PANTHERS NAME JOHNSON AS NEW HEAD COACH

Carman Bulldog · 12-18-2007, 10:40 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * June 12, 2007 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS NAME JOHNSON AS NEW HEAD COACH

Milwaukee - On Monday, Athletic Director Tom Rooney confirmed what has been rumored for a few weeks, that Johnny Johnson will officially take over the reigns as the new head coach of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball program. Rooney also announced that assistant coach Marco Anderer would remain with the team.

Johnson has spent the past four seasons in an assistant capacity with the Panthers. The Grand Forks, North Dakota native had a strong, if not un-astonishing career, as a small forward at the University of Minnesota, originally making the team as a recruited walk-on. He was known more for his gritty, tenacious play than for his skills but was always classified as a smart player, all traits which have carried over into his coaching career. Following his playing days, he spent two seasons coaching and teaching at Milwaukee Vincent, leading the Vikings to back-to-back state finals before being hired on with the Panthers.

Johnson was a protege of previous Panther's coach and new Marquette Golden Eagles head boss Milton Johnson (no relation). The elder Johnson coached Johnny Johnson for two seasons at Minnesota before inviting his former player aboard to join his staff with the Panthers four years ago. Rooney noted that one of the points that sealed the deal in Johnson's hiring was Milton Johnson's stamp of approval. Despite, his youth and lack of experience, Johnny Johnson apparently wowed the Board of Directors in his interview and Milton Johnson's backing put the once heavy underdog for the position into the drivers seat.

It was speculated that Anderer, who was originally offered the head coach position but turned it down citing personal reasons, would step down from his capacities all together to spend more time with his family. His decision to stay on should help Johnson through the growing pains of being a first time head coach at the college level.

Johnson has no time to waste as he is scheduled to take in the Chicago Prep Revue in just over a months time, where he will be looking to scout the Midwest's top players to fill the three scholarships open for next season. Johnson assisted Milton Johnson quite a bit in the recruiting department so this aspect should not be anything out of the ordinary for him.

Izulde · 12-19-2007, 12:37 PM

Surprising hire given that Milwaukee's a pretty decent program, especially in recent years.

Be interesting to see how the youngster takes on the task.

Carman Bulldog · 12-21-2007, 11:15 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * November 2, 2007 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Milwaukee- Rookie Milwaukee-Wisconsin head coach Johnny Johnson could have his hands full in his first season behind the bench. While Athletic Director Tom Rooney stated that he expects big things out of Johnson his first season, off the record, board members have confirmed that they would be happy winning 10+ games and not finishing last in the conference. While on paper many peg the Panthers to finish in the middle of the pack in the Horizon Conference, it is in the dressing room and off the court that Johnson could face his biggest test. For the first time in his career, Johnson will have to put on the "bad cop" hat and enforce discipline amongst the ranks, something that was left to head coach Milton Johnson in past years.

The starting five for the Panthers should look something along these lines:

PG - Greg DeVone (SR)
SG - Kevin Mells (SO)
SF - Adam Underwood (JR)
PF - Greg Collins (SO)
C - William Morton (JR)

The issue for Johnson is the volatility of DeVone, Collins and Morton. While being three of the top players on the team, all three are also known to have short fuses. There were rumors about dissension in the ranks last year as the season came to a close, which many believe helped contribute to the Panthers lack of success last season as well as Milton Johnson's eagerness to take the Marquette job in the off-season. The fate of the team could very well rely upon whether these three personalities can co-exist.

Expect to see Morton and Underwood lead the team in scoring, although there is not really anyone that could be looked upon entirely to carry the load. The Panthers will need more of a scoring by committee approach each game to prove victorious. Defensively, this team is weak and can be exposed and that could be their potential downfall. Off the bench, PG Josh Winston (SR), SG Victor Morin (FR), and C Rupert Whitehead (SR) should see the majority of action.

The Panthers should benefit from a relatively soft non-conference schedule, but they will be playing 6 of those 9 games away from the friendly confines of U.S. Cellular Arena.

Recruiting Update - Three Players Verbally Commit

Coach Johnson noted that he wanted to hit the road fast and get his recruits confirmed early and in speaking with him, he has appeared to do just that. While there has been no official word from the school as of yet, Johnson confirmed that PG David Ely, PF Darius Perine and C Jonathon Smith have all given their verbal commitment to join the black and gold next season.

Ely is considered a top three point guard in Wisconsin state and was ranked 151 in the region by the Grey Dog Scouting Service Gold Report.

Perine is the wildcard in the bunch, ranked 179 in the region by GDSS. The Indiana native was considered one of the top PF's in the region early on but his stock has continually plummeted. Johnson notes however that he has been to watch Perine on a few occasions and really likes the versatility that he's seen.

Joe Smith is the cream of the crop. The Pepin, WI native is a seven foot, 302 pound beast, ranked 86th in the region and considered a four star prospect. Other schools shied away from Smith because of his low GPA but Johnson noted that he is confident is Smith's abilities to meet the school's criteria. Expect a formal word from the school shortly.

Carman Bulldog · 12-21-2007, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izulde

Surprising hire given that Milwaukee's a pretty decent program, especially in recent years.

Be interesting to see how the youngster takes on the task.

Yeah, I was kind of surprised how low their default prestige was (31) considering what they've done the past few years. I suppose last years poor performance hurt them in that regard.

With what I set my coach at, they were the top team I could land, prestige wise.

As for everything else, I did a whole bunch of hard drive stuff and had to restart the game after that initial writeup, so there were some minor changes to coaches names and stuff in the first post.

Carman Bulldog · 12-22-2007, 09:46 AM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * December 21 2007 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS LIMP INTO CHRISTMAS BREAK

Milwaukee- After a strong start to the season, the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin Panthers dropped their second consecutive game yesterday, losing in Norfolk, VA to the Old Dominion Monarchs by a score of 84-60.

The loss drops the Panthers pre-conference record to 5-4, a start that has to have new head coach Johnny Johnson disappointed, considering that the team opened the season with three consecutive victories, including two on the road.

The loss was the Panthers worst of the season as well as marking the most points that the team has given up this year.

The big news of the first third of the season was the blowup by sophomore PF Greg Collins, who fought with teammate William Morton on consecutive days in early December. The teams internal struggles carried over to the court as they posted their worst offensive performance of the season the next day against the University of Texas - El Paso. Since that blowup, they have struggled to a 1-3 record and one has to wonder if this is a team in turmoil.

This all comes on the heels of Johnson suspending Collins for his poor attitude prior to the season's start. The suspension seemed to have worked early on, as Collins averaged 19.0 PPG in his first two games back. However, starting with the UTEP game and the three subsequent matchups, he has averaged only 6.0 PPG since.

The blowup obviously affected Morton as well, who was averaging 13.4 PPG through the first five games before dropping to 5.0 PPG for the last four.

If the Panthers hope to get on track for the start of their conference schedule, Johnson will need to learn how to ensure that these two talented yet conflicted personalities can co-exist.

Carman Bulldog · 12-23-2007, 10:07 AM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * January 28, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS REMAIN NEAR TOP OF HORIZON STANDINGS

Milwaukee- Despite their loss yesterday to the third place Loyola Chicago Ramblers, the Wisconsin - Milwaukee Panthers remain near the top of the Horizon Conference standings just past the halfway mark of the conference schedule with a record of 7-3. It was only the Panthers second loss on home court this season.

The Panthers dropped into second place with the loss, a game back of the Butler Bulldogs, who have managed to reel off 7 consecutive wins to put their record at 8-2.

The two teams have a big matchup coming up in just over a week's time here at the U.S. Cellular Arena on February 7. Butler was victorious earlier this year by a 92-89 margin at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, in a game that saw the lead change eight times.

Off the court, the problems have continued for PF Greg Collins (SO), whom head coach Johnny Johnson had to suspend for two weeks earlier in January. While being a talented player on the court and not facing any issues in the classroom, Collins still somewhat lacks the maturity to play at this level. According to unidentified sources, his infighting has put a big strain on both his relationship with teammates as well as that of coach Johnson. Whether he will return next year or consider transferring out is still up in the air.

Recruiting Update - Joe Smith Scholarship Revoked

It was announced today that recruit C Joe Smith failed to meet the minimum requirement to attended Wisconsin-Milwaukee and his scholarship has been revoked.

"It was a tough situation for Joe," noted coach Johnson. "I think he continually put more pressure on himself to meet the requirement and that only led to him struggling more. Hopefully he can find a good junior college, get his marks up, and be interested in coming back here in two years. He's still a player that we are really high on and we will see where things go from here."

The news means that coach Johnson has another thing on his plate as he heads to the home stretch of the season, trying to fill the final scholarship available.

Carman Bulldog · 12-23-2007, 11:13 AM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * February 25, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS FINISH ATOP HORIZON REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS

Milwaukee- Rookie head coach Johnny Johnson appears to have the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers right where they want to be heading into the Horizon Conference playoffs.

After dropping back-to-back games for the first time in Horizon Conference play this season,with losses to Loyola Chicago and Detroit, the Panthers proceeded to reel off seven consecutive victories to finish atop the Horizon Conference standings with a record of 14-4, two games ahead of the second place Butler squad.

The first place finish gives the Panthers a bye to the Horizon semi-finals where their most likely opponent will be Cleveland State or Detroit and moves their overall record on the season to 19-9. It also gives the team a chance for a little rest and recovery as their next game won't be until March 5.

Despite the solid season play of the Panthers, not a single player was named the Horizon Conference player of the week. However, the Panthers did lead the conference in scoring average with 73.9 PPG.

Many pundits have the Panthers ranked somewhere in the 50-60 region as far as team's going to the big dance go. However, Johnson has noted that he would like to win the Horizon championship and go into the tournament in style.

Carman Bulldog · 12-23-2007, 11:58 AM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * March 6, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS OFF TO HORIZON CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

Milwaukee- The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers are once again off to the Horizon Conference tournament championship game, where they will look to capture their fourth title of the past six years as they take on Valparaiso today.

The Panthers did it with a hard fought 88-73 victory over the Cleveland State Vikings. Despite the score, this was a very close basketball game, particularly throughout the first half of play, which ended up tied 38-38.

Overall, the game saw 23 lead changes and it wasn't until late in the second half that the Panthers really started to pull away.

Senior PG Greg DeVone led the way for Wisconsin-Milwaukee, putting up 18 points to go along with 5 assists and 5 rebounds in being named the player of the game. Freshman Victor Morin had a very solid game off the bench, putting up 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the floor. Morin saw 28 minutes of action, up from his season average of 17 minutes. The window of opportunity was opened for him when starting SG Kevin Mells got into foul trouble early and saw his playing time scaled back as a result.

The team will have to make due today without senior C/PF Rupert Whitehead, who went down with a bad back in yesterday's game and has been ruled our for today.

The Panthers will meet a surprise opponent in the Valparaiso Crusaders. The Crusaders finished the Horizon Conference season in 7th place, with a record of 8-10 and six games back of the Panthers. However, they ousted Illinois-Chicago in the opening round before proceeding to pull off a pair of upsets, defeating #2 Butler in the quarterfinals and #3 Loyola Chicago in the semi's. As such, the Panthers can ill afford to take them lightly.

Carman Bulldog · 12-23-2007, 01:28 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * March 13, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME LOSS PROVES COSTLY FOR PANTHERS

Milwaukee- The Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball program watched the NCAA tournament selection show together yesterday, wondering how big their Horizon Championship game loss to Valparaiso would impact their chances of making the big dance. The answer? Maybe next year. For this year however, they will have to settle for a spot in the NIT tournament.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed," noted rookie head coach Johnny Johnson. "We had a very good year. A twenty win season is a strong accomplishment. I thought we had a legit chance to be a part of the final 65. In a way, I think we are a team that has not got the respect it's deserved this year. At the same time though, we struggled with our consistency and probably lost some games that we shouldn't have and it looks like that cost us."

If there is a silver lining for the Panthers, it's that they were selected to be a part of the NIT tournament, set to take on the 22-7 North Dakota State squad tomorrow.

The Panthers fate was apparently sealed with their 72-63 loss to upstart Valparaiso in the Horizon Conference championship game. Prior to that they had put up a record of 20-9 en route to capturing the Horizon Conference regular season championship.

The Crusaders (16-16) were the only other Horizon Conference team to make either tournament. They will take on Rider tomorrow in the play-in game for the NCAA tournament, with the winner earning the #16 seed in the Midwest bracket and an opening round matchup with the Marquette Golden Eagles, led by former Panthers bench boss Milton Johnson. Marquette is ranked #3 in the country after posting a 30-2 record this season.

Carman Bulldog · 12-24-2007, 08:10 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * April 4, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM

JOHNSON NAMED HORIZON CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR

Indianapolis – Rookie head coach Johnny Johnson was today named the Horizon Conference Coach of the Year. Johnson led the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers to an overall record of 20-11, including 14-4 in conference play.

The Panthers lost in the Horizon Conference final to Valparaiso before ducking out in the first round of the NIT tournament against North Dakota State by a score of 68-48.

“I know it’s cliché,” noted Johnson, “but I can take very little credit for this award. It’s truly a testament to the players on the court and the effort they put in throughout the season. I also need to give a lot of credit to Milt (Johnson) who helped to build this team. Obviously both Marco and I were a part of the process, but the players here are ones that Milt brought in.”

Milton Johnson had some success himself as he was named National Coach of the Year in his first season with the Marquette Golden Eagles, guiding the team to a 30-4 record, including a trip to the NCAA Championship final, where they eventually fell to Indiana, 50-45.

Morton Named to All-Conference Second Team

Head coach Johnny Johnson was not the only Panther picking up hardware on Saturday as center William Morton was named to the Horizon Conference All-Conference Second Team. Morton, in his junior year, led the Panthers in scoring with 12.1 points per game while chipping in with 5.7 rebounds per game. This is the first award for the Wales, Wisconsin product whose season also included three double doubles.

Preston Signs LOI

Coach Johnson has concluded this seasons recruiting as the team announced recently that center George Preston had signed on to join the Panthers. The Painesville, Ohio native stands 6’11” and weighs in at 251 pounds. He averaged 14.8 points per game this year along with 11.3 rebounds playing at Harvey High School. Grey Dog Scouting Service has him ranked as a four star recruit and the 111th best player in the Midwest.

“It’s rare to find a player this special late in the process,” noted Johnson. “George has a great touch around the basket and can rebound very well. The one aspect of his game that is lacking is on the defensive side, but we feel that can be improved over time.”

Carman Bulldog · 12-24-2007, 08:16 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * April 25, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON IN REVIEW

Milwaukee- By all accounts, head coach Johnny Johnson’s rookie campaign would have to be considered a success. The inexperienced Johnson took over a troubled, albeit talented team that went 9-22 in 2006-2007.

Not a lot was expected out of the Panthers this year but they delivered a few surprises, finishing the season with a record of 20-11. They also managed to capture the Horizon Conference regular season championship with a record of 14-4 before losing in the conference tournament final to Valparaiso. The Panthers also managed to lead all Horizon Conference teams in scoring with an average of 73.4 points per game.

The team was led on the court by team MVP William Morton. The junior center led the team with 12.1 ppg and 5.7 rpg.

Team Leaders

PPG: Morton – 12.1
RPG: Morton – 5.7
APG: Greg DeVone – 3.4
SPG: Kevin Mells – 1.3
BPG: Morton – 1.0

The team will say goodbye to four players, however only one of them was considered a starter this past season. PG Greg DeVone is the best of the grads, having finished second in scoring behind Morton with 11.3 ppg along with leading the team in assists. C Rupert Whitehead started eight games this season, averaged 17.4 minutes per game and chipped in with 6.4 ppg and 3.9 rpg. PG Josh Wintson, who saw 17.3 minutes per game off the bench and PF Charles Honeycutt, a four year walk on, are also moving on.

It is still unknown whether power forward Greg Collins, who had his share of run-ins with both teammates and the coaching staff will return for his Junior season or opt to transfer out.

Johnson, who despite rumors that he would be looking to join Milton Johnson next year as an assistant in Marquette, has confirmed that he will be back to guide the Panthers next season and that all three assistant coaches would also be returning.

Complete Results

PORTLAND - W (85-71)
@ St. Peters - W (73-67)
@ Central Michigan - W (84-65)
@ NC Asheville - L (69-74)
@ SE Missouri St. - W (91-74)
@ UTEP - L (40-57)
WINTRHOP - W (76-63)
MD EASTERN SHORE - L (67-71)
@ Old Dominion - L (60-84)
@Loyola Chicago - W (68-64)
DETROIT - W (88-66)
VALPARAISO - W (78-63)
@ Butler - L (89-92)
YOUNGSTOWN ST. - W (65-62)
@ Cleveland St. - L (57-78)
WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY - W (69-53)
@ Wright St - W (72-58)
ILLINOIS-CHICAGO - W (85-82)
LOYOLA CHICAGO - L (49-60)
@ Detroit - L 65-73
@ Valparaiso - W 88-65
BUTLER - W 82-66
@ Youngstown St. - W 73-67
CLEVELAND ST. - W 72-58
@ Wisconsin-Green Bay - W 73-66
@ Portland - L 73-87 (Bracket Breaker Sunday)
WRIGHT ST. - W 105-93 OT
@ Illinois-Chicago - W 74-58
CLEVELAND ST. – W 88-73 (Horizon Conference Semi-Final)
VALPARAISO – L 63-72 (Horizon Conference Final)
@ North Dakota St. – L 48-68 (NIT Opening Round)

Carman Bulldog · 12-25-2007, 11:51 AM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * November 12, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Milwaukee- As coach Johnny Johnson prepares to lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers onto the court for his second season behind the bench, the expectations he faces this season are quite higher than last year.

