Men's Basketball Preview - Part 3: UW-Milwaukee

Nov. 1, 2006

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team will have a new look in the 2006-07 season.

In fact, that's a huge understatement. UWM's roster includes 15 players in their first or second years in Milwaukee, with a number of newcomers on the brink of cracking into the starting lineup. Plus, with all five starters from last season having graduated, the Panthers are assured of having an entirely new starting five this year.

All of those facts lead to the conventional wisdom the Panthers are poised for a step back in the Horizon League. But, a closer look at the group assembled in Milwaukee points toward a great opportunity to exceed those expectations. And, don't for a moment think the Panthers aren't setting their own expectations high and doing everything they can to defend their three-straight Horizon League regular season titles.

UWM believes it has assembled an extremely talented group of players, combining four returnees with a high-level collection of newcomers. The returnees include two seniors and two juniors, with Avery Smith and Allan Hanson appearing in every game last season. The impact newcomers are highlighted by Northern Illinois transfer Paige Paulsen, 2005 Milwaukee City Conference Player of the Year Ricky Franklin and junior-college transfer Marcus Skinner.

It should all add up to an intriguing year for the Panthers, who are trying to turn their new look into the same old success the program has enjoyed.

UWM's group of returnees start with the two-member senior class. Kevin Massiah is in his second season at UWM after stints at Western Kentucky and Schoolcraft CC. Nick Hansen, meanwhile, has earned a scholarship this season after playing his first three years at UWM as a walk-on.

"One thing you can't measure is tradition. With tradition comes expectation, and with expectations you always have that next class coming out wanting to continue the program in the direction it has been heading. You want to keep it going," UWM head coach Rob Jeter said. "When I look at Nick and Kevin, I see two young men totally dedicated to getting themselves ready physically. Both have come back ready to go and I really see them being more vocal with some of the younger guys. They are going to be a big part of our success this year because of their work on and off the court."

The story of Hansen, who has made contributions in each of the last two years, is a happy one for Jeter. He truly sees that Hansen has earned his scholarship and the chance for playing time this year.

"Nick really went into this summer and dedicated himself to becoming a better basketball player no matter what," Jeter said. "Even if he didn't have a scholarship, he was going to get himself ready to help this team. That kind of attitude is a special attitude, knowing he was paying for his school and it was his last year and yet he was still willing to get himself in the best shape possible and be ready to compete."

Massiah, meanwhile, will be looked at to provide depth inside. Jeter is hopeful he will develop by spending a second-consecutive year in Milwaukee.

"Kevin has finally had a chance to settle in somewhere," Jeter said. "He's bounced around a little bit and with him coming back and being a leader, this is exactly what he needs to get comfortable and call someplace home. I think he's ready."

UWM's other two scholarship returnees are backcourt mates Hanson and Smith. The two were part of the regular rotation a season ago, with Smith averaging 4.7 points per game and Hanson shooting 46.7 percent from three-point range. While the two are definitely in battles to earn a spot in the starting lineup, Jeter sees the pair doing the right things to claim prominent spots in the Panther rotation.

"I see it in the maturity with which they are handling the preseason workouts. You can see them really pushing themselves and pushing the younger players to work even harder, so that is a good sign," Jeter said. "On the basketball court, it is all about decision-making and doing the right things, and they are making better decisions than they were last year. It is their time because they are veteran returning players. Now, it is about getting them settled into their roles. I really like the fact they are really pushing themselves and their maturity is showing up in the preseason. That is only going to carry over into the rest of the year."

Clearly, though, UWM will be counting heavily upon a highly-touted group of newcomers to make a major difference in 2006-07. The leader of that newcomer group is Paulsen, who played two seasons at Northern Illinois before sitting out last season in Milwaukee. His Division I collegiate experience, as well as his experience in the program, makes the former South Dakota Mr. Basketball a key component in the mix for this season.

"It is so important that he has college experience, both at Northern Illinois and with us in practice last year, because we are going to need his experience," Jeter said. "We have returning players, but not all of them were on scholarship and not all of them saw a lot of minutes, so we need some veteran leadership. Although Paige will be a first-year player for us, he is still a veteran."

Jeter is also excited about the talent and style Paulsen will bring to the floor.

"He is talented because he is so versatile," Jeter said. "At 6-7, he can definitely play an inside position, but with his ball skills on the perimeter he can play on the outside. He should be a difficult matchup for an inside player. I think the fact that he's played two years of college basketball should allow him to step in and play, and we're going to expect a lot out of him."

