prior to that, UWM made 28 of its 49 three-point attempts. The Panthers made 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. Against Wright State Feb. 14, UWM made 12 more threes.

More From Long Range

UWM has made at least 11 three-point baskets in four of its last six games. The Panthers have been in double-figures in three-point baskets in 11 games this season, including seven times in league play.

Streaking Ronnie

Ronnie Jones saw his streak of 15-straight games in double figures end Saturday when he scored just six in the loss to Detroit. The streak of 15 straight, though, is the third-best streak in the school's Division I history. The streak dated back to a 19-point effort against Colorado. Jones also saw his streak of 17 straight games with a three-point basket end when he went 0-for-5 from beyond the arc Saturday afternoon. Jones is UWM's second-leading scorer in league games, pouring in an average of 16.0 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)

Packing Them In

Thanks in part to a turnout of 3,305 fans Feb. 14 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

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, beating the two UWM had recorded in each of the last two years. The 26-point win Feb. 14 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.

Balancing Act

UWM's balance offensively continues to be a story this season. Three players were in double figures in each of the games this past weekend 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.

Tough Trio

Opposing defenses clearly paid close attention to the UWM trio of Clay Tucker, Ronnie Jones and Jason Frederick over the weekend, ending the trio's streak of games in double figures. Frederick did not reach double figures in either game on the road trip, while Jones was not in double figures Saturday. Their collection of stellar games was capped off Feb. 14 against Wright State when 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.

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.

Second-Half Push

Until the last two road contests, UWM had owned the second half of most of its games in league play. In the last two contests, UWM has been outscored 90-70 in the second half. On the season, though, UWM has outscored its opponent in the second half 17 times, including in 16 of its last 23 games. UWM did have a stretch earlier in league play that saw opponents make just 3-of-33 three-point shots in the second half.

Finding Frederick

Jason Frederick has struggled from the field in the last two contests after a stellar streak through the middle of league play. Frederick has made just 5-of-18 shots from the field in his last two contests, including just 4-of-16 from three-point range. Frederick entered the weekend averaging 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.

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 8-of-9 three-point shots in those two contests. Weisse scored five points in Thursday's loss to Cleveland State and had five rebounds and four assists against Detroit Saturday.

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 11 points Saturday marked the 25th time in 27 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 preseason, 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 61 steals in 27 games after recording four steals Saturday against Detroit. His total ranks 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 six more steals Saturday, pushing its season total to 242 in 27 games. UWM currently leads the Horizon League in steals, collecting 9.0 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 27 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 17.7 turnovers per game. Saturday, Detroit committed just nine turnovers - the lowest mark for an opponent this year. 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 477 turnovers in 27 games. The single-season opponent record is 530 turnovers forced, set during the 1990-91 season, UWM's first in Division I play.

Streaks

UWM has won eight of its last 12 games and, after opening the season 1-3, the Panthers have won 14 of 23 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 90-of-126 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.

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 5.7 ppg, and UWM's second-leading rebounder in the league, grabbing 5.4 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 27 games for UWM, while Adrian Tigert has started 26 of UWM's 27 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 20 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 74 assists while committing just 22 turnovers in his 27 games. In league play, Weisse has 41 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.

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.

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 6-of-6 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. 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.

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, Ben Brey, Tom Becker, Will Ryan and Marcus Conigliaro.

Up Next

UWM begins play in the Horizon League Tournament Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. CST against sixth-seeded UIC.