Jason Averkamp
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Panthers Open Exhibition Play Wednesday With MSOE
UWM looks to mix returnees and newcomers
Nov. 4, 2008
Exhibition Game #1
MSOE (17-10 in `07-'08)
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Milwaukee (14-16 in `07-'08)
Wed. Nov. 5 • 7 pm CST
U.S. Cellular Arena • Milwaukee, Wis.
Printable Game Notes
The Short List
• UWM will take on the Milwaukee School of Engineering in the first of two exhibition contests to start the 2008-09 season.
• MSOE is an NCAA Division III school that returns three starters and nine letterwinners from a squad that went 17-10 in 2007-08.
• The Panthers have gone 4-1 in exhibition games under Rob Jeter, who begins his fourth season as the head coach at UWM.
• Milwaukee was picked to finish sixth in the Horizon League this season, returning two starters and seven letterwinners from last year's 14-16 team. Avery Smith, a preseason all-league honoree a year ago, also returns to the team after being dismissed from the squad last November.
• UWM has nine newcomers on the roster, with as many as five in position to be regular contributors this year.
On The Air Tonight
Tonight's game will air live on WISN (AM 1130), with Bill Johnson on the call. Pregame coverage starts at 6:45 p.m. The game is followed by Panthers' Postgame on WISN, live from Major Goolsby's across from the U.S. Cellular Arena. Bob Brainerd and Jason Clark host that show, which includes player and coach interviews.
Ticket Time
Tickets for all UWM home games are available through Milwaukee-area Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com and by phone at 414-276-4545. Tickets are also available at the U.S. Cellular Arena box office on the day of the game. Prices are $20, $15 and $10. UWM students are admitted free with a valid student ID. Levy Restaurants will be offering one free hot dog for everyone in attendance at Wednesday's game. Coupons redeemable at the concession stands will be passed out at the door.
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• Exhibition Game #1
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team opens the 2008-09 exhibition season by facing the Milwaukee School of Engineering Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Arena.
• Scouting The Raiders
The Milwaukee School of Engineering will take on a Division I foe for the first time in school history when it takes the court against UWM Wednesday night. Coach Brian Miller, in his fifth season at the downtown Milwaukee school, returns three starters and nine letterwinners from last year's 17-10 squad. Miller has helped direct the Raiders to unprecedented success in recent seasons. MSOE has recorded the three best records in school history over the past three seasons, going 50-30 in that time. The leading returning scorer from last year's squad is senior guard Andy Voigt. The guard averaged 11.9 points per game and led the team with 26 three-pointers.
• History Lesson
UWM and MSOE will be squaring off for the first time in men's basketball when the two teams meet Wednesday night. The Panthers will enter the contest 4-1 under Rob Jeter in exhibition games, with the only loss coming against UW-Parkside in 2006. Meanwhile, UWM is 6-1 against other NCAA or NAIA schools in exhibition contests since the NCAA began allowing those games in the 2003-04.
• Familiar Faces
The Panthers will take the floor Wednesday night with two starters and a total of seven letterwinners returning from last season. The returning starters are Ricky Franklin and Deonte Roberts, while the other returnees include Anthony Hill, Kaylan Anderson, Deion James, Charlie Swiggett and Jason Averkamp. Both returning starters have honors under their belts from a season ago, as Franklin was a third-team all-state selection by Inside Wisconsin Sports while Roberts earned a spot on the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team.
• He's Back, Too
There is another familiar face back in the fold for the 2008-09 campaign, as Avery Smith returns to the Panthers' roster after missing the 2007-08 season. Actually, Smith was dismissed from the squad last November and then slowly worked his way back onto the team. He did appear in a closed-door scrimmage with IUPUI last season, meaning he had to appeal to the NCAA to restore his eligibility for this - technically a fifth - season. The NCAA did oblige, instituting a two-game penalty for Smith, which he will serve during the first two regular season games. Smith was the Panthers' leading scorer in 2006-07, averaging 15.5 points per game. He then was a preseason all-league selection last year before being dismissed.
