Nov. 2, 2009

MILWAUKEE - Hopes are high for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team as the 2009-2010 season begins.

The Panthers return over 80 percent of their scoring from a season ago, while adding three talented newcomers to what should be the deepest group UWM has had since reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2006.

Last season, UWM won 11 of 15 games through the months of December and January, winning nine of 10 at home during that run. Then, Milwaukee's biggest win of the regular season came Feb. 18 at the U.S. Cellular Arena, when the Panthers hung on for a 63-60 win over nationally-ranked Butler.

Now, the hope is to turn those highlights from a season ago into a consistent four-month effort that could land Milwaukee fighting for the Horizon League title and back in the postseason.

UWM begins its season Wednesday night with an exhibition contest against Cardinal Stritch.

The work toward doing just that began not long after last season ended. Head coach Rob Jeter is pleased with just how hard his team has worked - and how much it has come together - since its March loss to Wright State in the league tournament.

"I like the team chemistry that has developed," Jeter said. "Our guys spent a lot of time together in the summer and this fall has just been a continuation of the summer."

"It is all about the team discipline we are trying to create. We now have an environment we can continue to build off of. It starts with our seniors, without a doubt. We have a large group and all have been in the battles. They are very good leaders and very good students. Now, you can see how that team discipline with the seniors has rubbed off on some of the younger players."

On the offensive end, the Panthers made marked improvements throughout the 2008-09 season. UWM wound up averaging 68 points per game, though at one point early in the season the Panthers were averaging over 76 points per contest and spent much of the year above 70 points per game.

Milwaukee saw its shooting percentage dip as the season went along, with UWM winding up just under 40 percent from the field for the year. But, the Panthers still made 246 three-pointers and shot 34 percent from beyond the arc.

Jeter thinks all of the those numbers can get better during the 2009-10 season.

"I really think we need to get our percentages up. We scored 68 points per game, and that should be enough to win in most cases. But our percentages seemed to go down toward the end of the season. There are a lot of factors with that - fatigue, scouting, injuries. I really think if our percentages go up, maybe we can bump our scoring average up to 74 points per game." Defensively, UWM held opponents to 68 points per game and to under 42 percent from the floor - two more numbers that can lead to victory. But, Jeter would like to see the Panthers turn an ever-improving offensive effort in more consistent success on the defensive end.

"When we feel good about making shots, we have to make the other team miss," Jeter said. "With our versatility and with our size, hopefully we can make other teams miss more so they are scoring less.

"We can go bigger, but sometimes that means there is less of an ability to guard on the perimeter. I think if we can really get our man-to-man to incorporate more of the zone principles, we can be a pretty good defensive team. We're going to stick to our man-to-man, but we definitely have to be more of a zone team on the back-side and really take away some of the gaps."

Experience will be the key to UWM's improvement in both areas. In 2006-07, the Panthers took the floor with a brand-new roster that included nine new faces and just nine Division I starts entering the year - easily the lowest number in the nation. Then in 2007-08, UWM had two new faces in the opening-day starting lineup and two more in the regular rotation. Last season's opening day starting-five included two more new faces, with a third emerging as a relied-upon regular by mid-season.

Now, all five starters will likely be returnees, with as many as eight players in the rotation carrying extensive Division I experience into the season.

That experience should be especially prominent in the backcourt. If Ricky Franklin is part of the mix UWM will have 180 games of experience among its top three players.

"Over the last few years, we've been starting a lot of younger players and inexperienced players in our backcourt," Jeter said. "We have done it out of necessity more than having a freshman that just outworked all of the upperclassmen. This season, we don't have to do that. We have a strong group of upperclassmen, so the experience is there, and now we can bring the younger players on as quickly or as slowly as we want. That's a pretty good luxury."

The five-man group of seniors will likely be led by backcourt star Tone Boyle. He led the Panthers in scoring and three-pointers made a season ago, earning a spot on the All-Horizon League Second Team as well as on the league's all-newcomer team. He wound up averaging 13.2 points per game and shot 36 percent from three-point range, numbers that actually dipped late in the season while he battled a back injury. He was also the team leader in minutes played, averaging over 35.5 minutes per contest.

Senior guard Franklin has spent the summer and early fall working hard in the classroom, hoping to earn an additional year of game eligibility after coming to UWM as a non-qualifier in 2005-06. If Franklin is in the Panthers' rotation, he brings with him three years of experience and 9.1 points per game from a season ago. The backcourt is also boosted by the return of junior Deonte Roberts, who has played a key role as both a starter and reserve over his first two seasons in Milwaukee. He has started 36 games in two years, earning all-newcomers honors as a freshman before shooting 51 percent from the field last season.

After those three veterans, UWM has a group of newcomers that could all pitch in as needed. Junior transfer Jerard Ajami looks poised to claim a spot in the regular rotation, while true freshmen Lonnie Boga and Ja'Rob McCallum should add depth in the backcourt.

The frontcourt also boasts an experienced core and more size than UWM has had in recent seasons.

Senior forward James Eayrs averaged better than 13 points per game in league play, claiming a spot on the league's all-newcomer team. The 6-foot-7, 310-pounder quickly became a fan favorite with skills that don't typically fit his large frame. But, Eayrs wound up making 44 three-pointers while tying for third on the team with 23 steals.

Sophomore Tony Meier is the young gun among the returning starters. In his first collegiate season, Meier averaged 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest. He wound up starting 30 games, with his year highlighted by a 17-point, 16-rebound effort in a win over UIC in late January.

Anthony Hill started 22 games a season ago and will look to return to the form that had him looking like a rising star through much of the first half of the season. Hill scored 20 points in a January win over Cleveland State but then had just 19 total points in 13 games after that. The 6-foot-7 junior is UWM's best true post player and likely holds the key to the Panthers' improving their inside play this season.

Milwaukee is also hoping for some contributions from its solid group of interior newcomers. Junior college transfer Michael Tyler will look to use his 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame to replicate the success he had at Pratt CC, where he ranked sixth nationally in rebounding and tallied 22 double-doubles. Redshirt freshmen Ryan Haggerty and Riley Walker will fight for playing time in the front court after working hard as part of the scout team a season ago.

"We were one of the smaller teams and now we are in the process of becoming one of the bigger teams," Jeter said. "With that size comes versatility, because we have guys that are in the 6-6 to 6-7 range and a few guys in that 6-8 to 6-9 range. We can put together a small, quick lineup and play three guards, or we can go with a little bigger lineup by sliding a forward out and playing with a true post. We have a lot of interchangeable parts."

The Panthers will get the chance to post some impressive performances against top-flight competition. UWM will play at least eight games against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, and at least another three contests against teams that participated in other postseason tournaments.

UWM won't have to wait long to find out where it stands in 2009-10, playing the NIT Season Tipoff over the first two weeks of the season.

The Panthers' first test against an NCAA foe comes against Western Kentucky in Baton Rouge, La., Nov. 16. UWM will then face either host LSU or Indiana State in the second round the next day and will play two more games the following week.

"It's going to be an early test for our team," Jeter said. "It will give us a good idea of where we are as a group and what we need to improve on."

From there, UWM also has games against NCAA Tourney foes Wisconsin, Marquette and North Dakota State in the non-league before turning to Horizon League play. With Butler and Wright State returning nearly all of their players and Cleveland State coming off an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the league should be as tough as ever.

"It doesn't get any easier just because you are going into our league," Jeter said. "Our league this year is very, very strong. You go down the line with our league and it is very competitive."