May 13, 2003

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has named former Panther Justin Lettenberger as an undergraduate assistant.

A Manitowoc, Wis., native, Lettenberger completed his four-year career at UWM this past March after helping the Panthers claim their first-ever Horizon League Tournament Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

He will now move into his new position while completing his degree in finance and marketing.

"Justin played for a great high school coach in Mark Christenson, a very good college coach in Bo Ryan and a fair coach in myself, giving him a very good pedigree," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said. "Justin is mature beyond his years, enabling him to make the transition from being a teammate to being an assistant."

Pearl is also excited about the message Lettenberger's presence on his staff will send.

"Having Justin on my staff gives me another opportunity to make a statement to my student-athletes about where hard work can get you," Pearl said. "He can be a role model for all of our returning players and all of our incoming players."

Lettenberger played in 98 games at UWM, starting 17, and averaged 4.7 ppg and 3.8 rpg. As a high school standout at Manitowoc Lincoln High School, Lettenberger led his team to back-to-back appearances in the state tournament while being named all-state his senior season.

Lettenberger, who won the Dexter Reisch Memorial Scholarship Award at last week's annual student-athlete award banquet, was also a regular on the Dean's List at UWM and is a UWM Scholar-Athlete.