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Post by PantherU on Oct 23, 2024 9:03:37 GMT -6
The Mid-Majority eliminated Gonzaga specifically.
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Oct 23, 2024 11:28:19 GMT -6
Having the Memphis Tigers on the list is odd. Same with the MWC.
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Post by ghostofdylan on Oct 23, 2024 12:03:30 GMT -6
Having the Memphis Tigers on the list is odd. Same with the MWC. 100% agree. |
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Post by Cactus Panther on Oct 23, 2024 18:02:17 GMT -6
Best podcast Lundy has done to date. Fun listen. Coach is the best. I agree with you FTA. They focused on some of the same topics that I do including scheduling, lack of student interest and HL league quality. The discussion pertained to some issues we have previously discussed on this message board and brought to light some interesting new tidbits. Here are my takeaways: 1. Regarding last year's team, "defensively we struggled...we had some very offensive minded players last year...not maybe as focused defensively, or dedicated defensively." To win games, your defensive numbers have to be better than that. We have solved (most) of those issues." 2. "As much as I love BJ, there were games when he was injured that we might have been a better basketball team when he was out than he was in. The offensive rate without BJ (was) much more distributed." 3. Regarding scheduling, "we did have trouble getting the high major games...there is a budget component...There are a lot of things that go into making the schedule...We are not alone in this, it's going to be increasingly difficult for good mid-major programs to get those games." One of the hosts said mid-majors have to stick together. Bart agreed and said that "should be a slogan for a T-shirt." 4. The promotional company conducting the Fiserv Forum tripleheader, Intersport, is the same entity that managed the recent volleyball event there involving Wisconsin. "We have a good relationship with those guys...we were hoping for Loyola but it didn't happen, so we found Akron...They are trying to do it next year as well and I know Wisconsin, I'm pretty sure, has already signed the contract...We hope to be back next year in the Fiserv Forum as well." 5. Regarding home attendance, the "2,000 (average attendance last year) is all community. I don't even want to say our student numbers because it is embarrassing...It's pretty disheartening to see the marketing folks put T-shirts, or whatever they do, on all of the chairs and then a lot of the fans that are in and the stands in front and back are filled, and that student section still has all of those T-shirts sitting there...I've got to do better (and) our staff has to do a better job of getting out there. But we really need the students to have a little more school spirit." 6. Regarding the Horizon League, "the league doesn't get the credit because there are two or three teams that have been really bad and drag the league down." When asked how to bring up the bottom teams up. "I think the coaching changes, some of that was the institutions trying to bring that up...Like IU-Indy, there is no reason that can't be a good program. They have good facilities, great school, good city. I think Detroit has some challenges but still, they have a great history. All those teams can be better than they have been." 7. Regarding the rivalry with Green Bay after the latest coaching change, "I don't think their fans are going to let it change as long as I'm here...I was just texting with (Doug Gottlieb) the other day. It seems like he's on top of things. It's good for the state, there is nothing wrong with stirring the pot." Bart further elaborated on what happened at the quarterfinal tournament visit there. Regarding the $10,000 camera that Green Bay alleged was broken by the Panther staff, "like Green Bay has a $10,000 camera. Come on!" 8. "(Greg) Kampe is my favorite guy in the league...I can help (the podcast hosts get an interview with him). 9. Regarding the covid era players cycling out, especially next year, "I hope that it gets a little younger. To compete in mid-major basketball right now you've got to be old...that's not really how I've always operated, I like to develop guys. We already have five commitments for next year...you want to have that balance of younger guys and older guys and that's kind of been lost. Those younger guys haven't been able to get recruited. It's really hard for those young players so hopefully that swings back." 10. Bart stated they show recruits a video of the HL tournament game against Detroit during the first NCAA tournament victory year, and "its amazing how that (Panther) team played the way we play now." |
