Post by brewtownbrian on May 12, 2006 7:35:26 GMT -6
Seniors heading separate ways
Ex-Panthers want careers in hoops
Six of the seven seniors who competed for the UW-Milwaukee men's basketball team last season expect to spend their post-Panthers days playing in the professional ranks, whether it is in America or overseas.
Adrian Tigert, who has the same agent as Boo Davis, will complete coursework for his master's degree in business over the summer.
Mark Pancratz is the exception.
The 6-foot-4 reserve guard has unlaced his basketball shoes for good and traded them in for a clipboard.
Pancratz was recently hired as a graduate assistant at Tennessee, joining the staff of former Panthers coach Bruce Pearl.
"Ever since I got here, Pearl knew I wanted to coach. I would kind of tease him about how I wanted to help him out someday," Pancratz said. "After we both ended up losing in the tournament, I called him and let him know I was interested right away. We had many conversations. We talked some things out, I talked to his assistants, and an opening came about."
Pancratz and the rest of UWM's seniors have been busy planning for the next phases of their lives ever since the season ended on March 18, when the Panthers lost to eventual national champion Florida in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
A few have signed with agents and are ready to go at any moment. Others will finish coursework before resuming their professional basketball dreams.
The Panthers, underclassmen and upperclassmen alike, joined family, alumni and supporters of the program Saturday at the team banquet. They reminisced about the season, watched a video presentation of their accomplishments and picked up their various awards for a job well done.
Panthers coach Rob Jeter expressed his appreciation for how the seniors made his first year at the helm one void of bitterness and filled with tolerance and mutual respect.
"They embraced us as a staff," Jeter said. "They really opened themselves up and really allowed us to come in and do what we needed to do.
"The only thing I could do as a head coach and the only thing we could do as a coaching staff was to coach the game the way we know how. I really appreciate the guys for really accepting that there are a lot of ways to play the game of basketball. There are a lot of ways to win, and they accepted a different way."
They'll be together once again on May 21 for UWM's commencement. Each of the seven seniors has completed enough coursework to walk the stage for a first (or even second) time.
After that, "the seven seniors" will be no more.
"All the guys are already dreading the day that we all separate," said Chris Hill, who started every game last season at point guard.
"Whatever we do past the 21st is going to be a lot different than what we've had the last three or four years."
Can't get enough
Jason McCoy flat out loves playing basketball, as was evident throughout the season in his spirited play on defense and tenacity on the offensive glass.
So it's no surprise that McCoy, a 6-9 forward, is shopping for an agent who he thinks will land him with a pro team in Europe.
McCoy will graduate with a degree in sociology, head back to Houston and work out with former National Basketball Association player and coach John Lucas during the summer before making his next move.
"It's not just UWM, but it was a lot of situations in my life that prepared me to go overseas," McCoy said. "I've been living away from home right out of high school.
"I know there will be sacrifices, like not being in the States. Going overseas and not being in the NBA, I'm OK with that. I just want to have enough to be financially stable and take care of my family in the future. And I'm a young dude, right? I can do that."
Like McCoy, the 5-10 Hill also anticipates playing ball overseas and is close to signing with an agent. Hill has earned both criminal justice and sociology degrees at UWM.
His best friend on the team, 6-5 forward Joah Tucker, could be playing basketball as close as his hometown of Milwaukee or as far away as Australia.
Tucker, who is represented by Chicago-based agent Henry Thomas of CSMG, is considered a possible second-round NBA draft pick. He is coming off a respectable showing at the Portsmouth Invitational and could see his stock improve through individual workouts with NBA teams or by receiving an invitation to the annual NBA pre-draft camp in June, which provides another opportunity to impress pro scouts.
In the meantime, Tucker is coming to grips with the final days of his life as a UWM student.
"The White House," where Tucker, Hill, McCoy and four other teammates shared an off-campus residence, will cease to exist, at least in its current form, beginning in two weeks as they move out.
He'll leave UWM with a degree in marketing.
"I had a great time," Tucker said. "My overall experience was a great time. I've made lifelong friends and everything."
Adrian Tigert and Boo Davis, both of whom came on strong as seniors, have signed with Buddy Baker, an Indianapolis-based agent.
Tigert, a 6-7 forward, will complete coursework for his master's degree in business over the summer.
Davis, a 6-3 guard graduating with a degree in educational studies, has been contacted by a handful of NBA teams regarding workouts, largely based on the strength of his three-point shooting touch.
A worthwhile experience
Derrick Ford, a communications major, has exhausted his playing eligibility. But the 6-10 center will maintain close ties to the program, helping out in any way he can, until he officially completes his coursework in December. From there, Ford will likely play basketball overseas.
Senior year moved quickly for Ford, as it probably did for the six others.
Yet it was probably Ford's most rewarding.
"With the new coaching staff coming in, it broadened my horizons," said Ford, who will spend the summer in his native Toledo, Ohio, working for the city's youth commission. "I learned to accept the changes in life."
Pancratz is all set for Knoxville and his future with the Volunteers.
He would like to become a Division I head coach someday, preferably in the Midwest, maybe even at UWM.
Even after spending five years as a part of the Panthers men's basketball program, Pancratz wouldn't give one day back.
"Basketball, no matter where we would have went, we would have won games and we would have won things," Pancratz said. "It's the friendships that you'll remember the most."