While last year’s squad had limited expectations and proceeded to exceed those ten-fold, going 20-11 including 14-4 in Horizon Conference play, this years squad is pegged as the Horizon Conference favorites from the get go. Inside sources also say that expectations from the board are also higher, with the Panthers being counted on to win fifteen plus games as well as capture the conference championship. If you ask Johnson, the expectations are warranted.

“I’m not surprised at where most pundits have us. If you look at our roster, we only lost one starter from last year. And the guy we having filling that spot was, in most situations, our first guy off the bench.”

Indeed, this year’s expected starting five looks very similar to last year’s squad:

PG – Kevin Mells (JR)
SG – Victor Morin (SO)
SF - Adam Underwood (SR)
PF - Greg Collins (JR)
C - William Morton (SR)

Morton led the team last year in both scoring and rebounding and should be expected to lead the charge again. However, every starter is capable of scoring. Victor Morin averaged 9.3 ppg last year off the bench. In fact, all five projected starters averaged at least 8.3 ppg last year. Once again, the team will be counting on all players to contribute on any given evening.

The team’s depth off the bench is questionable. Two unproven players in freshman PG David Ely and sophomore PF Courtney Williams should see some regular minutes. Outside of that, playing time is very much up for grabs.

The Panthers pre-conference schedule will play out more difficult than last year, with games against Wisconsin and Northwestern. However, both of those, along with four other games are at home while the team will hit the road only three times. In conference play, the Panthers are expected to face their biggest competition from Baylor and Valparaiso, the latter of which upset Milwaukee-Wisconsin in last year’s Horizon Conference final.

Carman Bulldog · 12-25-2007, 11:54 AM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * November 19, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS LAND TWO OF MIDWEST'S TOP RECRUITS

Milwaukee - While last years top players in the Midwest shied away from rookie head coach Johnny Johnson, it appears that the teams success last season has changed all of that.

The Panthers have already confirmed that two four star prospects have verbally committed to be a part of the team come the fall of 2009.

PG Roderick Dickenman is considered the best high school point guard in Minnesota and one of the top three players in the state. The Hutchinson product is ranked 13th overall in the Midwest by Grey Dog Scouting Service and was considered one of the top 25 players at the Chicago Prep Revue.

“Rod is a very talented player who I think some teams overlooked because of his size (5’8”, 164 lbs),” noted Johnson. “But I think the thing they underestimated is that he plays as if he’s about a foot taller.”

Also joining the fray will be SF Sylvester Dudley, who was ranked the 3rd best SF and 22nd best player in the Midwest. Johnson did not seem to mind that he would be only getting two years out of the junior college recruit.

“We are in a situation where we needed a solid small forward. Adam (Underwood) has been playing there the past two seasons, but he’s a natural power forward and he’s gone next year. Dudley is a very mature player who we feel could come in and be a starter the next two seasons. He doesn’t need much polishing."

The Panthers are still in the market for one more player. It is anticipated that they are looking for a big man, with both Adam Underwood and William Morton moving on next season.

Carman Bulldog · 12-25-2007, 11:57 AM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * December 27, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS OFF TO RABID START

Milwaukee – Throughout the pre-conference play, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers men’s basketball team has lived up to expectations. The Panthers are off to a 7-2 start on the season.

“Right now we are playing good basketball, but I definitely feel that there are things we can be learning on and improving,” noted head coach Johnny Johnson.

The team got off to a very exciting start for Panthers fans when the team upended cross state rival University of Wisconsin Badgers in their opener. They proceeded to rattle off six other wins, with their only two losses coming to Northwestern, 67-65, at home in a hard fought game and at Columbia, 78-67.

Perhaps the biggest surprise thus far has been the play of freshman point guard David Ely, who is leading the team in scoring with 11.1 ppg while coming off the bench, averaging only 15 minutes per game, not having started a single game this season.

“David’s been very good”, added Johnson. “He’s a very smart, mature player and we’re very happy with his performance thus far.”

Senior center William Morton, who led the team last year in scoring and rebounding has to be considered the biggest disappointment, averaging only 7.9 ppg along with 6.1 rebounds per game.

“I don’t agree with that analogy,” responded Johnson. “If you look at it, he’s still leading the team in rebounding. Teams are keying in on him more this year and as a result we’ve had to count on other players to step up. I think the most important thing to remember is that we are winning games and he’s been a big part of that.”

The Panthers are slated to open their Horizon Conference schedule tonight in Dayton, Ohio against the Wright State Raiders. The Panthers are predicted to win the Horizon Conference this year.

Carman Bulldog · 12-26-2007, 09:50 AM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * February 25, 2009 * JSONLINE.COM

LATE SEASON COLLAPSE COSTS PANTHERS

Green Bay - For the third time in the last four conference games, as well as for the sixth time in their last nine games overall, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers came up short on the scoreboard.

This time it was state rival University of Wisconsin-Green Bay that did the damage, handing the Panthers their worst loss of the season, 81-55, in the final regular season game for both teams.

The teams were actually tied 39-39 at the half, before the Phoenix outscored the Panthers 42-16 in the second half.

“We need to be better,” noted head coach Johnny Johnson. “That’s all there is too it. We took way too many fouls. I don’t feel that the team across the court is a better team than us, but you sure couldn’t tell that from the way the two teams played tonight.”

The loss drops the Panthers conference record to 12-6, a record buoyed by a 9-1 start to the season. The Panthers finish alone in second place in the Horizon Conference standings, two games back of first place Butler and one game up on Valparaiso and Wisconsin-Green Bay.

The Panthers will now advance to the Horizon Conference quarter-finals, where they will await the winner of the Wright State and Illinois-Chicago game. The Panthers defeated the Raiders twice this season while splitting the season series with Illinois-Chicago.

McTyer Gives Verbal Commitment

Aron McTyer, a center from Lincoln Hills High School in Irma, Wisconsin, is the third player to verbally commit to the Panthers this year.

McTyer, who along with Cuba City’s Donnie Whiteman, is considered one of the premier big men in the state. The four star recruit is ranked the 13th best center and 85th overall in the Midwest region. So far this year he is averaging 17.4 points per game at Lincoln Hills.

“We are excited to have Aron aboard,” noted coach Johnson. “He’s a very versatile player who could potentially play in the three or four spot as well.

McTyer joins previous commits Roderick Dickenman and Sylvester Dudley in giving the Panthers an extremely strong recruiting class for next season.

Carman Bulldog · 12-26-2007, 10:01 AM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * MARCH 14, 2009 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS POST SEASON WOES CONTINUE

St. Louis - While he may have had regular season success during his first two years behind the bench, Panther coach Johnny Johnson could quickly establish himself as a playoff failure if the trend developed over the past two seasons continues.

After bowing out in their opening round quarterfinal match-up against the Wright State Raiders in the Horizon Conference playoffs, the Panthers lost for the sixth time in the last seven games as they fell to the Saint Louis Billikins in the opening round of the National Invitational Tournament, 68-48.

The loss concludes a frustrating season for a team that opened the year at 17-3 and looked poised to make some noise come March Madness. Instead, it is another disappointing playoff performance in the Horizon Conference along with another NIT opening round exit.

"Yeah, it's frustrating," surmised Johnson. "I'm as competitive as anyone. I absolute hate losing, so to be on a run like this is very frustrating and the worst part is that there is no tomorrow. We need to wait until next November to get things turned around. If there is a positive, it's that I learned a few things about myself this season and hopefully the players in the locker room were able to learn a few things as well and we'll come back better than ever next year."

The team did battle some minor injury issues in the final third of the season but were healthy for the conference quarter-final, a game they ended up losing 76-64 to the Raiders. Last year the Panthers were upset in the Horizon Conference final to Valparaiso.

Izulde · 12-26-2007, 12:36 PM

It's tough on that plateau, but next year's class sounds quite promising to hopefully get you over the hump in a year or two.

Carman Bulldog · 12-26-2007, 03:35 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * April 16, 2009 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON IN REVIEW

Milwaukee- Another outstanding regular season, another season of playoff disappointment. After rattling off an impressive seventeen wins in their first twenty games, the Panthers appeared to take the foot off the gas pedal, resulting in their third straight season, and the second under coach Johnny Johnson, without a conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance.

For most teams, this would not be that notable. However, the winning tradition that prior coach Milton Johnson had established in his previous five years with the team, including three Horizon League Championships, three NCAA tournament appearances and one Sweet Sixteen, mean the expectations are higher at UWM than at other Horizon schools.

While the Panthers have struggled at the NIT, as a conference, the Horizon once again failed to make any noise on the national stage. Cleveland State was the lone team to make the NCAA tournanment, defeating Stetson in the play-in game before losing to Auburn in the opening round. Butler also earned a nod to the NIT tournament, where they did not fare any better than the Panthers, losing to George Washington in the first round.

In fact, the national stage was dominated by the Pac-10, as the UCLA Bruins captured the NCAA Championship over the Texas Longhorns while the Oregon Ducks disposed of the St. Johns Red Storm in the NIT tournament.

On the plus side, Johnny Johnson has led the Panthers to a 39-22 record, including 26-10 in Horizon Conference action, after taking over a team that went 9-22 in Milton Johnson’s final season. This season also saw the emergence of freshman PG David Ely, who came in with little fanfare but led the team in scoring and was named Horizon Freshman of the Week on three separate occasions throughout the season.

Once again though, it was senior William Morton that proved to be the team’s Most Valuable Player. While his points per game were down to 9.5, he continued to lead in other areas on the court, as well as leading the conference in rebounding and blocks. For his efforts, Morton was also named Horizon Conference player of the week once, the only Panther to earn such an honor. Morton’s season was capped off with him being named to the Horizon All-Conference First Team.

Morton is one of four Panthers that will move on next year. The other starter graduating is PF/SF Adam Underwood, who has been a two year starter for the Panthers, averaging 7.3 ppg and 4.4 rpg while playing out of position at small forward this past season. SF Ed Weaks, who averaged 17.4 minutes per game off the bench also moves on, as does walk-on PG Ross Harvey, who played in only 15 games this year and averaged 3.5 minutes per game.

Team Leaders

PPG: David Ely (FR) – 12.3
RPG: William Morton (SR) – 5.9
APG: Kevin Mells (JR) – 3.7
SPG: Morton – 1.1
BPG: Morton – 0.9

MVP: William Morton (SR)

Complete Results

WISCONSIN – W 70-64
LA SALLE – W 84-65
NORTHWESTERN – L 65-67
HAWAII – W 80-49
WASHINGTON ST. – W 64-57
@ Morgan St. – W 75-63
PORTLAND – W 86-75
@ Columbia – L 67-78
@ Pepperdine – W 65-50
@ Wright St. - W 66-63
LOYOLA CHICAGO – W 64-57
@ Cleveland St. - L 64-74
VALPARAISO - W 70-65
@ Detroit - W 77-71
ILLINOIS-CHICAGO - W 79-65
BUTLER - W 76-55
@ Youngstown St. - W 73-54
WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY - W 79-67
WRIGHT ST. - W 81-55
@ Loyola Chicago - L 63-71
CLEVELAND ST. - W 73-61
@ Valparaiso - L 76-83
DETROIT - W 78-65
@ Illinois-Chicago - L 63-66
@ Butler – L 63-70
CREIGHTON – L 54-67 (Bracket Breaker Sunday)
YOUNGSTOWN ST. - W 81-59
@ Wisconsin-Green Bay - L 55-81
WRIGHT ST. – L 64-76 (Horizon Quarter-Final)
@ Saint Louis – L 48-68 (NIT Opening Round)

Barkeep49 · 12-27-2007, 12:33 PM

This has been a very enjoyable read.

Carman Bulldog · 12-27-2007, 06:57 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * May 2, 2009 * JSONLINE.COM

JOHNSON INKS LONG TERM EXTENSION WITH PANTHERS

Milwaukee- Athletic Director Tom Rooney has guaranteed that Men's Basketball coach Johnny Johnson will be around for at least a few more seasons with the UWM Panthers.

It was announced that Johnson, whose contract was due to expire at the end of next season, had agreed to a four year contract extension on top of his current contract, which means that he could be around until the 2013-2014 season.

However, it should be noted that Johnson does have an out clause that would let him walk anytime after year two of the extension. As per school policy, terms of the conditions were not released.

"We are happy to have Johnny locked up for at least three more seasons," noted Rooney. "I think he has picked up right were Milton left off and he deserved the extension. We've been the best team in the Horizon the past two seasons with Johnny behind the bench and we anticipate that will continue to be the case."

Despite struggles in the post-season, Johnson has done a splendid job the past two seasons after taking over a team that went 9-22. Rooney's move was likely perpetuated by the fact that DePaul had expressed an interest in interviewing Johnson for their open position, as well as other teams sniffing around.

"I've got a young family and this is the right move for us at this time," concluded Johnson. "We will re-evaluate things in three years, but the fact is that I want to remain a part of the Panther family and they want me here. I'm really happy with the incoming recruiting class and this will give me an opportunity to see them develop and hopefully down the road we will have a chance to raise another Horizon Conference banner."

Carman Bulldog · 12-27-2007, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izulde

It's tough on that plateau, but next year's class sounds quite promising to hopefully get you over the hump in a year or two.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

This has been a very enjoyable read.

I just wanted to thank everyone for the feedback. This is my first dynasty of any sort and its encouraging that a few people are actually reading it. Thanks.

Carman Bulldog · 12-27-2007, 07:07 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * November 15, 2009 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Milwaukee- Is this the year that the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Men's Basketball team finally gets over the hump and hoists the Horizon Conference Banner, along with returning to the big dance? Maybe. While the team does look strong and should contend in the Horizon Conference, they have a number of question marks surrounding the team as we head into the season.

The biggest of those is who will step up to replace outgoing seniors William Morton and Adam Underwood, the former of which has been named team MVP the past two seasons and has been the only Panther to capture any conference hardware, being named to the All-Conference First Team this past season and the All-Conference Second Team a year ago.

The team does have a very good incoming recruiting class comprised of PG Roderick Dickenman, SF Sylvester Dudley (JuCo) and C Aron McTyer. The team is very deep at guard with last year's starters, Kevin Mells and Victor Morin returning, along with one of the Horizon's top freshman last season, David Ely, who, playing off the bench, led the team last year in scoring. The team has already indicated that as a result they plan on red shirting Dickenman.

That leaves Dudley as the likely successor at SF and McTyer competing with the still raw George Preston and senior JB Nealy, who has seen limited action over the course of his playing career, for playing time at center. That means that the other likely three starters, PF Greg Collins and two of Mells, Morin and Ely, will need to pick up the slack. The likely opening day lineup should look something along these lines:

PG – Kevin Mells (SR)
SG – Victor Morin (JR)
SF - Sylvester Dudley (JR)
PF - James Collins (SR)
C - Aron McTyer (FR)

It will be interesting to see how Johnson uses PG David Ely and whether last years surprise frosh will take a starting spot away from Mells or Morin. Regardless he should see plenty of playing time. With all three being undersized, it is unlikely to see any step up to the three spot. Freshman PF Darius Perine, who red shirted last year, could also see decent minutes off the bench and will likely be the 7th man, filling in at the three and four spots.

WSSN Magazine ranks the Panthers #2 in the Horizon, behind the Loyola Chicago Ramblers and just ahead of the always competitive Butler Bulldogs. However, head coach Johnny Johnson feels that the conference is up for grabs.

"I was having a conversation with Butler coach Jermaine Reid, and we both commented how much tighter the competition throughout the conference has become over the past few seasons. No longer are the games against teams such as Cleveland State freebies. You have to work just as hard against them as you do against a Valparaiso. It's been really good for the league. On any given year there are 6-8 of the 10 teams that are capable of winning it," noted Johnson.

"With that said, in speaking with Tom (Athletic Director Rooney), the board is expecting a top three finish in the conference and a least .500 ball, and I think we are capable of that."

UWM will hit the road for seven games during their pre-conference schedule, including games against Bradley and Xavier, and will only take to the U.S. Cellular Arena court twice in that time frame, against Wisconsin and DePaul. They open the season on November 15 as they travel to Kalamazoo to take on the Western Michigan Broncos.

Carman Bulldog · 12-27-2007, 07:10 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * November 20, 2009 * JSONLINE.COM

FOUR PLAYERS OFFICIALLY SIGN LOI TO JOIN PANTHERS IN 2010

Milwaukee - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers have filled all four of their scholarships for next season and head coach Johnny Johnson is very excited about what lies ahead.

"With no disrespect to the solid classes that Milt (previous coach Milton Johnson) put together, I have a feeling that this is potentially the best class in UWM history. We've got our first five star recruit in my memory, which is a big coup."

That five star prospect is SF Larry Riggs, who has spent his past two seasons plying his trade in junior college. The Wisconsin Dells native is ranked 37th in the WSSN National Rankings.

