Men's Basketball Preview Part 9: UW-Milwaukee

Nov. 16, 2004

Nov. 16, 2004

This is the ninth in a nine-part series on the 2004-05 Horizon League men's basketball season. Each weekday leading up to the season opener on Nov. 16, www.horizonleague.org will profile a League men's basketball team, beginning with the team picked ninth in the preseason poll on Wednesday, Nov. 3, and ending with the preseason favorite on Tuesday, Nov. 16. The regular season will tip off on Nov. 16, when Wright State plays at Tulsa in the Preseason National Invitation Tournament. All stories are courtesy of their respective school's sports information office.

It doesn't appear to be good news for the rest of the Horizon League.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee won its first-ever Horizon League regular season title a year ago and turned that into the first-ever NIT bid for the school. That marked back-to-back post-season appearances and 20-win campaigns for the Panthers under Bruce Pearl and the emergence of UWM as the top basketball program in the Horizon League. In fact, a quick check of the three years under Pearl shows UWM with a 37-11 record in Horizon League games - the best mark of any league school.

Now, UWM enters the 2004-05 season looking to replace Horizon League Player of the Year Dylan Page, along with fellow departed seniors Nate Mielke and Kalombo Kadima. But, after replacing seven seniors following the 2002-03 season, the task this year appears much less daunting.

In fact, UWM returns 61 percent of its scoring from a year ago and boasts four returning starters. Toss in three transfers who were sidelined last season, a top-75 junior college recruit and more young blood and the Panthers appear poised to make another push toward Horizon League supremacy.

Pearl said from day one on the job in Milwaukee that he planned on competing for a championship every year and he has fully lived up to that promise.

"You just take it one year at a time and you don't look back, you look forward. You find the talent and resources you need. You don't get satisfied. Guys have to improve," Pearl said. "If it was easy to be a champion, anyone could be a champion and I think it's much more difficult to maintain a championship-caliber team at this level because it is so much more difficult to reload in recruiting than it is for the high majors. Nothing is expected of us as far as pre-season prognostications that we don't expect of ourselves.

"There may come a time when, because of youth and inexperience, we take a step back. This is not that time. Our schedule is a reflection of where we want to take this program. We're trying to become a Gonzaga. You can't do that by hitting a home run one year and striking out the next. You do that by going for your third-straight league championship. You do that by going for your third-straight post-season berth. You do that by going for your third-straight 20-win season. That's what our challenge is."

Ed McCants will be the centerpiece for the Panthers in the upcoming season. The 6-foot-3 senior did not disappoint a year ago. After being rated as the second-best junior college shooting guard in the country, McCants averaged 17.1 ppg and set a school record by making 104 three-point shots. In fact, McCants is one of just two returning players nationally to rank in the top 25 in both three-point field goal percentage and three-point field goals per game.

Plus, McCants steadily improved his all-around game last season, averaging 3.5 rebounds per game while tallying 39 steals and 20 blocks. He enters the 2004-05 campaign as the leading candidate for Horizon League Player of the Year honors and with an excellent chance at plenty of national recognition.

"When recruits make choices, often times they'll just go to the highest level. There's no question we are extremely fortunate to have Ed McCants in our program," Pearl said. "At the same time, I think Ed made a wise decision because he realized that there was an opportunity here to be put in a position where we are going to ask him to do a lot of things. Ed came in as a great outside shooter. His game has evolved now into him being more of a scorer where he is putting the ball down on the floor. He is creating contact so he should get to the foul line more. We're trying to get Ed to use his athleticism on the defensive end more. Ed's been a terrific leader. He has totally bought in to the way we play and to the high expectations that we place upon our players."

Hoping to join McCants in the starting backcourt is junior Chris Hill. The 5-foot-10 Chicago native split starting assignments with Kalombo Kadima a season ago, but finished fourth on the team in scoring at 7.3 ppg. The lightning-quick Hill also tied McCants for the team lead in steals with 39.

Joah Tucker made the Horizon League's All-Newcomer Team last season but was disappointed to be left off either of the All-Horizon League teams. He'll get the chance to earn one of those 10 spots this year, returning to the lineup after starting all 31 games a season ago. Tucker averaged 12.5 ppg and 4.8 rpg while shooting just under 50 percent from the field. He played a major role in two of the biggest road wins of the season for the Panthers. He made all eight of his field goal attempts while scoring 20 points at Green Bay and then, a week later, made 10-of-13 shots from the field while totaling 26 points in a win at Detroit. Pearl is expecting Tucker's overall game to be far more developed this year.

"Joah has never been encouraged to develop his perimeter game the way we have encouraged that," Pearl said. "His ability to put the ball down on the floor and create offense, the range in which he has expanded his ability to shoot the basketball and extend the defense, and the fact that defensively he is going to be more of a factor. Joah is one of the toughest players I have ever coached. He is one of the nicest guys off the court, but on the court he will literally take your head off if that's what it takes."