Ex-Panthers want careers in hoops
Six of the seven seniors who competed for the UW-Milwaukee men's basketball team last season expect to spend their post-Panthers days playing in the professional ranks, whether it is in America or overseas.
Adrian Tigert, who has the same agent as Boo Davis, will complete coursework for his master's degree in business over the summer.
Mark Pancratz is the exception.
The 6-foot-4 reserve guard has unlaced his basketball shoes for good and traded them in for a clipboard.
Pancratz was recently hired as a graduate assistant at Tennessee, joining the staff of former Panthers coach Bruce Pearl.
"Ever since I got here, Pearl knew I wanted to coach. I would kind of tease him about how I wanted to help him out someday," Pancratz said. "After we both ended up losing in the tournament, I called him and let him know I was interested right away. We had many conversations. We talked some things out, I talked to his assistants, and an opening came about."
Pancratz and the rest of UWM's seniors have been busy planning for the next phases of their lives ever since the season ended on March 18, when the Panthers lost to eventual national champion Florida in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
A few have signed with agents and are ready to go at any moment. Others will finish coursework before resuming their professional basketball dreams.
The Panthers, underclassmen and upperclassmen alike, joined family, alumni and supporters of the program Saturday at the team banquet. They reminisced about the season, watched a video presentation of their accomplishments and picked up their various awards for a job well done.
Panthers coach Rob Jeter expressed his appreciation for how the seniors made his first year at the helm one void of bitterness and filled with tolerance and mutual respect.
"They embraced us as a staff," Jeter said. "They really opened themselves up and really allowed us to come in and do what we needed to do.
"The only thing I could do as a head coach and the only thing we could do as a coaching staff was to coach the game the way we know how. I really appreciate the guys for really accepting that there are a lot of ways to play the game of basketball. There are a lot of ways to win, and they accepted a different way."
They'll be together once again on May 21 for UWM's commencement. Each of the seven seniors has completed enough coursework to walk the stage for a first (or even second) time.
After that, "the seven seniors" will be no more.
"All the guys are already dreading the day that we all separate," said Chris Hill, who started every game last season at point guard.
"Whatever we do past the 21st is going to be a lot different than what we've had the last three or four years."
Can't get enough
Jason McCoy flat out loves playing basketball, as was evident throughout the season in his spirited play on defense and tenacity on the offensive glass.
So it's no surprise that McCoy, a 6-9 forward, is shopping for an agent who he thinks will land him with a pro team in Europe.
McCoy will graduate with a degree in sociology, head back to Houston and work out with former National Basketball Association player and coach John Lucas during the summer before making his next move.
"It's not just UWM, but it was a lot of situations in my life that prepared me to go overseas," McCoy said. "I've been living away from home right out of high school.
"I know there will be sacrifices, like not being in the States. Going overseas and not being in the NBA, I'm OK with that. I just want to have enough to be financially stable and take care of my family in the future. And I'm a young dude, right? I can do that."
Like McCoy, the 5-10 Hill also anticipates playing ball overseas and is close to signing with an agent. Hill has earned both criminal justice and sociology degrees at UWM.
His best friend on the team, 6-5 forward Joah Tucker, could be playing basketball as close as his hometown of Milwaukee or as far away as Australia.
Tucker, who is represented by Chicago-based agent Henry Thomas of CSMG, is considered a possible second-round NBA draft pick. He is coming off a respectable showing at the Portsmouth Invitational and could see his stock improve through individual workouts with NBA teams or by receiving an invitation to the annual NBA pre-draft camp in June, which provides another opportunity to impress pro scouts.
In the meantime, Tucker is coming to grips with the final days of his life as a UWM student.
"The White House," where Tucker, Hill, McCoy and four other teammates shared an off-campus residence, will cease to exist, at least in its current form, beginning in two weeks as they move out.
He'll leave UWM with a degree in marketing.
"I had a great time," Tucker said. "My overall experience was a great time. I've made lifelong friends and everything."
Adrian Tigert and Boo Davis, both of whom came on strong as seniors, have signed with Buddy Baker, an Indianapolis-based agent.
Tigert, a 6-7 forward, will complete coursework for his master's degree in business over the summer.
Davis, a 6-3 guard graduating with a degree in educational studies, has been contacted by a handful of NBA teams regarding workouts, largely based on the strength of his three-point shooting touch.
A worthwhile experience
Derrick Ford, a communications major, has exhausted his playing eligibility. But the 6-10 center will maintain close ties to the program, helping out in any way he can, until he officially completes his coursework in December. From there, Ford will likely play basketball overseas.
Senior year moved quickly for Ford, as it probably did for the six others.
Yet it was probably Ford's most rewarding.
"With the new coaching staff coming in, it broadened my horizons," said Ford, who will spend the summer in his native Toledo, Ohio, working for the city's youth commission. "I learned to accept the changes in life."
Pancratz is all set for Knoxville and his future with the Volunteers.
He would like to become a Division I head coach someday, preferably in the Midwest, maybe even at UWM.
Even after spending five years as a part of the Panthers men's basketball program, Pancratz wouldn't give one day back.
"Basketball, no matter where we would have went, we would have won games and we would have won things," Pancratz said. "It's the friendships that you'll remember the most."