• JUCO Junction
The Panthers have three junior college players on the 2008-09 roster that will hope to make an immediate impact on UWM's success. Guard Tone Boyle will likely be in the starting lineup Wednesday after earning All-Region honors at Highland Community College last season. James Eayrs should be a big contributor as well after scoring over 1,100 points in two seasons at the North Dakota State College of Science. Finally, Burleigh Porte should provide defensive and rebounding support on the interior after two seasons at Olney Community College in Illinois.
• Baby-Faced
Three scholarship true freshmen are also on the roster for the 2008-09 campaign. The early leader of that group of Tony Meier of suburban St. Louis, who could well be in the starting lineup Wednesday night. Ryan Haggerty has also shown well during preseason practice after a strong career at Benet Academy in suburban Chicago. Meanwhile, Riley Walker suffered a shoulder injury early in preseason practice and will likely be sidelined during exhibition play.
• Redshirt Reminder
The start of exhibition play is a good time to review some of the ins and outs of redshirting players, should UWM choose to do so during the 2008-09 campaign. For one, true freshmen can play in exhibition games and still redshirt, while all other players give up their ability to non-medically redshirt by appearing in an exhibition contest. Also, no official declaration needs to be made for any player to non-medically redshirt. In essence, if a player does not appear in a game during a season, they have redshirted assuming they had not already redshirted previously during their career. The Panthers have not yet made any decision regarding redshirts for the 2008-09 season.
• Laying In The Weeds
UWM is hoping to surprise the field in the Horizon League during the 2008-09 season. The Panthers were picked to finish sixth in the Horizon League, according to a poll of the league's coaches, sports information directors and media members. Cleveland State, last season's regular season and tournament runner-up, was picked to win the league crown. Wright State was picked second with UIC third and Green Bay fourth. Two-time defending champion Butler was selected fifth. Experience was definitely of value to league voters. Cleveland State returns four of five starters, including a pair of 2008 all-league performers in J'Nathan Bullock and Cedric Jackson. Wright State brings back three of five starters, including 2008 first-team all-league performer Vaughn Duggins. UIC also has three of its five starters returning, including all-leaguer Josh Mayo. And, Green Bay has all five starters back, including all-league performer Mike Schachtner. Butler did lose four of its five starters but returns all-league performer Matt Howard and has lost just five regular-season league games over the last two seasons.
• Other Insights
A number of other publications have also published their preseason picks for the Horizon League. UWM was actually picked eighth in three different publications, with The Sporting News, Lindy's and Athlon Sports all selecting the Panthers in that position. Two of those publications picked Cleveland State to win the league crown, while Lindy's selected Wright State as the eventual league champion.
• Something From The Scrimmage
James Eayrs scored 17 points and Deion James added 14 as the white squad beat the black squad, 73-64, at the annual Full-Court Club scrimmage Oct. 28 at the Klotsche Center. The white team led by five points at halftime and by as many as 10 in the second half before hanging on to the lead late. Eayrs scored 14 of his points in the second half. Charlie Swiggett added 11 points for the white team. True freshman Tony Meier, junior-college transfer Tone Boyle and veteran Ricky Franklin scored 15 points apiece for the black squad, which also got 11 points from sophomore Anthony Hill. The two teams combined for 17 made three-pointers.
• About The Schedule
Head coach Rob Jeter has put together another difficult schedule for the Panthers. UWM will play 10 games against postseason qualifiers and meet up with teams from the Big Ten, Big East and Big 12 this season. In fact, UWM has contests against BCS foes on each of the first three weekends of the regular season. The list of postseason qualifiers on Milwaukee schedule this season includes Marquette, Wisconsin, Miami (Ohio), Bradley, Butler, Cleveland State and Valparaiso. January finds UWM home for seven of its 10 games while the Panthers will be on the road for five of its seven contests in February.
• Job Changes
While Rob Jeter's full coaching staff returns in tact for a fourth-straight season, two of the people on the staff have switched positions. Ronnie Jones, who has spent the last three seasons as the director of basketball operations, will take over as the video coordinator. Meanwhile, Chip MacKenzie will become the operations director after three years in the video role.