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Post by Petes on Oct 24, 2024 15:47:01 GMT -6
Having the Memphis Tigers on the list is odd. Same with the MWC. Gonzaga is eliminated because they have been a top 3 program in the country over the last 10 years. What has Memphis or the MWC done in that timespan to be eliminated from the group along with the zags. |
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Oct 25, 2024 8:02:57 GMT -6
Having the Memphis Tigers on the list is odd. Same with the MWC. Gonzaga is eliminated because they have been a top 3 program in the country over the last 10 years. What has Memphis or the MWC done in that timespan to be eliminated from the group along with the zags. I would have Gonzaga as a mid-major more than Memphis. Memphis is a football playing school that was just in the Cotton Bowl. Same with the MWC as they play football. Basketball wise, the MWC had SIX bids last season alone. Doesn't really scream mid-major. I'm not calling them power leagues. Most just don't think of any of these schools as mid-majors, compared to leagues like the Summit, Horizon, Big Sky, Boig South, Big West to name a few. |
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Post by mattg on Oct 25, 2024 19:24:46 GMT -6
Gonzaga is eliminated because they have been a top 3 program in the country over the last 10 years. What has Memphis or the MWC done in that timespan to be eliminated from the group along with the zags. I would have Gonzaga as a mid-major more than Memphis. Memphis is a football playing school that was just in the Cotton Bowl. Same with the MWC as they play football. Basketball wise, the MWC had SIX bids last season alone. Doesn't really scream mid-major. I'm not calling them power leagues. Most just don't think of any of these schools as mid-majors, compared to leagues like the Summit, Horizon, Big Sky, Boig South, Big West to name a few. You cannot judge basketball based on football, what kind of thought process is that? Villanova plays FCS football and is practically a blue blood in basketball.
And if we're being honest, all those "mid majors" you mentioned including us are in actuality, the equivalent of small conferences. The Horizon now is not comparable to the mid 2000s era of college basketball when you had far more defined small conf, mid major conf, major conf, power conf type of setup. Mid Major as a term has just evolved to mean "not power conference" basically.
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Oct 28, 2024 7:08:49 GMT -6
I would have Gonzaga as a mid-major more than Memphis. Memphis is a football playing school that was just in the Cotton Bowl. Same with the MWC as they play football. Basketball wise, the MWC had SIX bids last season alone. Doesn't really scream mid-major. I'm not calling them power leagues. Most just don't think of any of these schools as mid-majors, compared to leagues like the Summit, Horizon, Big Sky, Boig South, Big West to name a few. You cannot judge basketball based on football, what kind of thought process is that? Villanova plays FCS football and is practically a blue blood in basketball. And if we're being honest, all those "mid majors" you mentioned including us are in actuality, the equivalent of small conferences. The Horizon now is not comparable to the mid 2000s era of college basketball when you had far more defined small conf, mid major conf, major conf, power conf type of setup. Mid Major as a term has just evolved to mean "not power conference" basically.
Sure, yet the leagues are labeled because of TV contacts for the reason of football. "Mid Major as a term has just evolved to mean "not power conference" basically." Agree, yet there is a major difference from the new Pac-12, MWC compared to the Horizon, Big South, etc. |
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Post by PantherU on Oct 29, 2024 11:27:25 GMT -6
I won't share the entire Three Man Weave preview for the Horizon League as it's behind a paywall, but I'll post their preview for Milwaukee:
1) Milwaukee
Key Returners: Erik Pratt, Aaron Franklin, Faizon Fields, Kentrell Pullian, Darius Duffy
Key Losses: BJ Freeman, Elijah Jamison, Markeith Browning II, Dominic Ham, Langston Wilson, Angelo Stuart
Key Newcomers: Themus Fulks, AJ McKee, Danilo Jovanovich, John Lovelace Jr.
Reasons for Optimism
Oakland owned the month of March last season but Milwaukee nearly stole the show. The surging Panthers played near-flawless basketball over the final month of the year, only to be stopped by the Griz in the Horizon League Championship game.
Year 1 was the arrival. Year 2 was the breakthrough. Year 3, well, it’s the NCAA Tournament or bust for Lundy, a man with lofty expectations and a sterling track record of winning everywhere he’s been.