"Larry is a player that may have not taken high school too seriously and it cost him. But I believe that he's matured the past two seasons. There were some major programs such as Louisville and Arizona that were interested, but he wanted to stay close to home and thankfully chose UWM. He's a bit undersized and we could see him fitting in well at the SG spot too. While we have a lot of talented smaller players, he was too good to pass up on."

Joining Riggs will be fellow Wisconsin product Matt Klein. The Kenosha native is rated at the 9th best SG in the Midwest. SF Mark Garrett is ranked 35th in the Midwest and is considered to be in the top 100 in the country. Both are considered four star prospects by WSSN.

"Both those players are a few years away from being ready, but both have quite a bit of versatility," added Johnson. "Matty could probably play a bit of point guard while Mark should end up being big enough and strong enough to play the post if we need him there."

Rounding out the class is 6'10" Luke Haymon of Zeeland High in Michigan. The four star prospect was ranked as the 16th best center in the Midwest.

Barkeep49 · 12-28-2007, 10:51 AM

You can really negotiate an out clause? That's pretty damn cool.

Carman Bulldog · 12-28-2007, 11:03 AM

No, you can't actually negotiate an out-clause, or your contract for that matter. You will automatically resign. For example, your contract will show 1 year at $125,000. When you click the Advance Day button (for the day that advances from one season to the next, ie. changes over all the stats, removes seniors and adds frosh's to the roster,etc) it will get updated so it now says 5 years at $135,000 or whatever.

It would be nice if you had more input on your contract negotiations.

As it is, none of the contracts are binding. So you can take a job anywhere at any time, even if you are contracted for multiple seasons. There are no "schools asking for permission to speak with" or "out clauses" or anything. It would be a nice feature though. The out clause was just something I worked in for the dynasty so it actually seems like the game "renewing" my contract has some sort of meaning.

Carman Bulldog · 12-28-2007, 11:06 AM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * December 21, 2009 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS BATTLE THROUGH TOUGH PRE-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Milwaukee - At 4-5, it may be the worst start to a season that coach Johnny Johnson has endured in his short three year career, but at the same time he is taking it all in stride and remains optimistic about the teams abilities.

"We had a very difficult schedule," noted Johnson, "and there were a few things that factored into us winning less games than we typically have in the past."

The team opened the season with back-to-back road losses against Western Michigan and Bradley.

"I think we struggled to find our rhythm as a team and as a group," concluded Johnson. "We were working in a few new players and the cohesiveness that we've shown in the past takes time to develop and wasn't there right off the bat. I think it's starting to come together though."

They followed that up by rebounding with a win at home against Wisconsin, their second in two years, along with road wins against Eastern Illinois and Ball State. Just when things were looking up however, the team lost three of their final four, including at home against DePaul and on the road against Creighton and Xavier.

"I definitely think the travel took its toll on us. We're a bit younger than in past years and that, coupled with the heavy road schedule, led to us wearing down a bit. It's something that these guys are going to have to get used to as the season progresses and hopefully they can refresh a bit over the Christmas break."

The Panthers are off until December 27th, when they host the Youngstown State Penguins to open the Horizon Conference schedule. The Panthers are once again expected to be amongst the top teams in the conference when it is all said and done.

Carman Bulldog · 12-28-2007, 11:43 AM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * January 28, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS INCONSISTENT AS THEY REACH HALFWAY POINT OF HORIZON SCHEDULE

Youngstown, OH- A 9-10 record, including a 5-5 record in conference play was not what head coach Johnny Johnson expected out of his University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers prior to the start of the season.

"It's frustrating" acknowledged Johnson. "We've won games at Butler, Valparaiso, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Cleveland State. At the same time, we've turned around and dropped home games against Wright State and Youngstown State. Wright State's only won three games so far and one of those was in our barn. That's unacceptable."

The team has been without senior PF Greg Collins who went out with a broken leg just after Christmas and will be lucky to return at all this season.

"I don't see that as an excuse," commented Johnson. "I look at it as an opportunity for someone else to step up. Unfortunately, no one has been able to do that. We've got some young guys who should be looking to make their mark and earn some playing time for next season, maybe even a starting spot, and they aren't doing anything with that chance."

Despite the .500 record, the Panthers are only one game back of first place in the conference, a spot shared by four teams at 6-4. Three other teams are tied with the Panthers at 5-5, including pre-season favorite Loyola Chicago.

Coach Johnson is optimistic that the team can turn its fortunes around. "We've got five of our last eight at home. Three of those are against teams that are one game ahead of us right now. The fact of the matter is that we still control our own destiny."

The Panthers next hit the court January 31st as they play host to the struggling Butler Bulldogs at U.S. Cellular Arena.

Carman Bulldog · 12-28-2007, 01:14 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * February 25, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS SURGE TO TOP OF HORIZON STANDINGS

Milwaukee- Last year it was a late season collapse that cost the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers first place and a bye to the Horizon Conference semi-final. This year it was just the opposite, as a team that struggled over the first two thirds of the year put things together to win seven of their last eight conference games to capture top spot.

The Panthers concluded their season last night with a 93-77 home win against the Detroit Titans. However, it was the game three nights earlier in Chicago against the Ramblers that pushed the Panthers to the top. The Panthers proceeded to win that game, 72-65, to draw into a first place tie with the Ramblers atop the Horizon Conference standings.

Last night, the Panther victory, coupled with the Ramblers loss in Green Bay to the UWGB Phoenix means that the Panthers finish alone in first place at 12-6, one game up on both Wisconsin-Green Bay and Loyola Chicago.

"Taking into account how last season ended as well as they way we had played throughout the first part of this season, it's definitely a sweet feeling," noted coach Johnny Johnson. "Couple that with our Bracket Breaker win against Drexel last Sunday and I guess that you could say that we are on a pretty good roll."

The first place finish guarantees the Panthers a spot in the Horizon Conference tournament semi-final, where they will likely face one of Cleveland State or Youngstown State.

"While we're happy with what we've done so far, it's important to remember that winning the regular season conference championship was not our goal this year," added Johnson. "Our goal was winning the conference championship and moving on to the big dance. Winning the regular season banner helps and we've just had two very big wins, but we need two more to achieve what we truly want to achieve."

If the Panthers do have hopes of advancing to either post-season tournament, the NCAA or NIT, they will likely need to win out their final two games as their current 17-11 record will likely not be good enough for a pass into either without the accompanying championship.

The Panthers are off until March 5th when they host the semi-final game.

Carman Bulldog · 12-28-2007, 02:09 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * March 6, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS VICTORIOUS IN WILD OT SHOOTOUT, ADVANCE TO FINAL

Milwaukee- In a game that will surely be remembered for years to come, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers edged the Cleveland State Vikings in overtime last night to advance to the Horizon Conference championship game for the sixth time in the past eight years, and the second in coach Johnny Johnson's three year reign.

It was SG Victor Morin's buzzer beater that proved the difference, lifting the Panthers to a 102-101 victory. The game was a see-saw battle throughout with Cleveland State getting off to a strong start in the opening minutes and opening up an eight point lead. The Panthers roared back and led the game by two, 46-44, at the half.

UWM looked to take control in the second half building a nine point lead with less than five minutes to play. However, it was reigning Horizon Conference Player of the Year, DeVeren Beshera, who got his team back in the game scoring 12 of his 30 points in the final five minutes to tie things up and send the game into extra time.

In overtime, it was a pair of youngsters, PG David Ely and C Aron McTyer, who combined for fourteen of the Panthers eighteen points en route to ousting the defending Horizon Conference Champions.

"It was a special win" noted a jubilant Johnson. "Beshera is a heck of a player. He's like a man possessed in the post-season and is capable of winning games by himself, as he proved last year. Thankfully, we pulled together as a team and came out on top. However, we're not done yet. There's one more game to go."

That final game will be against cross state rival Wisconsin-Green Bay (17-13, 11-7). The Phoenix defeated the Loyola Chicago Ramblers 71-60 in the other conference semi-final.

Green Bay captured their only Horizon Conference championship back in 1995 while UWM's most recent championship was 2006. The two teams have never met in the final.

Carman Bulldog · 12-28-2007, 09:40 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * March 7, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS CAPTURE HORIZON CHAMPIONSHIP

Milwaukee- "We did it baby, we did it!" exclaimed senior starting PG Kevin Mells as he stood on a ladder underneath the basket last night at U.S. Cellular Arena, getting set to trim down the net. Mells and his University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panther teammates had just defeated the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix 77-70 to capture the Horizon Conference championship.

The victory marks the Panthers fourth championship in the past eight years, but their first since 2005-2006. Mells, who redshirted that season, is the only remaining player from that squad.

"It's a special feeling", noted Mells. "The first time, I didn't contribute and didn't really feel like a part of the team. This time is great though. I'm so happy for all those guys in the dressing room. We worked so hard the past few years to get here."

Despite the close score, it was a game in which the Panthers never trailed. They managed to stake out an early lead, and while the Phoenix were able to rally and tie things up on occasion, were unable to ever overtake the Panthers, who relied heavily on center Aron McTyer. The freshman was the most dominant player on the court, putting down a season high 28 points en route to being named player of the game. No other Panther managed more than 9 points.

McTyer was a monster in the paint, giving Green Bay center Andy Davis fits all night. McTyer, who at 6'9 and 276 pounds gave up 2 inches to Davis but outweighed him by thirty pounds, consistently used his strength to his advantage.

"I can't say enough about Aron," noted coach Johnny Johnson, who was celebrating his first conference championship as a head coach. "A lot of good teams passed on him last year, saying he didn't have the size, conditioning, etc. to be an impact player. I think he proved everyone wrong, not only tonight, but all the way down the stretch."

The Panthers also received a boost from the return of senior PF Greg Collins. While Collins did see some limited action off the bench in the conference semi-final against Cleveland State, this was the first game that he has started since returning from a broken leg. He ended up leading the team in rebounds with 7, along with chipping in 6 points.

"It was just a great team effort," concluded Johnson. "Aron might have led the way on the scoreboard, but we had great depth off our bench, everyone chipped in, played good D, we contained them and were able to come out on top."

The win should all but guarantee the Panthers a trip to the NCAA championship tournament, where they have not made an appearance since the 2005-2006 season. The official bracket announcements are slated for March 12.

Barkeep49 · 12-29-2007, 12:45 PM

Ahh. I didn't want to have to stop reading after that excitement!

Carman Bulldog · 12-29-2007, 08:16 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * March 13, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS SET TO DANCE WITH THE DEVILS IN NCAA OPENING ROUND

Milwaukee- Coach Johnny Johnson and his staff watched the NCAA March Madness Selection Show intently last night, waiting to find out where the bracket makers would place the UWM Panthers. In the end, they received the 14th seed in the East Bracket and a first round matchup with the powerhouse Duke Blue Devils.

"We figured we could maybe be as high as twelve and as low as fifteen," concluded Johnson. "Our season this year was not necessarily as strong as years past, so the fourteen spot is a fair assessment."

In the Blue Devils, the Panthers will get a team that went 22-9 this year, finishing third in the Atlantic Coast Conference before losing in the ACC semi-final to Florida State.

Duke is currently ranked #10 in the country, right around where preseason predictions had them placed. They are led by senior SG Ben Morton, who is averaging 16.6 ppg this past season.

"Are we the underdog? Of course we are," added Johnson. "They're the Duke Blue Devils. Ninety-nine percent of teams in college basketball are the underdog against Duke, no matter what the circumstance. I think we can give them a tough game though. They are 3-5 in their last eight and are reeling a little bit. We've won 10 of our last 11 and our confidence couldn't be higher."

Duke and Wisconsin-Milwaukee will meet on the opening day of the NCAA tournament, Thursday, March 16 in Syracuse, New York.

Carman Bulldog · 12-29-2007, 08:22 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * April 23, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS SEASON IN REVIEW

Milwaukee - There were two big questions heading in to the 2009-2010 season for the UWM Panthers Men's Basketball program. Would the Panthers find a replacement for outgoing senior William Morton and could coach Johnny Johnson get the team over the hump and enjoy some post-season success? The answer to both, a resounding yes.

Stepping up to replace Morton was Irma, Wisconsin freshman Aron McTyer. For his efforts, McTyer was named the Horizon Freshman of the Year as well as being named to the All Conference First Team. His contributions played a big part in answering the second question, as for the first time in Johnson's short career, the Panthers delivered on their potential and emerged from the conference championship game with the banner in tow.

McTyer was not the only Panther coming out of the awards with any hardware however, as coach Johnny Johnson captured the Horizon Conference Coach of the Year award for the second time in three seasons.

It was a year that oppositely paralleled last season. Just a year ago the Panthers roared off to a 16-3 start before crashing down to earth and going 3-8 in their final eleven games, including early exits in both the Horizon playoffs and the NIT.

This year the Panthers limped out to a 9-10 start before going 10-1 down the stretch. That streak helped them capture the Horizon Championship before they were stopped by the Duke Blue Devils, 80-64 in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, a tournament that was eventually won by Georgia Tech, who blew out Indiana in the final. Auburn edged Tennessee State for the NIT championship.

While the Panthers managed to come away from this season with the Horizon Championship, it is the future of the team that has fans in Milwaukee even more excited.

The team potentially returns three starters in McTyer, Victor Morin and Sylvester Dudley, four if you count Darius Perine, who ended up starting more games than the injured Greg Collins. Couple that with David Ely, who has been the teams best player of the bench the past two years, redshirt PG Roderick Dickenman, and a solid recruit class. All this has fans excited not only about this years championship but the potential for many more down the road.

The biggest loss will be PG Kevin Mells, who has started all three years under coach Johnson, averaging 7.7 ppg and 3.3 apg in that span. However, it will be his leadership, both on and off the court, that will be missed more than anything. PF Greg Collins will also move on. The fiery Janesville native had his share of run-ins with Johnson and teammates early in his career but appeared to have matured. Unfortunately, injuries, highlighted by a broken leg, derailed most of his senior season, as he only managed to start 12 games, putting up a meager 5.0 ppg and 4.2 rpg.

Center J.B. Nealy also moves on. The versatile role player finally came into his own in his senior season, chipping in off the bench with 5.7 ppg to go along with 4.5 rpg. The final player moving on is SG Michael Murphy, who saw very limited action over the past few seasons.

Team Leaders

PPG: Aron McTyer (FR) - 14.7
RPG: Aron McTyer (FR) - 4.9
APG: Kevin Mells (SR) - 3.9
SPG: Aron McTyer (FR) - 1.1
BPG: Aron McTyer (FR) - 0.8

MVP: Aron McTyer (FR)

Complete Results

Final Record: 19-12
Conference Record: 12-6
Won Conference Championship (Wisconsin-Green Bay)
Lost NCAA Opening Round (Duke)

@ Western Michigan - L 54-65
@ Bradley - L 74-78
WISCONSIN - W 88-82
@ Eastern Illinois - W 78-61
@ Ball St. - W 74-70
DEPAUL - L 48-60
@ Creighton - L 43-65
@ Maine - W 77-69
@ Xavier - L 49-68

YOUNGSTOWN ST. - L 64-77
@ Butler - W 74-61
WRIGHT ST. - L 71-79
@ Valparaiso - W 86-81 OT
@ Wisconsin-Green Bay - W 77-67
ILLINOIS-CHICAGO - L 87-91
@ Cleveland St. - W 76-75 OT
LOYOLA CHICAGO - W 66-52
@ Detroit - L 78-86
@ Youngstown St. - L 71-74
BUTLER - W 64-51
@ Wright St. - W 68-49
VALAPARAISO - W 79-71
WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY - W 69-51
@ Illinois-Chicago - L 69-81
CLEVELAND ST. - W 81-63
@ Drexel - W 79-60 (Bracket Breaker Sunday)
@ Loyola Chicago - W 72-65
DETROIT - W 93-77

CLEVELAND ST. - W 102-101 OT (Horizon Semi-Final)
WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY - W 77-70 (Horizon Final)
vs. Duke - L 64-80 (NCAA Opening Round)

Carman Bulldog · 12-31-2007, 08:17 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * June 22, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM

McTYER WILL NOT RETURN WITH PANTHERS IN FALL

Milwaukee- While normally a slow time of year, there is big news coming out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers Men's Basketball camp.

Reigning Horizon Freshman of the Year and Panther team MVP, Aron McTyer will not be returning to the Panthers for the 2010-2011 season. The 6'9 center led the Panthers in almost all major statistical categories last season.

"I was as shocked as anyone when he called me up" stated Johnny Johnson, coach of the Panthers, as he addressed the media on Tuesday.

"To say that it came as a surprise would be an understatement," added Johnson. "When we sat down at the end of the year for individual player meetings, Aron gave me no indication that he would not be a part of the team come next season."

Early rumors had McTyer looking at transferring to a number of top programs, including Marquette. However, Johnson notes that was never the case.

"I ended up traveling up to Irma last week to meet with him. There are some issues that the family would like to keep private it, but as it is, he said that he feels that the family farm is where he is needed most right now and where he wants to be. He comes from a very small town and the values there are different than what they are for you and me here in Milwaukee. It's too bad because he's got a talent but at the same time, he is confident that he is making the right decision. If he's happy, I'm happy for him."

It was also announced that SF Collis Phillips, who was scheduled to be heading into his Junior season would not be returning in the fall either.