UWM's other interior newcomers bring junior-college experience with them to Milwaukee. Skinner played the last two seasons at Mott Community College and has been extremely impressive in preseason workouts. Sam Mauldin, meanwhile, played at Shelton State in Alabama before sitting out last season at Birmingham Southern with an injury. If healthy, he'll be another important addition to the mix in Milwaukee.

"Both Marcus and Sam have junior-college experience, so they should be able to provide more of the experience this team needs," Jeter said. "Both young men are very athletic and both are very strong. Sam at 6-9, 240 really gives us that bulk - he has very nice size. Marcus at 6-6, 230 is very fast and can really move. For us, it is always about matchups, and those two guys are going to be difficult to guard because of their versatility. Even Sam, at his size, is not bad out on the perimeter and can create some matchup problems there. I like those two guys."

The bulk of UWM's newcomers are expected to make their presence known in the backcourt. Franklin, an all-state performer in high school who was ranked as the third-best player in Wisconsin as a senior, is eligible this season and appears destined for a spot in the starting lineup. Other additions include Charlie Swiggett, who played this past season at Notre Dame Prep, and Roman Gentry, the Iowa Class 4A Player of the Year. The talents of this group, in addition to the return of Smith and Hanson, have the Panthers likely to field a number of three-guard lineups.

"If you take a look at college basketball, guards really dominate the play. I think we're going to be able to use it to our advantage because we're really going to be able to put pressure on people," Jeter said. "In a full-court press, we're really going to be able to get out and extend and really get after people because we're going to have a lot of bodies. We also play an offense that puts four guys on the perimeter, so now we're going to have three or four guys on the perimeter at all times that can all make decisions, handle the ball and attack from the wing. It will make us much more difficult to guard."

In addition to all of the players noted above, junior Michael Bendall and freshmen Kaylan Anderson and Ryan Thornton are also poised to make a push for time in the rotation. It means Jeter has plenty of choices in making up his rotation, and it has provided for plenty of competition in practice.

"Right now, I probably could pick four or five guys who have started to separate themselves, but we're going to need at least eight or nine. I would also say I could probably pick 11 that have a chance to be in that group and that we're really looking at, so there is no question we have a lot of talented options," Jeter said. "Opportunities are available for everyone, and everyone has a chance this year. I thought last year people kind of settled in and knew the seven seniors were going to play and that it was their time. This year, I think everyone sees an opportunity to play and that's why it has been so competitive."

The large number of choices for the playing rotation also means the Panthers could use a variety of starting lineups, especially early in the season.

"This year is going to be a little different than most. Right now guys are starting to position themselves in front of other guys, but there are guys right behind them every day. For us, we're going to put the best five guys on the floor to start the year, and then it is up to those guys to continue to stay there or to have other guys push past them," Jeter said. "If everyone is giving us exactly what we want, there will be plenty of opportunities for all of them to play. Last year, we didn't change the starting lineup until there was an injury. This year, I think that starting lineup could change a little more throughout the year."

Mixing in a large number of new players can be challenging, but that process actually started this summer, with most of UWM's newcomers already on campus. It gave them a chance to spend time with the returnees and those that sat out last season, meaning a relationship was formed long before preseason conditioning began in September.

"This is where you really start to see the development of a program, when you have guys that have already been through what we are asking them to do," Jeter said. "You can see the returning players take more of an active role in teaching the newer players about how things are done here - how drills are done and how we want things done. Last year was difficult because we were teaching everyone. This year, you can see the older guys really taking the younger guys under their wing and teaching them."

One thing Jeter and the coaches have worked hard at this preseason is helping the new players understand the rigors will face in Division I college basketball.

"With last year's team, we didn't have to worry about really making sure the guys would be mentally and physically prepared for the season. Because of their maturity and their age, they knew what to expect and they knew how to get their bodies ready for the season," Jeter said. "With a younger group, we have to do more with the mental part of it and really get them to understand why it's important to work as hard as you can work all the time. Because they are young players, and because of their lack of experience, they don't completely understand that."

UWM's young troops will be challenged by what is likely the most difficult non-league schedule in the Horizon League. The Panthers start the year by hosting the John Thompson Foundation Classic, which includes Washington State and UAB. UWM also has games at Michigan, Wisconsin, Northern Iowa and Missouri State - all postseason teams from a year ago, plus the usual Horizon League slate.

"It obviously is one of the most challenging schedules this program has ever faced. But, with what this program has accomplished, it is also the high-level schedule we should be playing," Jeter said. "Young or not, we are aiming to prepare our team to defend its conference championship. There's no question our focus is on the league, and the league is very strong this year. Expectations won't be quite as high for us, but we need to prepare this team to play at a championship level."

Story provided by the UW-Milwaukee Sports Information Office.