Strength in numbers is what underpins the Panthers’ success. Lundy will pressure defensively in a shapeshifting sort of apparatus, in hopes of generating quick ‘pick-6’ buckets off of turnovers. The frenetic nature of this system, on both sides of the ball, requires top notch conditioning and a fresh stable of reserves at the ready.
Six cogs from last year’s machine return, all of whom clocked 10 or more minutes a game. Erik Pratt and Kentrell Pullian orbited around superstar BJ Freeman last season but they’re bound to take the next step forward without him. Or, they may not even have to, if Themus Fulks and AJ McKee live up to their billing. Lundy and McKee reunite after McKee’s decorated stint at Queens the last two seasons.
What’s unique about McKee is he’s produced like a number #1 option historically but doesn’t necessarily need to be ‘the guy’. McKee played second fiddle to Kenny Dye in 2023 and shared the spotlight with Deyton Albury last year (though, McKee clearly emerged as the leader by season’s end). Next to Fulks, a heady floor general, the thicker McKee will fit like a glove as an assertive score-first combo guard.
As for Pratt, he can adapt his game around any backcourt configuration. The smooth southpaw looked at ease in Milwaukee’s dribble drive movement last season as both a creator and shooter, thanks to his long arms and feathery touch. Pulliam, for comparison, prefers to get to the rim when he gets momentum, while Pratt is the superior pull up jump shooter. All in all, the interchangeability of all the guards is notable. Milwaukee’s offense does not cling to conventional roses and responsibilities.
On defense, backend rim protection was in good hands under the watchful eyes of Faizon Fields and Darius Duffy last season. There were major concerns heading into the year in that domain but it became an afterthought by March. Lundy’s not one to tolerate ‘soft’, a mantra that shines through in Fields and Duffy’s blue collar work on the offensive glass.
Hybrid forwards John Lovelace – who caught Lundy’s eye with a 15-point performance against Milwaukee in late February – and Learic Davis likely round out the frontline rotation. Davis is a defensive terror and one of the best pure athletes in the Horizon. Along with ‘power guard’ Aaron Franklin, a former JUCO All-American, Lundy has two plug-and-play ‘Play-doh’ pieces at his disposal who will join the rim running onslaught. Last but not least, lefty sniper Danilo Jovanovich could be a mismatch problem in this league, especially if cross matched against smaller wings on offense.
Causes for Concern
For all the optimism surrounding the depth and potential with the current roster, a fully healthy BJ Freeman was the catalyst to last year’s last season surge. Freeman was bothered by injuries for most of non-conference and looked wildly out of sync at times immediately following his return. He’s an alpha’s alpha on the offensive end, a 6-6 dual threat scorer and creator with the rock – those unicorns don’t grow on trees in this league…
Lundy will also need to avoid a repeat of last season’s early swoon, which was largely a mental lapse. He was explicit in calling this to attention – perhaps a calculated move to challenge his players (clearly, it worked)…
Coach Lundy avoided making excuses but highlighted a few obstacles his team faced. “It’s been a little bit of everything,” Lundy told the Shepherd Express of the team’s early-season issues last year. “It’s been health, chemistry, attitude, effort.”
That quote was dated January 19th, for context. In hindsight, this was a clear inflection point for the late season turnaround. Outside of a head scratching double digit loss at Robert Morris on February 10th, the Panthers basically didn’t play a bad game the rest of the way…
The fusion of newcomers with incumbents is always a tricky tightrope to walk. This year, Lundy throws in two more JUCO stalwarts, Jamichael Stillwell and Esyah Pippa-White, both of whom were productive on good teams last season. There’s a lot of mouths to feed but Lundy will weaponize this potential competitive conflict as a strength, just as he’s done the last two years. The Panthers may feel like a ‘volatile’ team with their ever-evolving rotations but this was statistically one of the more consistent teams in college basketball last year, per Haslametrics.com.