"You guys hear stuff, you guys know what's going on," commented Johnson. "I think everyone is aware that Collis has some personal issues to deal with off the court. We've had to suspend him a few times here and there and he needs to focus on getting his life back on track off the court before worrying about things on the court. However, while we agreed that it was a good idea, the decision for him to not return next year was his and his alone."

The loss of both McTyer and Phillips opens up two more scholarships and brings the total to five that he will be looking to fill come the fall. It also opens up a big unexpected hole at center.

"We'll deal with it," concluded Johnson. "Last year the big question was, 'who will fill the hole left by Morton'? As it turned out, Aron got the chance and he stepped up. All this does is create another opportunity for another young player to take advantage of."

Author's note: Both McTyer and Phillips were technically "transfers". However, neither player ended up signing with a team during the transfer period. I think this article has more dramatic effect than an article about both opting to transfer and neither signing anywhere.

Barkeep49 · 01-03-2008, 02:21 PM

I don't follow college sports closely but have noticed that a number of my players who want to transfer end up nowhere. Is that realistic or a failing of the game?

Carman Bulldog · 01-06-2008, 01:40 PM

I think it may be a failing of the game.

Carman Bulldog · 01-12-2008, 03:33 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * November 14, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Milwaukee- One year ago, the biggest question facing the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Men's Basketball Program was who would step up and replace two time MVP and outgoing senior center William Morton.

The answer was Irma, Wisconsin freshman Aron McTyer, who came onto the scene in a big way by leading the Panthers in almost all statistical categories, being named the Horizon Freshman of the Year and Horizon All-Conference First Team as well as being named Panther MVP. All of this was on top of leading the Panthers to their first conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance since 2005-2006.

With the core of the team slated to return, led by McTyer, the future of this team looked very bright for the next few years. However, this past spring, McTyer announced that he would not be returning to the Panthers, once again leaving a gap in the middle and questions surrounding who will replace his production.

Scoring wise, JuCo recruit Larry Riggs may be able to carry the load. The small forward spot has been a weakness the past few seasons but that should change this year with the talented Riggs, who is capable of hitting the jumper from the outside or putting the ball on the court and driving the net. With the departure of McTyer, the pressure will be squarely on the shoulders of the first year Panther to carry the load.

The question though is who will replace McTyer's precense in the middle. With McTyer's late announcement, coach Johnny Johnson did not have time to fill that spot with a scholarship and will be looking for either incoming freshman Luke Haymon, who is talented but raw, or sophmore George Preston, who has not lived up to expectations thus far, to step up.

The rest of the team should look something along these lines:

PG – David Ely (JR)
SG – Victor Morin (SR)
SF - Larry Riggs (JR)
PF - Sylvester Dudley (SR)
C - George Preston (SO)

Both Dudley, who makes the transition from the three spot to the four spot, and Morin, were starters last season. David Ely has been great as a sixth man and should make an easy transition into a starting spot. All three averaged at least eight points per game last season. Add in Riggs, and this team should be able to find the basket on a consistent basis.

Off the bench, Roderick Dickenman (FR), who redshirted last season, will see the majority of time at guard and will be used to spell both Ely and Morin. If Preston beats out Haymon for the starting spot, expect Haymon to still see some decent action off the bench. Versatile PF Darius Perine (SO) should also see some significant court time.

A pair of very talented freshman, Matt Klein (SG) and Mark Garrett (SF), are both expected to redshirt.

After their championship run last season, the Panthers are pegged as Horizon Conference favorites this year by WSSN Magazine and expected to win it all again. However both Detroit and Loyola Chicago are being pegged to give them a run for their money.

The team has a fairly balanced pre-conference schedule, with home games against Central Mighigan, Wisconsin and Drexel. They will hit the road to take on Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Ohio, and Marist, before wrapping up their pre-conference schedule by traveling across the city to take on Marquette. The much anticipated matchup pits UWM coach Johnny Johnson against mentor and former Panther coach Milton Johnson, who is now leading the Golden Eagles.

Carman Bulldog · 01-12-2008, 04:26 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * November 19, 2010 *JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS ANNOUNCE FIVE RECRUIT SIGNINGS FOR 2011

Milwaukee - When both Aron McTyer and Collis Phillips announced that they would not be returning for the 2010-2011 season with the UWM Panthers, it meant that head coach Johnny Johnson would have a very hectic fall schedule on his plate, looking to fill all five available scholarships.

Last year's conference championship apparently has paid dividends in the form of recruit interest as it was announced yesterday that five players had given verbal commitments to join the black and gold in the fall of 2011.

The prize catch of the group is Oconta Falls, WI native Lon Kincade. The 6'2 shooting guard is an all-round talent who is averaging 17.8 ppg this year at Oconto Falls High. The WSSN Gold Report ranks him as the third best SG in the Midwest, and 36th overall in the region.

Amongst those joining Kincaide is PG Tim Hill from Whitewater, WI, who was ranked 58th overall in the Midwest. Johnson feels that the ranking is not nearly reflective of Hill's ability.

"We are talking about a 6'3" point guard, who can handle the ball very wall, is dangerous from the outside, is a great passer and can play decent defense," commented Johnson. "What's not to like?"

Two of the players that Hill could be distributing the ball inside to in the near future are PF Rogers Vines (#74 in Midwest) and C Isaac Dunn (#95). Both are Wisconsin natives who project as talented big men, with Vines currently averaging 17.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 2.4 bpg at Parker High in Janesville.

Rounding out the class is Ohio Junior College SG Gerry Hall, ranked #73 in the Midwest.

Carman Bulldog · 01-12-2008, 05:46 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * December 21, 2010 *JSONLINE.COM

GOLDEN EAGLES WIN BATTLE OF MILWAUKEE AS MENTOR DEFEATS PROTEGE

Milwaukee - The gesture said more than words ever could last night, as UWM Panthers coach Johnny Johnson and Marquette Golden Eagles bench boss Milton Johnson embraced each other at center court following Marquette's 65-46 victory.

It was an emotional moment for both men, Johnny Johnson, the former player and assistant with Milton Johnson, facing him for the first time in his life.

"I owe so much to that man," commented Johnny Johnson after the game. "He's taught me so much over the years, first at Minnesota (where the younger Johnson played for the elder Johnson) and then here at UWM. I can honestly say that if it wasn't for him, I would not be where I am today. He was instrumental in me landing the head job with the Panthers and I still pick his brain on a regular basis. However, being on the opposite side of the court than him was definitely an interesting experience and, as you can tell by the result, he's still the teacher and I'm still the student."

The loss wraps up the Panthers pre-conference schedule, where they finished with six wins and three loses. After opening with a split against Central Michigan and Bowling Green, the team rattled off five consecutive victories against Northern Illinois, Ohio, Navy, Drexel, and Wisconsin, the third time they have defeated the cross state rival Badgers in the past three years. They followed that up with a loss to Marist before finishing up with last night's game.

"I think we've played very well," noted Johnson. "It would be nice to have a one or two of those games back, but all said, we've been pretty solid this year."

UWM will open defense of their Horizon Conference championship in six days on the road against Loyola Chicago. Their first home action is December 30 against Youngstown State. The Panthers are favored to once again repeat as champions.

Carman Bulldog · 01-12-2008, 06:25 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * March 5, 2011 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS PLAYOFF LOSS TO VALPO CAPS DISAPPOINTING SEASON

Milwaukee - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Men's Basketball team concluded a disappointing season in the Horizon Conference with a quarterfinal loss to the Valparaiso Crusaders last night.

The Panthers, who at 11-7, finished in a three way tie in the regular season standings with Wisconsin-Green Bay and Valparaiso, dropped an ugly 69-47 decision.

"What can I say?" questioned coach Johnny Johnson. "We did not shoot very well. You're not going to win a lot of games when you only hit one third of your shots. And when you're not grabbing offensive boards, it only makes it worse."

The season would not have been so disappointing if not for the expectations prior to the season. The defending Horizon Conference champions, the Panthers were pegged by most pundits as the favorites once again.

However, inconsistent play plagued the Panthers all season. While they played very well most nights, they would occasionally throw up bombs like they fittingly did last night against the Crusaders.

The Panthers will now have to wait and see if their 18-11 record is good enough to get into the NIT post-season tournament. In Johnson's three years behind the bench, he has not once missed the post-season, making two trips to the NIT along with last seasons NCAA tournament appearance. All three appearances resulted in opening round defeats.

Scholarship Revoked for Recruit Dunn

Recruit C Isaac Dunn failed to meet the minimum criteria for UWM admissions and will not be joining the Panthers next season. The Milwaukee native, who attends Hamilton High, has averaged 14.2 ppg to go along with 7.2 rpg. He is ranked 95th overall in the Midwest Region.

The situation does mean an extra scholarship has opened up and Johnson confirms that they have a few recruits they are looking at.

"While it's upsetting to lose Isaac, there are a few other players we have in mind for the open spot," noted Johnson. "We will be definitely looking for a big man for that last scholarship and there are a few guys out there, who maybe were holding out for big schools to come calling in the fall and missed out. I'm confident that we will be able to land someone solid."

Carman Bulldog · 01-12-2008, 08:01 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * April 10, 2011 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS SEASON IN REVIEW

Milwaukee - After last year's impressive finish, capped off with a Horizon Conference championship and victories in ten of their last twelve games, expectations were high for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers heading into this past season.

Even with the loss of Team MVP Aron McTyer, the team still returned two starters in Victor Morin and Sylvester Dudley, along with sixth man David Ely. Add in highly touted junior college recruit Larry Riggs and the team was pegged by many to repeat as conference champs.

Despite a strong run in their pre-conference schedule, the Panthers failed to establish themselves amongst the competitive Horizon Conference, finishing in a three way tie for third at 11-7 but only one game out of first place.

However, outside of last years championship, disappointing playoff performances have plagued coach Johnny Johnson's reign and that was the case again this year, as they fell in their first game, a quarter-final matchup against Valparaiso.

Despite the loss, the team was still invited to attend the NIT tournament, and for the fourth straight year the team finished off their season with an opening round loss in a national post-season tournament, this time against Coppin State.

The good news is that the Panthers should once again be able to challenge for the Horizon title again next year. The team returns its top two scorers in SF Larry Riggs and PG David Ely. Riggs was also named Horizon Conference Defensive Player of the Year as well as being named to the All-Conference First Team. Starting C George Preston is also eligible to return. Add in this years redshirts Matt Klein and Mark Garrett, along with a very strong recruit class and the Panthers should be very competitive.

The team will see three year starting SG Victor Morin move on. He has averaged 9.5 ppg across his career at UWM. He also managed to average 4.1 rpg and 1.4 spg this past season.

Sylvester Dudley, who spent last year starting at SF and this past year at PF, also moves on. The junior college recruit has averaged 7.9 ppg across the past two seasons.

Courtney Williams is the final player to move on. The disappointing power forward started only one game over his four years at UWM and averaged 8.3 minutes per game in that time frame.

Team Leaders

PPG: Larry Riggs (JR) - 14.2
RPG: George Preston (SO) - 5.3
APG: David Ely (JR) - 2.8
SPG: Riggs (JR), Morin (SR) - 1.4
BPG: Larry Riggs (JR) - 0.8

MVP: Larry Riggs (JR)

Complete Results

Final Record: 18-12
Conference Record: 11-7
Lost Conference Quarter-Final (Valaparaiso)
Lost NIT Opening Round (Coppin St.)

CENTRAL MICHIGAN - W 66-56
@ Bowling Green - L 66-74
@ Northern Illinois - W 66-58
@ Ohio - W 75-71
WISCONSIN - W 72-62
DREXEL - W 74-68
@ Navy - W 76-70
@ Marist - L 57-66
@ Marquette - L 46-65

@ Loyola Chicago - W 74-71
YOUNGSTOWN ST. - L 53-66
@ Wright St. - W 67-57
CLEVELAND ST. - W 70-62
@ Valparaiso - L 60-71
ILLINOIS-CHICAGO - W 67-48
@ Wisconsin-Green Bay - L 46-65
@ Detroit - L 54-70
BUTLER - W 74-59
LOYOLA CHICAGO - W 78-73
@ Youngstown St. - L 56-79
WRIGHT ST. - W 65-43
@ Cleveland St. - L 71-72
VALPARAISO - W 80-68
@ Illinois-Chicago - W 67-63
WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY - L 53-77
@ Western Carolina - W 73-70 (Bracket Breaker Sunday)
DETROIT - W 78-64
@ Butler - W 73-60

VALPARAISO - L 47-69 (Horizon Quarter-Final)
vs. Coppin St. - L 66-76 (NIT Opening Round)

NCAA Final Four:
Kentucky d. Georgia Tech
Alabama d. Arizona

NCAA Championship
Kentucky d. Alabama

NIT Final Four:
Kansas St. d. Mississippi St.
Central Florida d. Presbyterian

NIT Championship
Central Florida d. Kansas St.

Carman Bulldog · 01-12-2008, 08:28 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * May 1, 2011 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS ASSISTANT COACH ANDERER MOVES ON

Milwaukee - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers announced today that long time assistant coach Marco Anderer has accepted a head coach position with the University of Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners.

Anderer was originally offered the head job at UWM when last coach Milton Johnson left, but turned it down citing personal reasons. However, he did agree to stay on to assist after current coach Johnny Johnson was eventually hired for the spot.

"It's a big loss," noted Johnson. "He's been here a long time and it's tough to see him go. At the same time, he's a friend and I'm happy for him. He felt that he was at the time in his life where he was ready to take a head job and I'm happy that he got the opportunity. He definitely deserves it. He's taught me so much over my time here and will be very tough to replace."

Recruit McIntyre Signs LOI

Coach Johnson has filled his final scholarship, landing Sammy McIntyre. To get McIntyre, Johnson dipped outside his usual comfort zone of the Midwest to recruit the Nevada prospect.

The 6'9" center was ranked 96th overall in the most recent WSSN National Rankings. The West Wendover High star is averaging 16.5 points per game this year.

"We were lucky to land someone of Sammy's caliber at this stage in the game. At his height and only 239 pounds, he's quite undersized. Despite being talented, he didn't get the looks he was anticipating from the teams out west. It turns out that he actually has some family in the area, so we brought him in and he really liked what our program had to offer."

Panthers Recruit Class Cracks Nations Top 25

Thanks to the addition of McIntyre, for the first time in school history, Wisconsin-Milwaukee has cracked WSSN Magazine's top 25 recruiting classes, coming in at the 25th spot.

McIntyre, along with Wisconsin natives Lon Kincaide, Tim Hill and Rogers Vines gives the Panthers a very impressive freshman class. They will also be joined by junior college recruit Gerry Hall.

Duke holds the top spot in the rankings while Michigan State and Stanford round out the top three.

Carman Bulldog · 01-13-2008, 02:37 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * November 15, 2011 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Milwaukee - After capturing the Horizon Conference championship two years ago, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers returned to their disappointing post-season ways again last year with a quarterfinal exit in the Horizon playoffs coupled with an opening round NIT loss. Can they return to the top of the mountain this season or will their playoff woes continue?

The Panthers lost very few players from last years team that, despite their lack of post-season success, still managed to go 18-12.

Among those returning is SF Larry Riggs, who will be heading into his senior season at UWM. Riggs was named Horizon Conference Defensive Player of the Year as well as being named to the All Conference First Team. He will be counted on to once again lead the charge this year.

Add to the strong returning core a recruit class named by WSSN Magazine as the 25th best in the nation and this team should once again compete for the Horizon Championship, perhaps even taking the next step in Johnson's career and winning a game at the NIT or NCAA tournament level.

The overall starting lineup should look something along these lines:

PG – Tim Hill (FR)
SG – David Ely (SR)
SF - Larry Riggs (SR)
PF - Rogers Vines (FR)
C - George Preston (JR)

On top of Riggs, both Ely and Preston return as starters. Preston is expected to once again be pushed for minutes by Luke Haymon (SO). Meanwhile, Roderick Dickenman (FR) and Darius Perine (JR) should also see some time off the bench. Ultimately though, this is a team that will rely heavily upon its starting five for production. Two freshman, SG Lon Kincaide and C Sammy McIntyre are expected to redshirt.

While WSSN Magazine have the Butler Bulldogs ranked number one in the Horizon Conference this year, the Panthers are considered a close second. Wisconsin-Green Bay round out the top three.

The team will be facing a very tough pre-conference schedule including two games against Big Ten teams as they will host both Illinois and Michigan. The team will also play host to Bradley, Western Carolina, Marist and Western Michigan. Road games include both Akron and Illinois State as well as their season opener tonight in Evansville.

MizzouRah · 01-13-2008, 02:49 PM

Excellent read!

Carman Bulldog · 01-13-2008, 03:56 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * December 21, 2011 *JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT TO WRAP UP PRE-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Milwaukee - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers edged the Western Michigan Bronco's 65-63 last night to win their fourth straight game and improve their record to 5-4.

The team was led by seniors David Ely and Larry Riggs, who dropped 17 and 16 points respectively. Riggs also chipped in with 8 rebounds.

The Panthers actually staked out a huge 38-19 lead in the first half before taking their foot off the gas pedal and barely hanging on for the victory.

