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In 12 years at the the helm of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team, Sandy Botham continues to guide the team to the top of the Horizon League and onto the cusp of post-season competition. Botham has consistently kept UWM in the thick of the league title chase, including second-place-or-better finishes seven times since 1999. She's done it while also sending UWM against some of the best programs in the country during the non-league schedule. And, last season, she eclipsed the 200-win mark for her career with a thrilling 89-83 comeback win over UIC March 1. She now has 202 in her career, including 180 with the Panthers. That figure is second in school history. In 2006, Milwaukee advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history after winning the Horizon League Tournament at the Klotsche Center. The homecourt advantage was made possible by UWM's second regular season championship and its first-ever No. 1 seed. All told, UWM won a school-record 22 games that season, including a record 12-straight through the league tournament and 17-of-19 after the calendar turned to 2006. In league play, Milwaukee tied its best ever mark of 14-2 for its share of the league crown. When the dust settled, Botham collected a third Horizon League Coach of the Year honor and her players garnered six post-season league honors themselves, including Newcomer of the Year. Two Milwaukee players also received all-league first team awards for the first time in school history. In Botham's 11 years at UWM, she has compiled a 180-135 mark, including a 118-50 mark in Horizon League contests. In 2005-06, she became just the second coach in league history with 100 league wins and is currently just seven victories off the league record for career league coaching wins. Botham led the Panthers to their first-ever league crown and NCAA Tournament berth in 2001 and to their first 20-win campaign the following season. Her teams have gone 98-30 in the league since the 1999-2000 season. The building process started right away for Botham, who took over a team that won just four games and led them to 16 wins in 1996-97, earning Midwestern Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year honors in the process. That season started a trend for UWM under Botham's direction. The next year, the Panthers posted an eight-game winning streak and claimed a win over then-No. 13 Nebraska. The 1999-2000 season then included a second-place finish in the MCC standings, including an undefeated league home campaign. Things got even better for the Panthers in the next two years, as UWM claimed its first ever regular season and tournament titles, while earning the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth in women's basketball. The Panthers ran through the league tournament in 2001, winning three-straight games in convincing fashion to earn an NCAA Tournament date with Duke. While the Panthers' season ended in that game, UWM used that as a springboard for a record-setting 2001-02 campaign. Botham and the Panthers won a school-record 20 games before being upset in the league tournament. Over the next three seasons, Botham's squad continued to excel. The Panthers compiled a 35-13 record in league play and finished in second place each year. Milwaukee has been dominant at home versus Horizon League opponents under Botham, with that dominance reaching new heights of late. Under Botham's direction UWM owns a 63-13 home record in Horizon League play. In the last six seasons, Milwaukee is 47-7 at home versus league competition, an .870 winning clip. Overall, Botham's teams have won nearly 70 percent of their home games. Not only has Botham led UWM to enormous team success, but she has also aided in individual player development. One look at the individual accolades earned during Botham's 10 years in Milwaukee tells it all. During the Botham era, 27 players have been selected to the all-league and league all-newcomer teams. Botham recruited and helped mentor Maria Viall (2000-03), a two-time Horizon League Player of the Year, UWM's all-time leading scorer. Botham came to UWM in 1996 following a successful season as head coach at Beloit College in Beloit, Wis. Her team went 22-4 in 1995-96, making it the most successful team in school history. That Beloit squad advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament before losing to eventual national champion UW-Oshkosh. Before becoming a head coach at the collegiate level, Botham spent five seasons as an assistant at the University of Notre Dame under head coach Muffet McGraw. During her time in South Bend from 1991-95, the Irish won the league regular-season title twice, the league tournament twice and twice went to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to her assistantship at her alma mater, Botham spent a year in Milwaukee, assisting Marquette University head coach Jim Jabir in 1990-91. As a player, Botham played at Notre Dame from 1984-88. A four-time all-league performer, she ranks among the top-10 in career scoring (1,460), rebounding (773) and field goal percentage (.588). A native of Madison, Wis., Botham attended Madison West High School from 1980-84 where she was a standout in three different sports. In addition to basketball, Botham starred in volleyball and softball at West High. As a sophomore, Botham helped lead Madison West to the state basketball championship. Botham earned her bachelor's degree from Notre Dame in 1988 while majoring in psychology with a minor in business. Botham remained in South Bend for her graduate work, earning a Masters of Science in Administration from the school in 1990. |
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