Adrian Tigert appears primed for his best season as a Panther now that he has been completely healthy for nearly a year. Tigert started all 31 games a season ago but was still working his way back from a knee injury that sidelined him for the entire 2002-03 campaign. The junior center averaged 6.1 ppg and 6.4 rpg while leading the team with 110 assists. He capped off last season by grabbing 17 rebounds at Boise State in a NIT contest. Tigert, a member of the Horizon League's All-Newcomer team in 2001-02, shot nearly 59 percent from the field last year and has now started 58 of his 59 career games.

The intense competition for the fifth starting spot, as well as spots in the regular rotation, indicates just how much depth the Panthers will have in 2004-05.

"Because we have only one true freshman, everybody else has played college basketball and, as a result, we are as deep as we have ever been and the style that we choose to play this year will be reflective of that," Pearl said. "We will be much more up-tempo, much more aggressive, we'll be back to pressing like we did two years ago, because we think this gives us our best chance to be successful. I think there are times where this basketball team will be better than last year, but because of the way we're going to play, it probably won't be as consistent."

One angle on the starting five could land junior college transfer Derrick Ford in the lineup. A 6-foot-10 center from Toledo, Ohio, and Olney Community College, he is an imposing figure inside. Ford didn't score much in the JUCO ranks - averaging 5.6 ppg last season - but will provide the Panthers a big boost in rebounding and shot blocking.

But the list of options for the Panther starting five and rotation includes plenty of other names.

Mark Pancratz seems to find his way on the floor and the 2004-05 season should be no exception. A spark on defense, Pancratz averaged 2.4 ppg in his most extensive playing time as a Panther, including a start at Prairie View.

Jason McCoy played a limited role in two seasons at Rutgers but his wingspan and athleticism should have an impact on the Panther rotation. At 6-foot-9, McCoy would rank as the tallest small forward in the Horizon League. He was an all-state performer at Milby High School in Texas.

Derrick Wimmer nearly single-handedly beat the Panthers two years ago when UWM played at Chicago State, but now the Milwaukee-native will join the Panthers after sitting out as a transfer last season. A stellar three-point shooter, Wimmer should see time in the backcourt this season. He started 20-of-30 games for Chicago State two years ago, averaging 10 ppg. He was a second-team all-state performer out of Whitefish Bay Dominican.

Boo Davis sat out last season with a variety of ailments, If healthy this season, the athletic Davis will also fight for time in the backcourt, including possibly the starting point guard spot. He averaged 13.6 ppg and 5.2 rpg in his second season at Olney Community College in 2002-03, knocking in a team-high 69 three-point shots.

James Wright also returns for his final season of eligibility with the Panthers. Wright has been plagued by injuries during his career and appeared in 17 games last season. But, Wright provided a spark to the UWM rotation late in the year and could fight for minutes this season.

Another player in the mix is true freshman Allan Hanson. A 6-foot guard from Wauwatosa East, Hanson was a first-team all-state performer and should compete for time at the point guard position. Hanson averaged more than 16 ppg is his final two seasons of high school while being ranked among the top-five seniors in Wisconsin last year.

"I think one of the other reasons why our guys improve is because we take it one year at a time. Ed McCants has to win his position and so does Joah Tucker. If the manager can outplay him, he'll be in the game. Our guys know that and they've known it since the day I came here," Pearl said. "At this point of the pre-season, I'm a long way from being able to tell you what our starting lineup will be. There are several players who we will look at in multiple positions. Boo Davis will be looked at for the 1, 2 and 3, Jason McCoy will be looked at for the 3 and 4, Mark Pancratz will be looked at for 2 and 3, Adrian Tigert will be looked at for 4 and 5, Derrick Wimmer the 1 and 2. The combinations and the possibilities are endless."

UWM will again be playing a competitive schedule. With one game still to be scheduled, the Panthers have non-conference dates with NCAA Tournament qualifiers Kansas, Wisconsin, Air Force, Manhattan and Valparaiso, plus NIT qualifiers Purdue and St. Louis. UWM will also be involved in ESPN's Bracket Buster event for the third-straight year.

"Seven non-league road games, all against opponents that played in the post-season last year, will be an awesome challenge," Pearl said. "But that's why these players came to UWM. The schedule will get us ready for league play and will provide some opportunities along the way to make history."

The upcoming season will also see UWM play every one of its home games at the U.S. Cellular Arena. Last season, the Panthers played nine regular season and two post-season games downtown, drawing nearly 5,000 fans per game to the Arena and setting regular season and post-season attendance records. The floor at the Arena has also been painted a new coat of black and gold to make the Panthers feel more at home.