The win comes on the heels of victories over Illinois State, Western Carolina and Marist, quite a turnaround from the seasons opening few games. The Panthers won only one of their first five, falling against Evansville, Bradley, Akron and Michigan. Strangely enough, their lone victory in that span was against #25 ranked Illinois, who were actually ranked #19 in the nation at the time.

"We're playing really well lately," noted Panthers head coach Johnny Johnson. "I was disappointed with our performances in a few of our games earlier this season. It would be nice to have a few of those back, but at the same time, we are back above .500 and where we want to be heading into the conference schedule."

The Panthers will open Horizon Conference play at home on December 28th against the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix. Along with Butler, both teams are counted amongst the favorites this year in the Horizon.

Panthers Ink Two Recruits to LOI

With only two scholarships to fill, it was a quieter fall for Johnson. With this in mind, it appears that Johnson has used his time wisely and has managed to land two of the Midwest's top players.

Both Pat Sullivan, ranked the #1 PG in the Midwest by the WSSN Gold Report, and PF Jermaine McCarter, ranked #55 overall in the Midwest, have signed a Letter of Intent to join the Panthers in the fall of 2012.

A Michigan product, Sullivan currently attends Schoolcraft High where he has averaged 17.6 ppg, 3.6 apg, and 2.4 spg thus far this season.

Springfield, Illinois resident McCarter attends Springfield Southeast where has 15.4 ppg this year to go along with 7.9 rpg.

"We are very happy to land two quality guys in Pat and Jermaine," noted Johnson. "It was a quieter year so we put all of our resources into landing the best two guys we were capable of, and I think we did that."

Carman Bulldog · 01-13-2008, 05:16 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * January 29, 2012 *JSONLINE.COM

PHOENIX DEFEAT PANTHERS IN BATTLE OF WISCONSIN

Green Bay - The Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix extracted a little revenge against the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers last night with a 68-58 victory at home.

UWM had defeated the Phoenix 74-65 earlier this season at U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee.

The loss drops the Panthers Horizon Conference record to 6-4, and 11-8 overall. It also marked an end to UWM's four game winning streak. Meanwhile the Phoenix improve to 4-6 and 7-12 overall.

It also drops them out of top spot in the conference as Loyola Chicago won their game against Butler to move to 7-3. The Panthers are joined in second place at 6-4 by Valparaiso, Youngstown State and Wright State.

"I'm not overly concerned about where we are in the standings right now," noted coach Johnny Johnson. "We are one game out of first and have five of our last eight at home. We've been here before and we know what we need to do. With that said, it's important that we starting putting together a few more wins and get our record up there."

The Panthers will next take to the U.S. Cellular Arena court on Wednesday night as they play host to the 2-17 Illinois Chicago Flames.

Carman Bulldog · 01-14-2008, 09:10 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * March 7, 2012 *JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS PLAYOFF RUN DERAILED BY VALPO IN HORIZON FINAL

Valparaiso, IN - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers attempt to capture their second Horizon Conference championship in three years was thwarted last night by the Valparaiso Crusaders, who came away with a 58-49 victory.

Unlike the season series, which the two teams split with the Panthers edging out an 88-80 OT win in Milwaukee before the Crusaders responded with 78-67 win at home, this game was a total defensive battle.

Valpo junior guard Darryl Ellis led all players with 14 points, while Larry Riggs led Panther scorers with 12.

The win marks an end to the Panthers solid run in the Horizon Conference playoffs. After finishing in a three-way tie for second at 11-7, the Panthers entered the playoffs as the third seed based on the tie-breaker format.

The Panthers were able to handily dispose of both #9 Butler and #8 Wisconsin-Green Bay before falling last night to the Crusaders, who also finished atop the conference regular season standings with a record of 12-6.

"You've got to give them credit," noted Panther coach Johnny Johnson. "They were the best team throughout the regular season and they were the best team tonight. I'm really happy for the guys though for the effort we put forth in finishing the year strong."

The loss drops the Panthers overall record to 18-13. It is also anticipated that the defeat means that the Panthers will not likely earn a berth to the NIT or NCAA tournament and miss post-season play for the first time in Johnson's reign.

"It's out of our hands now," added Johnson. "Whatever happens, happens. We weren't expecting to get in a year ago either. Hopefully we can catch a break again."

Barkeep49 · 01-15-2008, 01:42 PM

Just caught up to find that this is still a very enjoyable read.

Carman Bulldog · 01-18-2008, 08:09 PM

SOUTH FINAL EDITION * April 9, 2012 * JSONLINE.COM

PANTHERS SEASON IN REVIEW

Milwaukee - After their third disappointing playoff performance in four years last spring, questions once again began to arise about coach Johnny Johnson's post-season ability, despite his solid season record.

Johnson and his Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers put those doubts to rest this season with a solid playoff run, returning to the Horizon Conference final for the third time in Johnson's five seasons behind the bench. However, it was once again the Valparaiso Crusaders who put an end to the Panthers championship hopes as UWM walked away empty handed.

That was the good news. The bad news however is that the Panthers and coach Johnson missed the post-season for the first time in his five year tenure with the team. Furthermore, the team has been a on progressive downslide during that span, although a very slow one. After posting an impressive 20 win season in his rookie campaign, Johnson proceeded to post back to back seasons of 19 wins before slipping to 18 wins the past two years.

The future does not look that much brighter as the team will graduate it's top two players from the past two years in SF Larry Riggs and PG David Ely. For the second straight year, Riggs captured the Horizon Conference Defensive Player of the Year award and was named to the All-Conference First Team. Meanwhile, Ely garnered All-Conference Second team honors.

Riggs averaged 13.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.3 spg, and 0.8 bpg across 60 games the past two years at UWM, after transferring in as a JuCo recruit.

Ely, who spent his first two years as the team's sixth man before starting 60 games the past two years, leaves with a total of 1381 points over that span, good for an impressive 11.6 ppg over the four years to go along with 2.3 apg.

The final senior moving on is SG Alan Werner. The Port Washington, WI native was a reliable walk-on who was able to step in and give the Panthers some decent minutes off the bench.

Despite only losing two scholarship players and coupled with a number of impressive recruit classes, there will be many question marks heading into next year as many players have not stepped up like anticipated. Has it been a case of social loafing in the presence of Ely and Riggs or is the talent to play at the college level simply not there? We will only truly know the answer in a years time.

Team Leaders

PPG: David Ely (SR) - 13.6
RPG: Larry Riggs (SR) - 6.1
APG: Tim Hill (FR) - 2.6
SPG: George Preston (JR) - 1.2
BPG: Larry Riggs (SR) - 0.7

MVP: Larry Riggs (SR)

Complete Results

Final Record: 18-13
Conference Record: 11-7
Lost Conference Final (Valparaiso)
Missed Post-Season

November

Date	Game	Result	High Points		High Rebounds		High Assists
11/16/11	Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ Evansville	61-72	Courtney Fitz	24	Courtney Fitz	11	Travis Largent	5
11/19/11	Bradley @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee	72-58	Arthur Pebbles	18	Rogers Vines	7	Stephen Miller	4
11/23/11	#19 Illinois @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee	60-64	Kerry Woodward	24	Shane Green	6	Tim Hill	5
11/26/11	Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ Akron	71-79	John Landram	27	Rogers Vines	8	Tim Hill	5
11/30/11	Michigan @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee	59-44	Barron Hampton	11	Barron Hampton	13	Marshall Donovan	5

December

Date	Game	Result	High Points		High Rebounds		High Assists
03/12/11	Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ Illinois St.	66-55	David Ely	18	Larry Riggs	11	Kashien Blizzard	4
06/12/11	Western Carolina @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee	58-72	David Ely	23	Vidal Jacobs	11	Xavier Ragin	5
12/13/11	Marist @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee	62-63	David Ely	18	Carl Baxter	8	Antonio Perine	6
12/21/11	Western Michigan @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee	63-65	David Ely	17	Nick Jacobsen	8	Virgil Palmore	2
12/28/11	Wisconsin-Green Bay @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee	65-74	David Ely	18	Andy Davis	10	David Ely	4
12/31/11	Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ Illinois-Chicago	73-66	Tim Hill	17	Rogers Vines	6	Maurice Richardson	5

January

Date	Game	Result	High Points		High Rebounds		High Assists
04/01/12	Detroit @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee	81-73	Rolan Chandler	23	Eric Surpin	12	Max Bryant	4
07/01/12	Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ Loyola Chicago	58-67	Larry Riggs	18	George Preston	10	Roderick Dickenman	4
11/01/12	Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ Cleveland St.	63-78	Kyle Harper	17	George Preston	6	Bryan Hawkins	5
01/14/12	Wright St. @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee	64-76	David Ely	19	Rudy Shepard	6	Mike Jessie	4
01/18/12	Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ Butler	75-66	Cuonzo Lappas	23	Larry Riggs	13	George Preston	4
01/21/12	Valparaiso @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee	80-88	Darryl Yeagle	20	Cory Scott	11	Jamal Sullivan	4
01/25/12	Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ Youngstown St.	66-60	Adam Barnes	16	Melvin Miller	9	Tim Hill	3
01/28/12	Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ Wisconsin-Green Bay	58-68	Brad McKnight	13	Andy Davis	7	David Ely	4

February

Date	Game	Result	High Points		High Rebounds		High Assists
01/02/12	Illinois-Chicago @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee	61-58	David Ely	19	Larry Riggs	8	Grant Davis	3
04/02/12	Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ Detroit	61-72	Rolan Chandler	16	David Ely	9	Brandon West	5
08/02/12	Loyola Chicago @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee	53-72	David Ely	19	Larry Riggs	12	Tim Hill	5
11/02/12	Cleveland St. @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee	65-72	Hewitt Stevens	16	Larry Riggs	9	Kerry Crudup	5
02/15/12	Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ Wright St.	67-55	David Ely	11	Rogers Vines	10	Larry Riggs	2
02/18/12	Butler @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee	58-78	Larry Riggs	14	Rogers Vines	8	Tim Hill	5
02/19/12	Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ South Alabama [Bracket Breaker Sunday]	48-59	Chris Holt	13	Chris Holt	8	David Ferguson	4
02/22/12	Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ Valparaiso	67-78	David Ely	16	Larry Riggs	10	Tim Hill	4
02/25/12	Youngstown St. @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee	56-60	Moses Broussard	15	Joe Townsend	6	Brian Beck	7

March

Date	Game	Result	High Points		High Rebounds		High Assists
04/03/12	Butler @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee [Horizon Tournament]	54-70	Larry Riggs	17	David Ely	6	David Ely	6
05/03/12	Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ Wisconsin-Green Bay [Horizon Tournament]	62-48	David Ely	13	Andy Davis	10	Brandon Westbrooks	5
06/03/12	Wisconsin-Milwaukee @ Valparaiso [Horizon Tournament]	49-58	Darrell Ellis	14	George Preston	7	Jamal Sullivan	5

NCAA Final Four:
(4) North Carolina d. (11) Stanford
(3) Florida d. (2) Indiana

NCAA Championship
(3) Florida d. (4) North Carolina

NIT Final Four:
Fordham d. Binghamton
Boston College d. Charleston

NIT Championship
Boston College d. Fordham

Horizon Final:
Valparaiso d. Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Final Stats

Pos	Player	GP	GS	MPG	PPG	APG	OR	RPG	SPG	BPG	TPG	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%
PF	Darius Perine	31	0	14.6	2.5	0.5	0.6	2.1	0.3	0.0	1.1	1.3	.481	.622	.667
SF	Mark Garrett	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	.000	.000	.000
C	Luke Haymon	31	0	14.4	2.8	1.0	0.8	3.0	1.0	0.0	0.7	1.2	.387	.492	.000
C	Sammy McIntyre	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	.000	.000	.000
SG	Matt Klein	7	0	2.0	0.7	0.3	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	.400	.000	1.000
PG	Tim Hill	31	31	21.8	9.3	2.6	0.5	2.1	0.2	0.0	1.9	3.5	.479	.859	.442
PG	Roderick Dickenman	31	0	16.4	6.4	1.8	0.5	1.8	0.2	0.0	2.2	2.0	.332	.636	.234
C	George Preston	31	31	23.8	5.4	1.7	2.1	5.2	1.2	0.0	1.4	2.4	.470	.626	.000
PG	David Ely	31	31	26.3	13.6	2.1	0.5	3.6	0.9	0.5	1.9	1.6	.345	.843	.371
SG	Lon Kincade	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	.000	.000	.000
SF	Larry Riggs	31	31	29.8	12.2	1.1	2.1	6.1	1.1	0.7	1.8	1.5	.408	.788	.254
SG	Alan Werner	31	0	13.3	4.6	0.9	0.6	2.4	0.5	0.2	0.6	1.1	.414	.634	.458
SF	Michael Payne	31	0	9.5	2.3	0.3	0.6	1.6	0.3	0.2	0.6	0.6	.500	.923	.500
PF	Rogers Vines	31	31	25.6	6.2	0.9	1.6	4.9	1.0	0.0	1.3	2.2	.452	.646	.000
SG	Gerry Hall	10	0	1.7	0.6	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.2	.429	.000	.000

Carman Bulldog · 01-18-2008, 08:54 PM

April 20, 2012

BLUE DEMONS WILL CONDUCT FINAL INTERVIEW TODAY FOR VACANT HEAD COACH POSITION

Johnny Johnson, head coach the past five seasons for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers, will be the final individual interviewed for the vacant DePaul Blue Demons coaching position.

Johnson brings with him a very impressive 94-59 record over the past five seasons at UWM, including one conference championship. The Panthers have also made 3 NIT appearances and one NCAA tournament appearance in that span. He is also well renowned for his recruiting efforts throughout the Midwest.

The Blue Demons, who went 8-20 last year will be looking for their third head coach in four seasons. As you recall, Carson Evans replaced Jason Davis just three years ago. However, Evans failed to produce any better than his predecessor, leading the Blue Demons to a 31-53 record over that span, which ultimately led to his demise.

Johnson is considered somewhat of a long-shot to land the position. While some claim that the position is up in the air others speculate that current Blue Demon's assistant coach Derek Conley, who is very well respected with both players and staff at DePaul, is considered the front runner despite his lack of head coaching experience.

Other notable candidates that have interviewed include Northern Illinois head coach Abel Ellis, Northwestern assistant Jamie Jones, Bradley assistant Jerry Williams and Mike Deng, who was recently dismissed by Villanova.

12-23-2007, 10:07 AM	#6
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * January 28, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS REMAIN NEAR TOP OF HORIZON STANDINGS Milwaukee- Despite their loss yesterday to the third place Loyola Chicago Ramblers, the Wisconsin - Milwaukee Panthers remain near the top of the Horizon Conference standings just past the halfway mark of the conference schedule with a record of 7-3. It was only the Panthers second loss on home court this season. The Panthers dropped into second place with the loss, a game back of the Butler Bulldogs, who have managed to reel off 7 consecutive wins to put their record at 8-2. The two teams have a big matchup coming up in just over a week's time here at the U.S. Cellular Arena on February 7. Butler was victorious earlier this year by a 92-89 margin at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, in a game that saw the lead change eight times. Off the court, the problems have continued for PF Greg Collins (SO), whom head coach Johnny Johnson had to suspend for two weeks earlier in January. While being a talented player on the court and not facing any issues in the classroom, Collins still somewhat lacks the maturity to play at this level. According to unidentified sources, his infighting has put a big strain on both his relationship with teammates as well as that of coach Johnson. Whether he will return next year or consider transferring out is still up in the air. Recruiting Update - Joe Smith Scholarship Revoked It was announced today that recruit C Joe Smith failed to meet the minimum requirement to attended Wisconsin-Milwaukee and his scholarship has been revoked. "It was a tough situation for Joe," noted coach Johnson. "I think he continually put more pressure on himself to meet the requirement and that only led to him struggling more. Hopefully he can find a good junior college, get his marks up, and be interested in coming back here in two years. He's still a player that we are really high on and we will see where things go from here." The news means that coach Johnson has another thing on his plate as he heads to the home stretch of the season, trying to fill the final scholarship available. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 03-13-2009 at 09:52 AM.

