June 19, 2003

Panthers Men's Basketball European Tour page

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team will embark on a European Tour later this summer.

The team will play five games on the trip, which runs from August 18-29 and will take them to Belgium, Germany and France. Final details of the trip, including opponent and hotel information, are still being finalized.

The tour itself will find the Panthers flying into Amsterdam before spending four nights in Brussels, three nights in Cologne, Germany, and three nights in Paris.

"Having been on these trips at both Stanford and Iowa, I know it is an experience our student-athletes will cherish for the rest of their lives," UWM head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We plan on having them be as involved in educational and cultural activities as much as they will be playing basketball."

The trip comes at a good time for the Panthers, who will be looking to replace seven seniors from last year's 24-8 squad. Newcomers, including junior-college transfer Ed McCants, are not eligible to play on the trip.

All-Horizon League performer Dylan Page and center Nate Mielke, two returning starters from last season, will headline the roster for the trip. The roster will also include five redshirts from last year - Adrian Tigert, Chris Hill, Joah Tucker and Kalombo Kadima - all expected to be contributing members of the team in the 2003-04 season. James Wright, who ran on the track team last season, will also rejoin the Panthers for the trip. Returnees Rob Sanders, Mark Pancratz, Marcus Conigliaro and Fernando Johnson will also be on the roster.

"This is the perfect time in the development of our program to make this trip," Pearl said. "We have five redshirts who will be looking to replace a very talented senior class. This summer we'll get a first-hand look at what kind of team we'll be next year."

The team will also practice for a brief time in August before departing on their trip August 18.

"The basketball program has been saving and fundraising for this trip for four years now. I appreciate the university allowing us to make this trip," Pearl said. "I'm convinced the investment will pay off."

Last season, UWM won a school-record 24 games and claimed its first-ever Horizon League Tournament championship. The Panthers advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first-time ever, just missing an upset of Notre Dame, 70-69, in a first-round contest.