• Ticket Time
Single-game tickets for UWM men's basketball games are on sale now. Advance tickets can be purchased through all Milwaukee-area Ticket Master outlets, online at ticketmaster.com or by phone at 414-276-4545. Single-game tickets for men's games at the U.S. Cellular Arena are priced from $10-$20. Fans can also still purchase full season-ticket plans as well as five-pack ticket plans. For more information, contact the UWM Ticket Office at 414-229-5886.
• Looking Around The Cell
The U.S. Cellular Arena has taken on a number of new looks for the 2008-09 season. Most obvious is a new floor. The entire surface has been refinished and painted, with the newest Milwaukee Panthers' logo prominently on display at center court. The surface also includes the new men's three-point line, which is set at 20'9", a Horizon League logo in each free-throw lane and a handful of UWM logos on the sidelines. The U.S. Cellular Arena logo is also prominent on the floor. Among other changes planned at the U.S. Cellular Arena for this coming season is the relocation of the student section to the north end zone. Plus, upper level seats have been dressed in black and gold, adding more color to the Arena while creating a more intimate atmosphere.
• The Bright Lights Of TV
UWM will again spend plenty of time on television during the 2008-09 season. The Jan. 9 game between UWM and Green Bay will kickoff the brand-new Horizon League/ESPNU Game of the Week package. The game tips off at 8 p.m. CST and will be one of 17 games involving league schools on the ESPN networks during the coming season. The appearance by the Panthers in the package will mark the 20th national television appearance by UWM over the past six seasons. In addition to that game on ESPNU, UWM will again have its extensive local television package with Time Warner Sports. At least 10 games will be a part of that package, and those broadcasts will again be available throughout the country on ESPN Full Court and ESPN360.
• Making (Radio) Waves
UWM returns to WISN (AM 1130) for a second-straight season. The coverage is part of a five-year agreement between UWM Athletics and Clear Channel Radio, which also provides coverage of the Panther women. UWM contests on WISN start with a 15-minute pregame show, while home games also include a live postgame show from Major Goolsby's in downtown Milwaukee. WISN also airs "Rob Jeter on Basketball" Mondays from 6-7 p.m. Bill Johnson returns for his 10th season as the voice of the Panthers.
• Summing Up The 2007-08 Season
An amazing series of ups and downs marked the 2007-08 season for the Panthers. After enduring a six-game losing streak from late November to mid-December, Milwaukee put together a six-game winning streak from late December until a loss at Butler Jan. 12. The winning streak marked UWM's first six-game win streak since Milwaukee won eight-straight from Dec. 17, 2005, to Jan. 11, 2006. After that run, the Panthers added a three-game winning streak and a three-game losing streak. Overall, UWM went 11-9 after opening the season 3-7.
• Quick Hits
The Panthers are now 52-20 in regular season and postseason contests at The Cell since their return in 2002-03 ... combining games at both the Klotsche Center and the U.S. Cellular Arena, UWM is now 57-14 in regular season Horizon League home contests over the last nine seasons ... UWM fielded six different starting lineups in 2007-08, though the Panthers used the same starting five over a stretch of 17 games until an injury to Marcus Skinner forced another change. Eight different players earned starts ... after its win Feb. 16, Milwaukee has now beaten its in-state rival from Green Bay 13 times in the last 18 meetings between the two schools. That streak includes wins in nine of the last 10 contests in Milwaukee, with UWM's average margin of victory nearly 17 points per game in those nine wins ... the Panthers rallied from a double-digit second-half deficit to win a game four times during the 2007-08 season. The final comeback came Feb. 16 against Green Bay, when Milwaukee trailed by 12 points with 14 minutes to play before rallying for a 10-point win.
• Simple Stats
In-depth analysis could lead to a wide variety of "keys to victory" for the 2007-08 Panthers. But, two simple stats pointed out the real keys to winning throughout the year. First, UWM finished 13-7 when it either won or tied the rebounding battle, while the Panthers were 1-9 when being outrebounded. Also, UWM was 12-4 when it scored 70 or more points but just 4-9 when allowing 70 or more.
• Up Next
UWM plays UW-Parkside Saturday at 7 in another exhibition contest. The regular season begins Nov. 14.
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