12-24-2007, 08:16 PM	#11
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * April 25, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON IN REVIEW Milwaukee- By all accounts, head coach Johnny Johnson’s rookie campaign would have to be considered a success. The inexperienced Johnson took over a troubled, albeit talented team that went 9-22 in 2006-2007. Not a lot was expected out of the Panthers this year but they delivered a few surprises, finishing the season with a record of 20-11. They also managed to capture the Horizon Conference regular season championship with a record of 14-4 before losing in the conference tournament final to Valparaiso. The Panthers also managed to lead all Horizon Conference teams in scoring with an average of 73.4 points per game. The team was led on the court by team MVP William Morton. The junior center led the team with 12.1 ppg and 5.7 rpg. Team Leaders PPG: Morton – 12.1 RPG: Morton – 5.7 APG: Greg DeVone – 3.4 SPG: Kevin Mells – 1.3 BPG: Morton – 1.0 The team will say goodbye to four players, however only one of them was considered a starter this past season. PG Greg DeVone is the best of the grads, having finished second in scoring behind Morton with 11.3 ppg along with leading the team in assists. C Rupert Whitehead started eight games this season, averaged 17.4 minutes per game and chipped in with 6.4 ppg and 3.9 rpg. PG Josh Wintson, who saw 17.3 minutes per game off the bench and PF Charles Honeycutt, a four year walk on, are also moving on. It is still unknown whether power forward Greg Collins, who had his share of run-ins with both teammates and the coaching staff will return for his Junior season or opt to transfer out. Johnson, who despite rumors that he would be looking to join Milton Johnson next year as an assistant in Marquette, has confirmed that he will be back to guide the Panthers next season and that all three assistant coaches would also be returning. Complete Results PORTLAND - W (85-71) @ St. Peters - W (73-67) @ Central Michigan - W (84-65) @ NC Asheville - L (69-74) @ SE Missouri St. - W (91-74) @ UTEP - L (40-57) WINTRHOP - W (76-63) MD EASTERN SHORE - L (67-71) @ Old Dominion - L (60-84) @Loyola Chicago - W (68-64) DETROIT - W (88-66) VALPARAISO - W (78-63) @ Butler - L (89-92) YOUNGSTOWN ST. - W (65-62) @ Cleveland St. - L (57-78) WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY - W (69-53) @ Wright St - W (72-58) ILLINOIS-CHICAGO - W (85-82) LOYOLA CHICAGO - L (49-60) @ Detroit - L 65-73 @ Valparaiso - W 88-65 BUTLER - W 82-66 @ Youngstown St. - W 73-67 CLEVELAND ST. - W 72-58 @ Wisconsin-Green Bay - W 73-66 @ Portland - L 73-87 (Bracket Breaker Sunday) WRIGHT ST. - W 105-93 OT @ Illinois-Chicago - W 74-58 CLEVELAND ST. – W 88-73 (Horizon Conference Semi-Final) VALPARAISO – L 63-72 (Horizon Conference Final) @ North Dakota St. – L 48-68 (NIT Opening Round) Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 03-13-2009 at 09:53 AM.

12-25-2007, 11:51 AM	#12
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * November 12, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW Milwaukee- As coach Johnny Johnson prepares to lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers onto the court for his second season behind the bench, the expectations he faces this season are quite higher than last year. While last year’s squad had limited expectations and proceeded to exceed those ten-fold, going 20-11 including 14-4 in Horizon Conference play, this years squad is pegged as the Horizon Conference favorites from the get go. Inside sources also say that expectations from the board are also higher, with the Panthers being counted on to win fifteen plus games as well as capture the conference championship. If you ask Johnson, the expectations are warranted. “I’m not surprised at where most pundits have us. If you look at our roster, we only lost one starter from last year. And the guy we having filling that spot was, in most situations, our first guy off the bench.” Indeed, this year’s expected starting five looks very similar to last year’s squad: PG – Kevin Mells (JR) SG – Victor Morin (SO) SF - Adam Underwood (SR) PF - Greg Collins (JR) C - William Morton (SR) Morton led the team last year in both scoring and rebounding and should be expected to lead the charge again. However, every starter is capable of scoring. Victor Morin averaged 9.3 ppg last year off the bench. In fact, all five projected starters averaged at least 8.3 ppg last year. Once again, the team will be counting on all players to contribute on any given evening. The team’s depth off the bench is questionable. Two unproven players in freshman PG David Ely and sophomore PF Courtney Williams should see some regular minutes. Outside of that, playing time is very much up for grabs. The Panthers pre-conference schedule will play out more difficult than last year, with games against Wisconsin and Northwestern. However, both of those, along with four other games are at home while the team will hit the road only three times. In conference play, the Panthers are expected to face their biggest competition from Baylor and Valparaiso, the latter of which upset Milwaukee-Wisconsin in last year’s Horizon Conference final. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 03-13-2009 at 09:53 AM.

12-25-2007, 11:54 AM	#13
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * November 19, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS LAND TWO OF MIDWEST'S TOP RECRUITS Milwaukee - While last years top players in the Midwest shied away from rookie head coach Johnny Johnson, it appears that the teams success last season has changed all of that. The Panthers have already confirmed that two four star prospects have verbally committed to be a part of the team come the fall of 2009. PG Roderick Dickenman is considered the best high school point guard in Minnesota and one of the top three players in the state. The Hutchinson product is ranked 13th overall in the Midwest by Grey Dog Scouting Service and was considered one of the top 25 players at the Chicago Prep Revue. “Rod is a very talented player who I think some teams overlooked because of his size (5’8”, 164 lbs),” noted Johnson. “But I think the thing they underestimated is that he plays as if he’s about a foot taller.” Also joining the fray will be SF Sylvester Dudley, who was ranked the 3rd best SF and 22nd best player in the Midwest. Johnson did not seem to mind that he would be only getting two years out of the junior college recruit. “We are in a situation where we needed a solid small forward. Adam (Underwood) has been playing there the past two seasons, but he’s a natural power forward and he’s gone next year. Dudley is a very mature player who we feel could come in and be a starter the next two seasons. He doesn’t need much polishing." The Panthers are still in the market for one more player. It is anticipated that they are looking for a big man, with both Adam Underwood and William Morton moving on next season.

12-25-2007, 11:57 AM	#14
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * December 27, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS OFF TO RABID START Milwaukee – Throughout the pre-conference play, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers men’s basketball team has lived up to expectations. The Panthers are off to a 7-2 start on the season. “Right now we are playing good basketball, but I definitely feel that there are things we can be learning on and improving,” noted head coach Johnny Johnson. The team got off to a very exciting start for Panthers fans when the team upended cross state rival University of Wisconsin Badgers in their opener. They proceeded to rattle off six other wins, with their only two losses coming to Northwestern, 67-65, at home in a hard fought game and at Columbia, 78-67. Perhaps the biggest surprise thus far has been the play of freshman point guard David Ely, who is leading the team in scoring with 11.1 ppg while coming off the bench, averaging only 15 minutes per game, not having started a single game this season. “David’s been very good”, added Johnson. “He’s a very smart, mature player and we’re very happy with his performance thus far.” Senior center William Morton, who led the team last year in scoring and rebounding has to be considered the biggest disappointment, averaging only 7.9 ppg along with 6.1 rebounds per game. “I don’t agree with that analogy,” responded Johnson. “If you look at it, he’s still leading the team in rebounding. Teams are keying in on him more this year and as a result we’ve had to count on other players to step up. I think the most important thing to remember is that we are winning games and he’s been a big part of that.” The Panthers are slated to open their Horizon Conference schedule tonight in Dayton, Ohio against the Wright State Raiders. The Panthers are predicted to win the Horizon Conference this year. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-25-2007 at 12:23 PM.

12-19-2007, 12:37 PM	#2
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Surprising hire given that Milwaukee's a pretty decent program, especially in recent years. Be interesting to see how the youngster takes on the task. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

12-21-2007, 11:15 PM	#3
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * November 2, 2007 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW Milwaukee- Rookie Milwaukee-Wisconsin head coach Johnny Johnson could have his hands full in his first season behind the bench. While Athletic Director Tom Rooney stated that he expects big things out of Johnson his first season, off the record, board members have confirmed that they would be happy winning 10+ games and not finishing last in the conference. While on paper many peg the Panthers to finish in the middle of the pack in the Horizon Conference, it is in the dressing room and off the court that Johnson could face his biggest test. For the first time in his career, Johnson will have to put on the "bad cop" hat and enforce discipline amongst the ranks, something that was left to head coach Milton Johnson in past years. The starting five for the Panthers should look something along these lines: PG - Greg DeVone (SR) SG - Kevin Mells (SO) SF - Adam Underwood (JR) PF - Greg Collins (SO) C - William Morton (JR) The issue for Johnson is the volatility of DeVone, Collins and Morton. While being three of the top players on the team, all three are also known to have short fuses. There were rumors about dissension in the ranks last year as the season came to a close, which many believe helped contribute to the Panthers lack of success last season as well as Milton Johnson's eagerness to take the Marquette job in the off-season. The fate of the team could very well rely upon whether these three personalities can co-exist. Expect to see Morton and Underwood lead the team in scoring, although there is not really anyone that could be looked upon entirely to carry the load. The Panthers will need more of a scoring by committee approach each game to prove victorious. Defensively, this team is weak and can be exposed and that could be their potential downfall. Off the bench, PG Josh Winston (SR), SG Victor Morin (FR), and C Rupert Whitehead (SR) should see the majority of action. The Panthers should benefit from a relatively soft non-conference schedule, but they will be playing 6 of those 9 games away from the friendly confines of U.S. Cellular Arena. Recruiting Update - Three Players Verbally Commit Coach Johnson noted that he wanted to hit the road fast and get his recruits confirmed early and in speaking with him, he has appeared to do just that. While there has been no official word from the school as of yet, Johnson confirmed that PG David Ely, PF Darius Perine and C Jonathon Smith have all given their verbal commitment to join the black and gold next season. Ely is considered a top three point guard in Wisconsin state and was ranked 151 in the region by the Grey Dog Scouting Service Gold Report. Perine is the wildcard in the bunch, ranked 179 in the region by GDSS. The Indiana native was considered one of the top PF's in the region early on but his stock has continually plummeted. Johnson notes however that he has been to watch Perine on a few occasions and really likes the versatility that he's seen. Joe Smith is the cream of the crop. The Pepin, WI native is a seven foot, 302 pound beast, ranked 86th in the region and considered a four star prospect. Other schools shied away from Smith because of his low GPA but Johnson noted that he is confident is Smith's abilities to meet the school's criteria. Expect a formal word from the school shortly. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 03-13-2009 at 09:52 AM.

12-22-2007, 09:46 AM	#5
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * December 21 2007 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS LIMP INTO CHRISTMAS BREAK Milwaukee- After a strong start to the season, the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin Panthers dropped their second consecutive game yesterday, losing in Norfolk, VA to the Old Dominion Monarchs by a score of 84-60. The loss drops the Panthers pre-conference record to 5-4, a start that has to have new head coach Johnny Johnson disappointed, considering that the team opened the season with three consecutive victories, including two on the road. The loss was the Panthers worst of the season as well as marking the most points that the team has given up this year. The big news of the first third of the season was the blowup by sophomore PF Greg Collins, who fought with teammate William Morton on consecutive days in early December. The teams internal struggles carried over to the court as they posted their worst offensive performance of the season the next day against the University of Texas - El Paso. Since that blowup, they have struggled to a 1-3 record and one has to wonder if this is a team in turmoil. This all comes on the heels of Johnson suspending Collins for his poor attitude prior to the season's start. The suspension seemed to have worked early on, as Collins averaged 19.0 PPG in his first two games back. However, starting with the UTEP game and the three subsequent matchups, he has averaged only 6.0 PPG since. The blowup obviously affected Morton as well, who was averaging 13.4 PPG through the first five games before dropping to 5.0 PPG for the last four. If the Panthers hope to get on track for the start of their conference schedule, Johnson will need to learn how to ensure that these two talented yet conflicted personalities can co-exist. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 03-13-2009 at 09:52 AM.

12-23-2007, 11:13 AM	#7
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * February 25, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS FINISH ATOP HORIZON REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS Milwaukee- Rookie head coach Johnny Johnson appears to have the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers right where they want to be heading into the Horizon Conference playoffs. After dropping back-to-back games for the first time in Horizon Conference play this season,with losses to Loyola Chicago and Detroit, the Panthers proceeded to reel off seven consecutive victories to finish atop the Horizon Conference standings with a record of 14-4, two games ahead of the second place Butler squad. The first place finish gives the Panthers a bye to the Horizon semi-finals where their most likely opponent will be Cleveland State or Detroit and moves their overall record on the season to 19-9. It also gives the team a chance for a little rest and recovery as their next game won't be until March 5. Despite the solid season play of the Panthers, not a single player was named the Horizon Conference player of the week. However, the Panthers did lead the conference in scoring average with 73.9 PPG. Many pundits have the Panthers ranked somewhere in the 50-60 region as far as team's going to the big dance go. However, Johnson has noted that he would like to win the Horizon championship and go into the tournament in style. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-25-2007 at 12:27 PM.

12-23-2007, 11:58 AM	#8
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * March 6, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS OFF TO HORIZON CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP Milwaukee- The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers are once again off to the Horizon Conference tournament championship game, where they will look to capture their fourth title of the past six years as they take on Valparaiso today. The Panthers did it with a hard fought 88-73 victory over the Cleveland State Vikings. Despite the score, this was a very close basketball game, particularly throughout the first half of play, which ended up tied 38-38. Overall, the game saw 23 lead changes and it wasn't until late in the second half that the Panthers really started to pull away. Senior PG Greg DeVone led the way for Wisconsin-Milwaukee, putting up 18 points to go along with 5 assists and 5 rebounds in being named the player of the game. Freshman Victor Morin had a very solid game off the bench, putting up 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the floor. Morin saw 28 minutes of action, up from his season average of 17 minutes. The window of opportunity was opened for him when starting SG Kevin Mells got into foul trouble early and saw his playing time scaled back as a result. The team will have to make due today without senior C/PF Rupert Whitehead, who went down with a bad back in yesterday's game and has been ruled our for today. The Panthers will meet a surprise opponent in the Valparaiso Crusaders. The Crusaders finished the Horizon Conference season in 7th place, with a record of 8-10 and six games back of the Panthers. However, they ousted Illinois-Chicago in the opening round before proceeding to pull off a pair of upsets, defeating #2 Butler in the quarterfinals and #3 Loyola Chicago in the semi's. As such, the Panthers can ill afford to take them lightly. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-26-2007 at 09:38 AM.

12-23-2007, 01:28 PM	#9
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * March 13, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM CHAMPIONSHIP GAME LOSS PROVES COSTLY FOR PANTHERS Milwaukee- The Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball program watched the NCAA tournament selection show together yesterday, wondering how big their Horizon Championship game loss to Valparaiso would impact their chances of making the big dance. The answer? Maybe next year. For this year however, they will have to settle for a spot in the NIT tournament. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed," noted rookie head coach Johnny Johnson. "We had a very good year. A twenty win season is a strong accomplishment. I thought we had a legit chance to be a part of the final 65. In a way, I think we are a team that has not got the respect it's deserved this year. At the same time though, we struggled with our consistency and probably lost some games that we shouldn't have and it looks like that cost us." If there is a silver lining for the Panthers, it's that they were selected to be a part of the NIT tournament, set to take on the 22-7 North Dakota State squad tomorrow. The Panthers fate was apparently sealed with their 72-63 loss to upstart Valparaiso in the Horizon Conference championship game. Prior to that they had put up a record of 20-9 en route to capturing the Horizon Conference regular season championship. The Crusaders (16-16) were the only other Horizon Conference team to make either tournament. They will take on Rider tomorrow in the play-in game for the NCAA tournament, with the winner earning the #16 seed in the Midwest bracket and an opening round matchup with the Marquette Golden Eagles, led by former Panthers bench boss Milton Johnson. Marquette is ranked #3 in the country after posting a 30-2 record this season. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-25-2007 at 12:24 PM.

12-24-2007, 08:10 PM	#10
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * April 4, 2008 * JSONLINE.COM JOHNSON NAMED HORIZON CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR Indianapolis – Rookie head coach Johnny Johnson was today named the Horizon Conference Coach of the Year. Johnson led the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers to an overall record of 20-11, including 14-4 in conference play. The Panthers lost in the Horizon Conference final to Valparaiso before ducking out in the first round of the NIT tournament against North Dakota State by a score of 68-48. “I know it’s cliché,” noted Johnson, “but I can take very little credit for this award. It’s truly a testament to the players on the court and the effort they put in throughout the season. I also need to give a lot of credit to Milt (Johnson) who helped to build this team. Obviously both Marco and I were a part of the process, but the players here are ones that Milt brought in.” Milton Johnson had some success himself as he was named National Coach of the Year in his first season with the Marquette Golden Eagles, guiding the team to a 30-4 record, including a trip to the NCAA Championship final, where they eventually fell to Indiana, 50-45. Morton Named to All-Conference Second Team Head coach Johnny Johnson was not the only Panther picking up hardware on Saturday as center William Morton was named to the Horizon Conference All-Conference Second Team. Morton, in his junior year, led the Panthers in scoring with 12.1 points per game while chipping in with 5.7 rebounds per game. This is the first award for the Wales, Wisconsin product whose season also included three double doubles. Preston Signs LOI Coach Johnson has concluded this seasons recruiting as the team announced recently that center George Preston had signed on to join the Panthers. The Painesville, Ohio native stands 6’11” and weighs in at 251 pounds. He averaged 14.8 points per game this year along with 11.3 rebounds playing at Harvey High School. Grey Dog Scouting Service has him ranked as a four star recruit and the 111th best player in the Midwest. “It’s rare to find a player this special late in the process,” noted Johnson. “George has a great touch around the basket and can rebound very well. The one aspect of his game that is lacking is on the defensive side, but we feel that can be improved over time.” Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-25-2007 at 12:25 PM.