The final concern is outside shooting. Fulks rarely looks to shoot when he’s probing the defense, and McKee’s 3-point hit rate hovered in the low 30s last season. However, Pratt and Franklin, to a lesser extent, will keep defenses honest, which should ensure the floor is sufficiently spaced against set half court defenses.
Summary
Bart Lundy’s bar is sky high. His relentless pursuit of winning habits has lifted this program into the upper echelon of the Horizon in back to back years, and turned former JUCO and D-II players into impact D-I performers in the blink of an eye. Conventional wisdom would balk at projecting the Panthers to improve without the almighty BJ Freeman back in the saddle but the collective juju of this roster could more than overcome that.
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Post by ghostofvictorp on Oct 29, 2024 13:37:18 GMT -6
Really great, in-depth preview. My only comment is to remember that KP shot 39.2% from 3pt two seasons ago (granted on 78 attempts vs. 149 last season). I think he will get his 3pt shot back and be a lot more efficient this season. A lot of people mentioned he may not start but it won't matter. He'll provide spark- and score- a lot. Sky's the limit (Big Dance- with advancement to the second weekend?  ). It is a great time to be a Panther fan. I hope to get to a lot of home games. |
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Post by mattg on Oct 29, 2024 22:52:06 GMT -6
Feel like that article may have been written by AI and then edited by a human. I love the recruitment of Danilo and think rather positively of him as a player/prospect for us, but that description is LAUGHABLE and just not based in reality. Danilo has never been a shooter ever, he occasionally will pop the 15 foot mid range J, but he is closer to a non shooter than a sniper. Also more of a PF than a SF and it feels like that's where he would be a mismatch at, being too quick/athletic for slow horizon bigs rather than him trying to beat smaller guys off the bounce and then have to finish over help at the rim.
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Post by PantherU on Nov 1, 2024 8:10:08 GMT -6
Really great, in-depth preview. My only comment is to remember that KP shot 39.2% from 3pt two seasons ago (granted on 78 attempts vs. 149 last season). I think he will get his 3pt shot back and be a lot more efficient this season. A lot of people mentioned he may not start but it won't matter. He'll provide spark- and score- a lot. Sky's the limit (Big Dance- with advancement to the second weekend? ). It is a great time to be a Panther fan. I hope to get to a lot of home games. This is the limit I'm considering right now. |
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Nov 1, 2024 12:37:53 GMT -6
www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/uwm/2024/11/01/predictions-for-the-2024-25-milwaukee-panthers-mens-basketball-season/75898089007/Our predictions for the 2024-25 UW-Milwaukee men's basketball season Portrait of Curt HoggCurt Hogg Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The season officially tips off for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team Monday night with an exhibition game against Lakeland University at the Klotsche Center. Here's a look at how things are shaping up for the Panthers in a highly anticipated season. Reason to believe Listen to coach Bart Lundy talk about this year’s team and it’s apparent he’s higher on his group than the teams in either of his first two years. It isn’t difficult to look at the roster and see why. The Panthers lost the scoring of BJ Freeman, who transferred to Arizona State, but replaced that bucket-getting ability with Queens University transfer AJ McKee. Between McKee, Kentrell Pullian, Themus Fulks and Erik Pratt, the Panthers have plenty of offensive firepower in the backcourt and should be better positioned defensively than a year ago. Faizon Fields is a force on both ends as the starting big man and the Panthers have plenty of length and athleticism in addition to the 6-foot-10, 220-pounder in Darius Duffy, Aaron Franklin, Bradley Tech product Learic Davis and Brown Deer alum John Lovelace Jr. Those players alone give Milwaukee a versatile nine-man rotation, but there are still potential upside options on the roster when considering some of the newcomers. Get the First Nations newsletter in your inbox. Covering the 12 Indigenous nations in Wisconsin and other tribal news. Jamichael Stillwell is a 6-8 rebounding machine who transferred in from junior college. Esyah Pippa-White, another transfer, is a fundamentally sound sophomore guard. Danilo Jovanovich, a Whitnall graduate, comes with high-major pedigree, having spent his first two seasons at Miami (Florida) and Louisville. This roster is, on paper, is as complete as any Milwaukee has had in recent memory. Faizon Fields has been a force inside