MILWAUKEE | In a season that could be as balanced as any in recent memory, one thing has already been decided: there will not be a repeat champion in the Horizon League men’s basketball tournament.
It’s out of the hands of the defending champion Milwaukee Panthers, who have been banned from postseason play by the NCAA for a sub-standard APR score across the 2009-2013 seasons. But the Panthers aren’t going to just phone this one in.
“You really want these guys to understand that there’s a lot of pride,” Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter said at the Horizon League men’s basketball media day. “It’s still fun. It’s still basketball.
“Every game is important, it’s just that we know when it the end for us is going to happen. We’re going to go out there and have fun.”
The end will come Feb. 28, when Milwaukee plays its final regular season game at Youngstown State. But the Panthers hope to have a major impact in what happens up until that point.
Jeter wouldn’t go so far as to say that the conference schedule will be treated like the postseason by Milwaukee, but the Panthers know that a regular season Horizon League title is the best-case scenario for 2014-15.
Instead of submitting to its fate, Milwaukee is focused on making the most of what may be viewed as a bad situation. The program has increased its academic performance and is determined to be just as strong on the court.
“I think, for us, the focus is how we can now take that speed bump, take what seems to be a setback, and set ourselves up for better success,” Jeter said. “That has been the focus.”
That goal has been helped by the dedication of Milwaukee’s returning players. The NCAA formally denied the program’s appeal of the postseason ban on April 9, giving plenty of time for any seniors to transfer out of the program.
The thought of leaving never crossed the mind of Steve McWhorter. The senior started all 35 games at point guard for the Panthers last season, leading the team to a Horizon League tournament championship and an NCAA tournament berth. The draw of another chance at the Big Dance paled in comparison to the intimate mindset at Milwaukee.
“I just felt like coming here, that this is a family and I still have brothers who want a championship,” McWhorter said. “I felt like even though this is my senior season I just wanted to come back and give them the senior leadership that I knew I could. I feel like all of my guys have bought into that, too – we’re here to play the season out, full throttle.”
McWhorter started his collegiate career at Indiana State and played in the postseason with the Sycamores during both of his seasons in Terre Haute, including an NCAA tournament bid his freshman year. He transferred to Milwaukee to be closer to home; he led Racine’s St. Catherine High School to a Division III state championship title in 2010.
After sitting out the 2012-2013 season due to transfer rules, he’s become a leader of the Panthers. It’s a group he wasn’t willing to abandon after the ban came down.
“I feel like being here, being in more of a leadership role means a little more to me, especially coming home and doing it,” McWhorter said. “Both experiences [at Indiana State and at Milwaukee] were good for me, but this most recent one is just a little more special.
“Leadership is going to be of the utmost importance, especially going into this year where we have so many obstacles that have been thrown in our way.”
Despite heading into a finite season with a predetermined end date, the Panthers have plenty to be excited about. In June, it was announced that the downtown venue formerly known as U.S. Cellular Arena would become UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
The new naming rights and lease agreement allows Milwaukee to transform the stadium into a Panthers-centric venue focused on basketball but also capable of bringing guest speakers and major concerts to the city and the school. It gives Milwaukee a permanent display in the downtown that could help with recognition and with recruiting.
“We’ve been saying it for years and years: we are Milwaukee,” Jeter said. “We’re a part of Milwaukee and we take a lot of pride in being part of the community. To have our name out downtown, in the heart of downtown, is big-time for us. It gives us a presence.”
The Panthers are also excited about playing a strong schedule leading into Horizon League action. Milwaukee will visit Auburn and former Panthers head coach Bruce Pearl in the season opener on Nov. 14 and will travel to Oklahoma State on Nov. 21.
The MGM Grand Main Event tournament in Las Vegas will pit Milwaukee against other mid-major programs Nov. 24 and 26. The highlight on their nonconference schedule is Dec. 10, when the Panthers will host Wisconsin.
The conference schedule opens Jan. 2 with Milwaukee visiting Cleveland State. Though the Panthers – picked fifth in the Horizon League preseason poll – know that a repeat tournament title is impossible, they plan to have a major impact on how it all shakes out.
“We know each other so well,” Jeter said. “Each team has one or two guys who are special, one or two guys who can really take over the game, and they have some really good depth and role players.
“I think our team is similar to just about any other team in the league.”
The undeterred Panthers are ready to show that a speed bump in the road won’t knock the program off its track. This season is about pride, about preparing for the future and for doing what they can with what they’ve been given.
“If anything, I feel that me and our group hungrier,” McWhorter said. “We want to prove to people that we can still win a regular season championship and that we’re going to do everything it takes to do that.
“Every game this year you’re going to get a Milwaukee team that’s just as hungry as last year.”