12-26-2007, 09:50 AM	#15
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * February 25, 2009 * JSONLINE.COM LATE SEASON COLLAPSE COSTS PANTHERS Green Bay - For the third time in the last four conference games, as well as for the sixth time in their last nine games overall, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers came up short on the scoreboard. This time it was state rival University of Wisconsin-Green Bay that did the damage, handing the Panthers their worst loss of the season, 81-55, in the final regular season game for both teams. The teams were actually tied 39-39 at the half, before the Phoenix outscored the Panthers 42-16 in the second half. “We need to be better,” noted head coach Johnny Johnson. “That’s all there is too it. We took way too many fouls. I don’t feel that the team across the court is a better team than us, but you sure couldn’t tell that from the way the two teams played tonight.” The loss drops the Panthers conference record to 12-6, a record buoyed by a 9-1 start to the season. The Panthers finish alone in second place in the Horizon Conference standings, two games back of first place Butler and one game up on Valparaiso and Wisconsin-Green Bay. The Panthers will now advance to the Horizon Conference quarter-finals, where they will await the winner of the Wright State and Illinois-Chicago game. The Panthers defeated the Raiders twice this season while splitting the season series with Illinois-Chicago. McTyer Gives Verbal Commitment Aron McTyer, a center from Lincoln Hills High School in Irma, Wisconsin, is the third player to verbally commit to the Panthers this year. McTyer, who along with Cuba City’s Donnie Whiteman, is considered one of the premier big men in the state. The four star recruit is ranked the 13th best center and 85th overall in the Midwest region. So far this year he is averaging 17.4 points per game at Lincoln Hills. “We are excited to have Aron aboard,” noted coach Johnson. “He’s a very versatile player who could potentially play in the three or four spot as well. McTyer joins previous commits Roderick Dickenman and Sylvester Dudley in giving the Panthers an extremely strong recruiting class for next season. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-26-2007 at 09:51 AM.

12-26-2007, 10:01 AM	#16
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * MARCH 14, 2009 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS POST SEASON WOES CONTINUE St. Louis - While he may have had regular season success during his first two years behind the bench, Panther coach Johnny Johnson could quickly establish himself as a playoff failure if the trend developed over the past two seasons continues. After bowing out in their opening round quarterfinal match-up against the Wright State Raiders in the Horizon Conference playoffs, the Panthers lost for the sixth time in the last seven games as they fell to the Saint Louis Billikins in the opening round of the National Invitational Tournament, 68-48. The loss concludes a frustrating season for a team that opened the year at 17-3 and looked poised to make some noise come March Madness. Instead, it is another disappointing playoff performance in the Horizon Conference along with another NIT opening round exit. "Yeah, it's frustrating," surmised Johnson. "I'm as competitive as anyone. I absolute hate losing, so to be on a run like this is very frustrating and the worst part is that there is no tomorrow. We need to wait until next November to get things turned around. If there is a positive, it's that I learned a few things about myself this season and hopefully the players in the locker room were able to learn a few things as well and we'll come back better than ever next year." The team did battle some minor injury issues in the final third of the season but were healthy for the conference quarter-final, a game they ended up losing 76-64 to the Raiders. Last year the Panthers were upset in the Horizon Conference final to Valparaiso. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-26-2007 at 10:26 AM.

12-26-2007, 12:36 PM	#17
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	It's tough on that plateau, but next year's class sounds quite promising to hopefully get you over the hump in a year or two. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

12-26-2007, 03:35 PM	#18
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * April 16, 2009 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON IN REVIEW Milwaukee- Another outstanding regular season, another season of playoff disappointment. After rattling off an impressive seventeen wins in their first twenty games, the Panthers appeared to take the foot off the gas pedal, resulting in their third straight season, and the second under coach Johnny Johnson, without a conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance. For most teams, this would not be that notable. However, the winning tradition that prior coach Milton Johnson had established in his previous five years with the team, including three Horizon League Championships, three NCAA tournament appearances and one Sweet Sixteen, mean the expectations are higher at UWM than at other Horizon schools. While the Panthers have struggled at the NIT, as a conference, the Horizon once again failed to make any noise on the national stage. Cleveland State was the lone team to make the NCAA tournanment, defeating Stetson in the play-in game before losing to Auburn in the opening round. Butler also earned a nod to the NIT tournament, where they did not fare any better than the Panthers, losing to George Washington in the first round. In fact, the national stage was dominated by the Pac-10, as the UCLA Bruins captured the NCAA Championship over the Texas Longhorns while the Oregon Ducks disposed of the St. Johns Red Storm in the NIT tournament. On the plus side, Johnny Johnson has led the Panthers to a 39-22 record, including 26-10 in Horizon Conference action, after taking over a team that went 9-22 in Milton Johnson’s final season. This season also saw the emergence of freshman PG David Ely, who came in with little fanfare but led the team in scoring and was named Horizon Freshman of the Week on three separate occasions throughout the season. Once again though, it was senior William Morton that proved to be the team’s Most Valuable Player. While his points per game were down to 9.5, he continued to lead in other areas on the court, as well as leading the conference in rebounding and blocks. For his efforts, Morton was also named Horizon Conference player of the week once, the only Panther to earn such an honor. Morton’s season was capped off with him being named to the Horizon All-Conference First Team. Morton is one of four Panthers that will move on next year. The other starter graduating is PF/SF Adam Underwood, who has been a two year starter for the Panthers, averaging 7.3 ppg and 4.4 rpg while playing out of position at small forward this past season. SF Ed Weaks, who averaged 17.4 minutes per game off the bench also moves on, as does walk-on PG Ross Harvey, who played in only 15 games this year and averaged 3.5 minutes per game. Team Leaders PPG: David Ely (FR) – 12.3 RPG: William Morton (SR) – 5.9 APG: Kevin Mells (JR) – 3.7 SPG: Morton – 1.1 BPG: Morton – 0.9 MVP: William Morton (SR) Complete Results WISCONSIN – W 70-64 LA SALLE – W 84-65 NORTHWESTERN – L 65-67 HAWAII – W 80-49 WASHINGTON ST. – W 64-57 @ Morgan St. – W 75-63 PORTLAND – W 86-75 @ Columbia – L 67-78 @ Pepperdine – W 65-50 @ Wright St. - W 66-63 LOYOLA CHICAGO – W 64-57 @ Cleveland St. - L 64-74 VALPARAISO - W 70-65 @ Detroit - W 77-71 ILLINOIS-CHICAGO - W 79-65 BUTLER - W 76-55 @ Youngstown St. - W 73-54 WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY - W 79-67 WRIGHT ST. - W 81-55 @ Loyola Chicago - L 63-71 CLEVELAND ST. - W 73-61 @ Valparaiso - L 76-83 DETROIT - W 78-65 @ Illinois-Chicago - L 63-66 @ Butler – L 63-70 CREIGHTON – L 54-67 (Bracket Breaker Sunday) YOUNGSTOWN ST. - W 81-59 @ Wisconsin-Green Bay - L 55-81 WRIGHT ST. – L 64-76 (Horizon Quarter-Final) @ Saint Louis – L 48-68 (NIT Opening Round) Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-26-2007 at 03:52 PM.

12-27-2007, 12:33 PM	#19
Barkeep49 Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Not too far away	This has been a very enjoyable read.

12-27-2007, 06:57 PM	#20
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * May 2, 2009 * JSONLINE.COM JOHNSON INKS LONG TERM EXTENSION WITH PANTHERS Milwaukee- Athletic Director Tom Rooney has guaranteed that Men's Basketball coach Johnny Johnson will be around for at least a few more seasons with the UWM Panthers. It was announced that Johnson, whose contract was due to expire at the end of next season, had agreed to a four year contract extension on top of his current contract, which means that he could be around until the 2013-2014 season. However, it should be noted that Johnson does have an out clause that would let him walk anytime after year two of the extension. As per school policy, terms of the conditions were not released. "We are happy to have Johnny locked up for at least three more seasons," noted Rooney. "I think he has picked up right were Milton left off and he deserved the extension. We've been the best team in the Horizon the past two seasons with Johnny behind the bench and we anticipate that will continue to be the case." Despite struggles in the post-season, Johnson has done a splendid job the past two seasons after taking over a team that went 9-22. Rooney's move was likely perpetuated by the fact that DePaul had expressed an interest in interviewing Johnson for their open position, as well as other teams sniffing around. "I've got a young family and this is the right move for us at this time," concluded Johnson. "We will re-evaluate things in three years, but the fact is that I want to remain a part of the Panther family and they want me here. I'm really happy with the incoming recruiting class and this will give me an opportunity to see them develop and hopefully down the road we will have a chance to raise another Horizon Conference banner." Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-27-2007 at 07:01 PM.

12-27-2007, 07:07 PM	#22
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * November 15, 2009 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW Milwaukee- Is this the year that the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Men's Basketball team finally gets over the hump and hoists the Horizon Conference Banner, along with returning to the big dance? Maybe. While the team does look strong and should contend in the Horizon Conference, they have a number of question marks surrounding the team as we head into the season. The biggest of those is who will step up to replace outgoing seniors William Morton and Adam Underwood, the former of which has been named team MVP the past two seasons and has been the only Panther to capture any conference hardware, being named to the All-Conference First Team this past season and the All-Conference Second Team a year ago. The team does have a very good incoming recruiting class comprised of PG Roderick Dickenman, SF Sylvester Dudley (JuCo) and C Aron McTyer. The team is very deep at guard with last year's starters, Kevin Mells and Victor Morin returning, along with one of the Horizon's top freshman last season, David Ely, who, playing off the bench, led the team last year in scoring. The team has already indicated that as a result they plan on red shirting Dickenman. That leaves Dudley as the likely successor at SF and McTyer competing with the still raw George Preston and senior JB Nealy, who has seen limited action over the course of his playing career, for playing time at center. That means that the other likely three starters, PF Greg Collins and two of Mells, Morin and Ely, will need to pick up the slack. The likely opening day lineup should look something along these lines: PG – Kevin Mells (SR) SG – Victor Morin (JR) SF - Sylvester Dudley (JR) PF - James Collins (SR) C - Aron McTyer (FR) It will be interesting to see how Johnson uses PG David Ely and whether last years surprise frosh will take a starting spot away from Mells or Morin. Regardless he should see plenty of playing time. With all three being undersized, it is unlikely to see any step up to the three spot. Freshman PF Darius Perine, who red shirted last year, could also see decent minutes off the bench and will likely be the 7th man, filling in at the three and four spots. WSSN Magazine ranks the Panthers #2 in the Horizon, behind the Loyola Chicago Ramblers and just ahead of the always competitive Butler Bulldogs. However, head coach Johnny Johnson feels that the conference is up for grabs. "I was having a conversation with Butler coach Jermaine Reid, and we both commented how much tighter the competition throughout the conference has become over the past few seasons. No longer are the games against teams such as Cleveland State freebies. You have to work just as hard against them as you do against a Valparaiso. It's been really good for the league. On any given year there are 6-8 of the 10 teams that are capable of winning it," noted Johnson. "With that said, in speaking with Tom (Athletic Director Rooney), the board is expecting a top three finish in the conference and a least .500 ball, and I think we are capable of that." UWM will hit the road for seven games during their pre-conference schedule, including games against Bradley and Xavier, and will only take to the U.S. Cellular Arena court twice in that time frame, against Wisconsin and DePaul. They open the season on November 15 as they travel to Kalamazoo to take on the Western Michigan Broncos. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 03-13-2009 at 09:53 AM.

12-27-2007, 07:10 PM	#23
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * November 20, 2009 * JSONLINE.COM FOUR PLAYERS OFFICIALLY SIGN LOI TO JOIN PANTHERS IN 2010 Milwaukee - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers have filled all four of their scholarships for next season and head coach Johnny Johnson is very excited about what lies ahead. "With no disrespect to the solid classes that Milt (previous coach Milton Johnson) put together, I have a feeling that this is potentially the best class in UWM history. We've got our first five star recruit in my memory, which is a big coup." That five star prospect is SF Larry Riggs, who has spent his past two seasons plying his trade in junior college. The Wisconsin Dells native is ranked 37th in the WSSN National Rankings. "Larry is a player that may have not taken high school too seriously and it cost him. But I believe that he's matured the past two seasons. There were some major programs such as Louisville and Arizona that were interested, but he wanted to stay close to home and thankfully chose UWM. He's a bit undersized and we could see him fitting in well at the SG spot too. While we have a lot of talented smaller players, he was too good to pass up on." Joining Riggs will be fellow Wisconsin product Matt Klein. The Kenosha native is rated at the 9th best SG in the Midwest. SF Mark Garrett is ranked 35th in the Midwest and is considered to be in the top 100 in the country. Both are considered four star prospects by WSSN. "Both those players are a few years away from being ready, but both have quite a bit of versatility," added Johnson. "Matty could probably play a bit of point guard while Mark should end up being big enough and strong enough to play the post if we need him there." Rounding out the class is 6'10" Luke Haymon of Zeeland High in Michigan. The four star prospect was ranked as the 16th best center in the Midwest. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-27-2007 at 10:04 PM.

12-28-2007, 10:51 AM	#24
Barkeep49 Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Not too far away	You can really negotiate an out clause? That's pretty damn cool.

12-28-2007, 11:03 AM	#25
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	No, you can't actually negotiate an out-clause, or your contract for that matter. You will automatically resign. For example, your contract will show 1 year at $125,000. When you click the Advance Day button (for the day that advances from one season to the next, ie. changes over all the stats, removes seniors and adds frosh's to the roster,etc) it will get updated so it now says 5 years at $135,000 or whatever. It would be nice if you had more input on your contract negotiations. As it is, none of the contracts are binding. So you can take a job anywhere at any time, even if you are contracted for multiple seasons. There are no "schools asking for permission to speak with" or "out clauses" or anything. It would be a nice feature though. The out clause was just something I worked in for the dynasty so it actually seems like the game "renewing" my contract has some sort of meaning. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-28-2007 at 11:04 AM.

12-28-2007, 11:06 AM	#26
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * December 21, 2009 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS BATTLE THROUGH TOUGH PRE-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE Milwaukee - At 4-5, it may be the worst start to a season that coach Johnny Johnson has endured in his short three year career, but at the same time he is taking it all in stride and remains optimistic about the teams abilities. "We had a very difficult schedule," noted Johnson, "and there were a few things that factored into us winning less games than we typically have in the past." The team opened the season with back-to-back road losses against Western Michigan and Bradley. "I think we struggled to find our rhythm as a team and as a group," concluded Johnson. "We were working in a few new players and the cohesiveness that we've shown in the past takes time to develop and wasn't there right off the bat. I think it's starting to come together though." They followed that up by rebounding with a win at home against Wisconsin, their second in two years, along with road wins against Eastern Illinois and Ball State. Just when things were looking up however, the team lost three of their final four, including at home against DePaul and on the road against Creighton and Xavier. "I definitely think the travel took its toll on us. We're a bit younger than in past years and that, coupled with the heavy road schedule, led to us wearing down a bit. It's something that these guys are going to have to get used to as the season progresses and hopefully they can refresh a bit over the Christmas break." The Panthers are off until December 27th, when they host the Youngstown State Penguins to open the Horizon Conference schedule. The Panthers are once again expected to be amongst the top teams in the conference when it is all said and done. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-28-2007 at 11:07 AM.

12-28-2007, 11:43 AM	#27
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * January 28, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS INCONSISTENT AS THEY REACH HALFWAY POINT OF HORIZON SCHEDULE Youngstown, OH- A 9-10 record, including a 5-5 record in conference play was not what head coach Johnny Johnson expected out of his University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers prior to the start of the season. "It's frustrating" acknowledged Johnson. "We've won games at Butler, Valparaiso, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Cleveland State. At the same time, we've turned around and dropped home games against Wright State and Youngstown State. Wright State's only won three games so far and one of those was in our barn. That's unacceptable." The team has been without senior PF Greg Collins who went out with a broken leg just after Christmas and will be lucky to return at all this season. "I don't see that as an excuse," commented Johnson. "I look at it as an opportunity for someone else to step up. Unfortunately, no one has been able to do that. We've got some young guys who should be looking to make their mark and earn some playing time for next season, maybe even a starting spot, and they aren't doing anything with that chance." Despite the .500 record, the Panthers are only one game back of first place in the conference, a spot shared by four teams at 6-4. Three other teams are tied with the Panthers at 5-5, including pre-season favorite Loyola Chicago. Coach Johnson is optimistic that the team can turn its fortunes around. "We've got five of our last eight at home. Three of those are against teams that are one game ahead of us right now. The fact of the matter is that we still control our own destiny." The Panthers next hit the court January 31st as they play host to the struggling Butler Bulldogs at U.S. Cellular Arena. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-28-2007 at 11:44 AM.

12-28-2007, 01:14 PM	#28
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * February 25, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS SURGE TO TOP OF HORIZON STANDINGS Milwaukee- Last year it was a late season collapse that cost the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers first place and a bye to the Horizon Conference semi-final. This year it was just the opposite, as a team that struggled over the first two thirds of the year put things together to win seven of their last eight conference games to capture top spot. The Panthers concluded their season last night with a 93-77 home win against the Detroit Titans. However, it was the game three nights earlier in Chicago against the Ramblers that pushed the Panthers to the top. The Panthers proceeded to win that game, 72-65, to draw into a first place tie with the Ramblers atop the Horizon Conference standings. Last night, the Panther victory, coupled with the Ramblers loss in Green Bay to the UWGB Phoenix means that the Panthers finish alone in first place at 12-6, one game up on both Wisconsin-Green Bay and Loyola Chicago. "Taking into account how last season ended as well as they way we had played throughout the first part of this season, it's definitely a sweet feeling," noted coach Johnny Johnson. "Couple that with our Bracket Breaker win against Drexel last Sunday and I guess that you could say that we are on a pretty good roll." The first place finish guarantees the Panthers a spot in the Horizon Conference tournament semi-final, where they will likely face one of Cleveland State or Youngstown State. "While we're happy with what we've done so far, it's important to remember that winning the regular season conference championship was not our goal this year," added Johnson. "Our goal was winning the conference championship and moving on to the big dance. Winning the regular season banner helps and we've just had two very big wins, but we need two more to achieve what we truly want to achieve." If the Panthers do have hopes of advancing to either post-season tournament, the NCAA or NIT, they will likely need to win out their final two games as their current 17-11 record will likely not be good enough for a pass into either without the accompanying championship. The Panthers are off until March 5th when they host the semi-final game.