for the UWM men's basketball team. Reason to doubt In the two seasons since Lundy arrived, the Panthers haven’t played clean enough in a few key areas. They were 337th out of 363 teams in the country in turnover rate on offense in 2022-23, then 235th a year ago. In both seasons, the Panthers turned the ball over more than they forced opponents to commit turnovers. In both seasons, Milwaukee has been excellent on the offensive glass, including ranking 16th in the country in offensive rebounding rate last season (Fields set a program record with 101), but some of that impact has been negated by some of the worst defensive rebounding in the nation. Last season, the Panthers ranked 322nd; the year before they were 334th. The personnel this time around, Lundy hopes, is better equipped for improvement in these areas, but we still need to see it in action. Preseason conference prediction The Panthers (15 first-place votes), in a tie with Purdue Fort Wayne (14), were picked to finish first in the Horizon League in the conference’s official preseason poll of coaches, sports information directors and media members. Our prediction A tough nonconference schedule that includes road games against Duquesne, Longwood, Northern Iowa, Southern Mississippi and Central Florida as well as home tilts against Akron, St. Thomas and Wofford will either vault the Panthers into conference play or expose critical cracks in the foundation. Conference play in the Horizon League is a battle of attrition, but as long as the Panthers can keep their heads above water, they should be in great position to do some damage at home. Ultimately, a team that features a variety of new faces and new roles may take some time to hit its stride. But Lundy’s teams typically hit a new gear late in the season. Our official prediction: 19-12 regular season, 13-7 conference record and second place in the Horizon League regular-season standings. But this time, the Panthers get over the hump to win the conference tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament for their first appearance in March Madness since 2013-14.
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Post by ghostofvictorp on Nov 1, 2024 16:12:15 GMT -6
"This roster is, on paper, is as complete as any Milwaukee has had in recent memory." You've come a long way, Journal-Sentinel. I can now die a happy man.  |
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Post by Cactus Panther on Nov 1, 2024 19:51:42 GMT -6
'He's literally like family': Connection between UWM coach Bart Lundy, AJ McKee goes way back
Todd Rosiak
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
It's not often a coach has the opportunity to reconnect with a player at a different school.
But such is the case this season for Bart Lundy, who will be counting on senior transfer AJ McKee to help lead the UW-Milwaukee Panthers back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in over a decade.
"He's literally like family," Lundy said.
The two go back years and to Queens University in Charlotte, where Lundy was in the midst of a long and successful run at the then-Division II school. McKee, a Charlotte native, had distinguished himself both on the high school and AAU circuit in the area and earned both a scholarship and Lundy's admiration for his hard-nosed, competitive style of play.
"I mean, we really didn't beat anybody for him," Lundy recalled. "He might have some other scholarship offers, but it wasn't like he was highly recruited. He was a guy that we identified that we thought was a great fit for the program. Both of his teams were winning at high levels.
"He kind of did everything that we wanted."
McKee redshirted his freshman season after suffering a knee injury. He played in all 22 games for Queens with 14 starts in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, then started all 33 games the following year, playing just over 28 minutes per game.
Not long after that season ended, Lundy departed and replaced Pat Baldwin at UWM. McKee remained at Queens and continued to improve, starting 33 more games in 2022-23 and again last season. He averaged 18.8 points, becoming the seventh player in program history to eclipse the 1,500-point mark.
Lundy, meanwhile, had been rebuilding the foundation for the Panthers in Milwaukee. But the two remained in contact despite the distance.
"Some of those guys, to be honest, were pretty ticked off at me for leaving," Lundy said. "But AJ was not one of those. I think he understood that we all make our choices. We were always good. If he had a big game, I'd text him and say, 'Great job.' Or there was occasions where Grant (Leonard), my former assistant (who replaced Lundy at Queens) would text me and say, 'Hey, send AJ a message to pick him up.'
"That was how we stayed in touch."
AJ McKee played four seasons at Queens University in North Carolina before transferring to UW-Milwaukee.