12-28-2007, 02:09 PM	#29
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * March 6, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS VICTORIOUS IN WILD OT SHOOTOUT, ADVANCE TO FINAL Milwaukee- In a game that will surely be remembered for years to come, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers edged the Cleveland State Vikings in overtime last night to advance to the Horizon Conference championship game for the sixth time in the past eight years, and the second in coach Johnny Johnson's three year reign. It was SG Victor Morin's buzzer beater that proved the difference, lifting the Panthers to a 102-101 victory. The game was a see-saw battle throughout with Cleveland State getting off to a strong start in the opening minutes and opening up an eight point lead. The Panthers roared back and led the game by two, 46-44, at the half. UWM looked to take control in the second half building a nine point lead with less than five minutes to play. However, it was reigning Horizon Conference Player of the Year, DeVeren Beshera, who got his team back in the game scoring 12 of his 30 points in the final five minutes to tie things up and send the game into extra time. In overtime, it was a pair of youngsters, PG David Ely and C Aron McTyer, who combined for fourteen of the Panthers eighteen points en route to ousting the defending Horizon Conference Champions. "It was a special win" noted a jubilant Johnson. "Beshera is a heck of a player. He's like a man possessed in the post-season and is capable of winning games by himself, as he proved last year. Thankfully, we pulled together as a team and came out on top. However, we're not done yet. There's one more game to go." That final game will be against cross state rival Wisconsin-Green Bay (17-13, 11-7). The Phoenix defeated the Loyola Chicago Ramblers 71-60 in the other conference semi-final. Green Bay captured their only Horizon Conference championship back in 1995 while UWM's most recent championship was 2006. The two teams have never met in the final.

12-28-2007, 09:40 PM	#30
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * March 7, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS CAPTURE HORIZON CHAMPIONSHIP Milwaukee- "We did it baby, we did it!" exclaimed senior starting PG Kevin Mells as he stood on a ladder underneath the basket last night at U.S. Cellular Arena, getting set to trim down the net. Mells and his University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panther teammates had just defeated the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix 77-70 to capture the Horizon Conference championship. The victory marks the Panthers fourth championship in the past eight years, but their first since 2005-2006. Mells, who redshirted that season, is the only remaining player from that squad. "It's a special feeling", noted Mells. "The first time, I didn't contribute and didn't really feel like a part of the team. This time is great though. I'm so happy for all those guys in the dressing room. We worked so hard the past few years to get here." Despite the close score, it was a game in which the Panthers never trailed. They managed to stake out an early lead, and while the Phoenix were able to rally and tie things up on occasion, were unable to ever overtake the Panthers, who relied heavily on center Aron McTyer. The freshman was the most dominant player on the court, putting down a season high 28 points en route to being named player of the game. No other Panther managed more than 9 points. McTyer was a monster in the paint, giving Green Bay center Andy Davis fits all night. McTyer, who at 6'9 and 276 pounds gave up 2 inches to Davis but outweighed him by thirty pounds, consistently used his strength to his advantage. "I can't say enough about Aron," noted coach Johnny Johnson, who was celebrating his first conference championship as a head coach. "A lot of good teams passed on him last year, saying he didn't have the size, conditioning, etc. to be an impact player. I think he proved everyone wrong, not only tonight, but all the way down the stretch." The Panthers also received a boost from the return of senior PF Greg Collins. While Collins did see some limited action off the bench in the conference semi-final against Cleveland State, this was the first game that he has started since returning from a broken leg. He ended up leading the team in rebounds with 7, along with chipping in 6 points. "It was just a great team effort," concluded Johnson. "Aron might have led the way on the scoreboard, but we had great depth off our bench, everyone chipped in, played good D, we contained them and were able to come out on top." The win should all but guarantee the Panthers a trip to the NCAA championship tournament, where they have not made an appearance since the 2005-2006 season. The official bracket announcements are slated for March 12. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-28-2007 at 09:44 PM.

12-29-2007, 12:45 PM	#31
Barkeep49 Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Not too far away	Ahh. I didn't want to have to stop reading after that excitement!

12-29-2007, 08:16 PM	#32
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * March 13, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS SET TO DANCE WITH THE DEVILS IN NCAA OPENING ROUND Milwaukee- Coach Johnny Johnson and his staff watched the NCAA March Madness Selection Show intently last night, waiting to find out where the bracket makers would place the UWM Panthers. In the end, they received the 14th seed in the East Bracket and a first round matchup with the powerhouse Duke Blue Devils. "We figured we could maybe be as high as twelve and as low as fifteen," concluded Johnson. "Our season this year was not necessarily as strong as years past, so the fourteen spot is a fair assessment." In the Blue Devils, the Panthers will get a team that went 22-9 this year, finishing third in the Atlantic Coast Conference before losing in the ACC semi-final to Florida State. Duke is currently ranked #10 in the country, right around where preseason predictions had them placed. They are led by senior SG Ben Morton, who is averaging 16.6 ppg this past season. "Are we the underdog? Of course we are," added Johnson. "They're the Duke Blue Devils. Ninety-nine percent of teams in college basketball are the underdog against Duke, no matter what the circumstance. I think we can give them a tough game though. They are 3-5 in their last eight and are reeling a little bit. We've won 10 of our last 11 and our confidence couldn't be higher." Duke and Wisconsin-Milwaukee will meet on the opening day of the NCAA tournament, Thursday, March 16 in Syracuse, New York.

12-29-2007, 08:22 PM	#33
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * April 23, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS SEASON IN REVIEW Milwaukee - There were two big questions heading in to the 2009-2010 season for the UWM Panthers Men's Basketball program. Would the Panthers find a replacement for outgoing senior William Morton and could coach Johnny Johnson get the team over the hump and enjoy some post-season success? The answer to both, a resounding yes. Stepping up to replace Morton was Irma, Wisconsin freshman Aron McTyer. For his efforts, McTyer was named the Horizon Freshman of the Year as well as being named to the All Conference First Team. His contributions played a big part in answering the second question, as for the first time in Johnson's short career, the Panthers delivered on their potential and emerged from the conference championship game with the banner in tow. McTyer was not the only Panther coming out of the awards with any hardware however, as coach Johnny Johnson captured the Horizon Conference Coach of the Year award for the second time in three seasons. It was a year that oppositely paralleled last season. Just a year ago the Panthers roared off to a 16-3 start before crashing down to earth and going 3-8 in their final eleven games, including early exits in both the Horizon playoffs and the NIT. This year the Panthers limped out to a 9-10 start before going 10-1 down the stretch. That streak helped them capture the Horizon Championship before they were stopped by the Duke Blue Devils, 80-64 in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, a tournament that was eventually won by Georgia Tech, who blew out Indiana in the final. Auburn edged Tennessee State for the NIT championship. While the Panthers managed to come away from this season with the Horizon Championship, it is the future of the team that has fans in Milwaukee even more excited. The team potentially returns three starters in McTyer, Victor Morin and Sylvester Dudley, four if you count Darius Perine, who ended up starting more games than the injured Greg Collins. Couple that with David Ely, who has been the teams best player of the bench the past two years, redshirt PG Roderick Dickenman, and a solid recruit class. All this has fans excited not only about this years championship but the potential for many more down the road. The biggest loss will be PG Kevin Mells, who has started all three years under coach Johnson, averaging 7.7 ppg and 3.3 apg in that span. However, it will be his leadership, both on and off the court, that will be missed more than anything. PF Greg Collins will also move on. The fiery Janesville native had his share of run-ins with Johnson and teammates early in his career but appeared to have matured. Unfortunately, injuries, highlighted by a broken leg, derailed most of his senior season, as he only managed to start 12 games, putting up a meager 5.0 ppg and 4.2 rpg. Center J.B. Nealy also moves on. The versatile role player finally came into his own in his senior season, chipping in off the bench with 5.7 ppg to go along with 4.5 rpg. The final player moving on is SG Michael Murphy, who saw very limited action over the past few seasons. Team Leaders PPG: Aron McTyer (FR) - 14.7 RPG: Aron McTyer (FR) - 4.9 APG: Kevin Mells (SR) - 3.9 SPG: Aron McTyer (FR) - 1.1 BPG: Aron McTyer (FR) - 0.8 MVP: Aron McTyer (FR) Complete Results Final Record: 19-12 Conference Record: 12-6 Won Conference Championship (Wisconsin-Green Bay) Lost NCAA Opening Round (Duke) @ Western Michigan - L 54-65 @ Bradley - L 74-78 WISCONSIN - W 88-82 @ Eastern Illinois - W 78-61 @ Ball St. - W 74-70 DEPAUL - L 48-60 @ Creighton - L 43-65 @ Maine - W 77-69 @ Xavier - L 49-68 YOUNGSTOWN ST. - L 64-77 @ Butler - W 74-61 WRIGHT ST. - L 71-79 @ Valparaiso - W 86-81 OT @ Wisconsin-Green Bay - W 77-67 ILLINOIS-CHICAGO - L 87-91 @ Cleveland St. - W 76-75 OT LOYOLA CHICAGO - W 66-52 @ Detroit - L 78-86 @ Youngstown St. - L 71-74 BUTLER - W 64-51 @ Wright St. - W 68-49 VALAPARAISO - W 79-71 WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY - W 69-51 @ Illinois-Chicago - L 69-81 CLEVELAND ST. - W 81-63 @ Drexel - W 79-60 (Bracket Breaker Sunday) @ Loyola Chicago - W 72-65 DETROIT - W 93-77 CLEVELAND ST. - W 102-101 OT (Horizon Semi-Final) WISCONSIN-GREEN BAY - W 77-70 (Horizon Final) vs. Duke - L 64-80 (NCAA Opening Round) Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 12-29-2007 at 08:27 PM.

12-31-2007, 08:17 PM	#34
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * June 22, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM McTYER WILL NOT RETURN WITH PANTHERS IN FALL Milwaukee- While normally a slow time of year, there is big news coming out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers Men's Basketball camp. Reigning Horizon Freshman of the Year and Panther team MVP, Aron McTyer will not be returning to the Panthers for the 2010-2011 season. The 6'9 center led the Panthers in almost all major statistical categories last season. "I was as shocked as anyone when he called me up" stated Johnny Johnson, coach of the Panthers, as he addressed the media on Tuesday. "To say that it came as a surprise would be an understatement," added Johnson. "When we sat down at the end of the year for individual player meetings, Aron gave me no indication that he would not be a part of the team come next season." Early rumors had McTyer looking at transferring to a number of top programs, including Marquette. However, Johnson notes that was never the case. "I ended up traveling up to Irma last week to meet with him. There are some issues that the family would like to keep private it, but as it is, he said that he feels that the family farm is where he is needed most right now and where he wants to be. He comes from a very small town and the values there are different than what they are for you and me here in Milwaukee. It's too bad because he's got a talent but at the same time, he is confident that he is making the right decision. If he's happy, I'm happy for him." It was also announced that SF Collis Phillips, who was scheduled to be heading into his Junior season would not be returning in the fall either. "You guys hear stuff, you guys know what's going on," commented Johnson. "I think everyone is aware that Collis has some personal issues to deal with off the court. We've had to suspend him a few times here and there and he needs to focus on getting his life back on track off the court before worrying about things on the court. However, while we agreed that it was a good idea, the decision for him to not return next year was his and his alone." The loss of both McTyer and Phillips opens up two more scholarships and brings the total to five that he will be looking to fill come the fall. It also opens up a big unexpected hole at center. "We'll deal with it," concluded Johnson. "Last year the big question was, 'who will fill the hole left by Morton'? As it turned out, Aron got the chance and he stepped up. All this does is create another opportunity for another young player to take advantage of." Author's note: Both McTyer and Phillips were technically "transfers". However, neither player ended up signing with a team during the transfer period. I think this article has more dramatic effect than an article about both opting to transfer and neither signing anywhere.

01-03-2008, 02:21 PM	#35
Barkeep49 Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Not too far away	I don't follow college sports closely but have noticed that a number of my players who want to transfer end up nowhere. Is that realistic or a failing of the game?

01-06-2008, 01:40 PM	#36
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	I think it may be a failing of the game.

01-12-2008, 03:33 PM	#37
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * November 14, 2010 * JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEW Milwaukee- One year ago, the biggest question facing the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Men's Basketball Program was who would step up and replace two time MVP and outgoing senior center William Morton. The answer was Irma, Wisconsin freshman Aron McTyer, who came onto the scene in a big way by leading the Panthers in almost all statistical categories, being named the Horizon Freshman of the Year and Horizon All-Conference First Team as well as being named Panther MVP. All of this was on top of leading the Panthers to their first conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance since 2005-2006. With the core of the team slated to return, led by McTyer, the future of this team looked very bright for the next few years. However, this past spring, McTyer announced that he would not be returning to the Panthers, once again leaving a gap in the middle and questions surrounding who will replace his production. Scoring wise, JuCo recruit Larry Riggs may be able to carry the load. The small forward spot has been a weakness the past few seasons but that should change this year with the talented Riggs, who is capable of hitting the jumper from the outside or putting the ball on the court and driving the net. With the departure of McTyer, the pressure will be squarely on the shoulders of the first year Panther to carry the load. The question though is who will replace McTyer's precense in the middle. With McTyer's late announcement, coach Johnny Johnson did not have time to fill that spot with a scholarship and will be looking for either incoming freshman Luke Haymon, who is talented but raw, or sophmore George Preston, who has not lived up to expectations thus far, to step up. The rest of the team should look something along these lines: PG – David Ely (JR) SG – Victor Morin (SR) SF - Larry Riggs (JR) PF - Sylvester Dudley (SR) C - George Preston (SO) Both Dudley, who makes the transition from the three spot to the four spot, and Morin, were starters last season. David Ely has been great as a sixth man and should make an easy transition into a starting spot. All three averaged at least eight points per game last season. Add in Riggs, and this team should be able to find the basket on a consistent basis. Off the bench, Roderick Dickenman (FR), who redshirted last season, will see the majority of time at guard and will be used to spell both Ely and Morin. If Preston beats out Haymon for the starting spot, expect Haymon to still see some decent action off the bench. Versatile PF Darius Perine (SO) should also see some significant court time. A pair of very talented freshman, Matt Klein (SG) and Mark Garrett (SF), are both expected to redshirt. After their championship run last season, the Panthers are pegged as Horizon Conference favorites this year by WSSN Magazine and expected to win it all again. However both Detroit and Loyola Chicago are being pegged to give them a run for their money. The team has a fairly balanced pre-conference schedule, with home games against Central Mighigan, Wisconsin and Drexel. They will hit the road to take on Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, Ohio, and Marist, before wrapping up their pre-conference schedule by traveling across the city to take on Marquette. The much anticipated matchup pits UWM coach Johnny Johnson against mentor and former Panther coach Milton Johnson, who is now leading the Golden Eagles. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 01-12-2008 at 03:52 PM.

01-12-2008, 04:26 PM	#38
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	SOUTH FINAL EDITION * November 19, 2010 JSONLINE.COM PANTHERS ANNOUNCE FIVE RECRUIT SIGNINGS FOR 2011 Milwaukee* - When both Aron McTyer and Collis Phillips announced that they would not be returning for the 2010-2011 season with the UWM Panthers, it meant that head coach Johnny Johnson would have a very hectic fall schedule on his plate, looking to fill all five available scholarships. Last year's conference championship apparently has paid dividends in the form of recruit interest as it was announced yesterday that five players had given verbal commitments to join the black and gold in the fall of 2011. The prize catch of the group is Oconta Falls, WI native Lon Kincade. The 6'2 shooting guard is an all-round talent who is averaging 17.8 ppg this year at Oconto Falls High. The WSSN Gold Report ranks him as the third best SG in the Midwest, and 36th overall in the region. Amongst those joining Kincaide is PG Tim Hill from Whitewater, WI, who was ranked 58th overall in the Midwest. Johnson feels that the ranking is not nearly reflective of Hill's ability. "We are talking about a 6'3" point guard, who can handle the ball very wall, is dangerous from the outside, is a great passer and can play decent defense," commented Johnson. "What's not to like?" Two of the players that Hill could be distributing the ball inside to in the near future are PF Rogers Vines (#74 in Midwest) and C Isaac Dunn (#95). Both are Wisconsin natives who project as talented big men, with Vines currently averaging 17.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 2.4 bpg at Parker High in Janesville. Rounding out the class is Ohio Junior College SG Gerry Hall, ranked #73 in the Midwest. Last edited by Carman Bulldog : 01-12-2008 at 04:30 PM.