A chance to play in NCAA Tournament helped lead McKee to UW-Milwaukee
Fast-forward to this past spring.
UWM had fallen just short of advancing to the NCAA Tournament, losing to Oakland in the Horizon League tournament championship game, and not long thereafter bid adieu to leading scorer BJ Freeman, who received a big-money NIL offer from Arizona State that he couldn't pass up.
McKee, meanwhile, was seeking to use his fifth and final year of eligibility afforded him by the pandemic at a Division I school. (Queens University is in the process of transitioning to Division I and is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament).
"I found out that he was not going to return probably a couple weeks before their season ended," Lundy said. "I don't think Coach Leonard thought we would go after him because he was already kind of talking to other programs. I was like, 'No, if he goes in the portal, I want him.'
"He already had a bunch of people all over him. It wasn't a deal where he went in the portal and came the next day. He took other visits."
Iona ended up being the team to beat and ultimately Lundy and UWM prevailed, landing the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder.
"I think in his mind, he always thought he would come here because we had success together," Lundy said. "He knew me, knew he fit. And for him, he's leaving his comfort zone there at Queens. With one year left, you don't want to screw it up."
For McKee, the fit at UWM is twofold: He reunites with a coach he knows and trusts while also getting the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers were a preseason pick to win the Horizon League title and more recently were ranked among the top 20 mid-major programs in the nation.
“Being that it’s my last year of college basketball, I wanted it to be special,” McKee said. “Coming from Queens, that transition to D1, they weren’t able to go to the tournament. I’ve done a lot of winning with Coach Lundy. I just really wanted to keep that going.
"I didn’t want to go anywhere where I’d have to build trust with a coach.”
UWM coach Bart Lundy says he usually doesn't like having one-year transfer players but knows what he's getting in AJ McKee.
Familiarity with McKee allows Lundy to insert the guard into lineup immediately
For Lundy, adding McKee is a true plug-and-play situation.
"It's huge," said Lundy. "I always get wary of the transfers, because sometimes you're just taking somebody else's problem and you've got to teach them the system. And normally, I'm not crazy about one-year guys – it's a little easier to take a big guy that's got one year. When you take guards, you're really rolling the dice.
"But with AJ, I knew exactly what I was getting. He's the example in most of our drills. Most of what they were doing (at Queens) was what we had been doing his first three years.
"So, it's really been six years in the same program."
McKee's ability to score in a variety of ways probably stands out most; he shot a career-best 44.7% from the floor last season, is closing in on 200 career three-pointers and would have easily led the Panthers in free-throw attempts each of the past two seasons.
But he's also a hard-nosed defender with leadership skills – two areas in which UWM often lacked a year ago.
"He's won a lot of games in his career," Lundy said. "He's an absolute veteran, as veteran as you can get in college basketball. So he knows the flow of things. He knows, you know when it's winning time. You know he knows the plays that have to be made.
"So, even outside of the system and all that, when you get into the guts of the game, you've got a guy that really understands how to win, and a guy that I trust.
"He has my absolute trust."
McKee, a preseason second-team Horizon League pick, enters UWM's exhibition opener against Division III Lakeland on Nov. 4 having started 108 consecutive games – a streak that is likely to continue.
But Lundy also has another redshirt senior in point guard Themus Fulks as well as returning seniors Erik Pratt (also a second-team all-Horizon League selection) and Kentrell Pullian, leaving him to juggle the various permutations that will keep everyone productive and happy.
But veteran guards are one of the most valuable commodities in college basketball, making it a nice problem to have.
"We've got the four really talented senior guards, so they will all play together," Lundy said. "I've got to do a good job making sure they're all on the same page and getting what they need. But yet, when it's time to win, it's hard to take AJ off the floor.
"He plays both sides of the ball. He's a really good defender and then can score and do all that, but doesn't really force anything offensively. He knows how to take good shots, he sets great screens and he just does a lot of the little things."
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). It is a great time to be a Panther fan. I hope to get to a lot of home games.