Dave Begal tears into Milwaukee Panther basketball

[Mark Miller]

http://www.onmilwaukee.com/sports/ar...asketball.html

Yikes. Harsh, to say the least.

[Markedman]

Pretty much shoots down my theory that Dave Begal and BBFran are the same guy……..

[ge1974]

Good article. However how can Rob Jeter be successful when as Begal writes?

"Bad facilities, inadequate support and changes in administration.".


It doesn't matter how much Jeter makes. It about their school's commitment (or lack thereof) for college basketball. What decent players want to go there? I have seen the same situation with Holy Cross during the past few years in both D-1AA football and basketball (my second school of interest behind MU).

[TheSultan]

At a school like UWM, success is always going to be fleeting. Students don't care enough to invest their time or their money in the program. Donors aren't really all that into it. The larger community doesn't rally behind it like they do at UWGB. You just have to hope for a flash-in-the-pan coach like Pearl and hope he can stay and build something.

OTOH, it is hard simply to tell them to throw in the towel. I mean they did that about 20 years ago at Northeastern Illinois University which was in the MidCon at the time. But UWM doesn't want to be Northeastern Illinois University. They don't want to be Metropolitan State in Minnesota. (Did anyone even know those two universities existed before I mentioned them?) UWM wants to grow into a place with solid academics and respected research. It's pretty much unprecedented for any school to have the vision and the image to do that without athletics. Not saying that the two are necessarily linked, but if you don't have the $$$ for one, you don't have it for the other either.

But they are in a tough spot. No money. Little support. They are what they are.

[Hamostradamus]

I wonder if UWM faculty resist large-scale investment in athletics. UWGB has a young, energetic coach playing an exciting brand of basketball (making less than half of Jeter) and they have increased their profile, so I wonder what built-in hamstring UWM has that that UWGB doesn't.

[TheSultan]

I wonder if UWM faculty resist large-scale investment in athletics. UWGB has a young, energetic coach playing an exciting brand of basketball (making less than half of Jeter) and they have increased their profile, so I wonder what built-in hamstring UWM has that that UWGB doesn't.

I don't think the differences between the programs are all that great. The difference is that one hired a good coach...and the other didn't. But if UWGB has a good year, some MAC or A10 school will likely sweep in and pick up Wardle because they can offer more money. And then they are just one bad hire away from where UWM is now. (And that's exactly where they were just over a decade ago when UWGB won 9 games under Mike Heideman.)

[Cooby Snacks]

I mean they did that about 20 years ago at Northeastern Illinois University which was in the MidCon at the time. But UWM doesn't want to be Northeastern Illinois University. They don't want to be Metropolitan State in Minnesota. (Did anyone even know those two universities existed before I mentioned them?)

Yeah, Marcus West transferred from Northeastern Illinois. But that's seriously the only reason.

[IWB]

First off, while Begal isn't really wrong, I have a hard time reading this from someone who I doubt has attended a UWM game in the past 10 years.

That being said, there are issues, and those issues start with the Administration. How many AD hiring mistakes did they make? And each time they bypassed several good candidates. Look at the new AD hire. I'm sure she's talented, she may be just what they needed, but when the A-10, the MVC and others were going through massive changes, and those conferences were in position to expand - UWM hire an AD that wouldn't be able to start for another 2 months. They needed UWM would have been the choice of any of those conferences, but the market size of Milwaukee should have had them in the discussion at a minimum.

Next - Rob Jeter - He is a tough one to fire, and hire. He has the state pension. I was told that was one of the stumbling blocks with another school that wanted him, they wouldn't match or even touch what he had built up in his pension fund. Maybe that was just an excuse, but that is what I was told. Hard to fire him, he has three years left on his contract. Why does he have such a lengthy contract? Not sure.

Look at the entire facility question - sure, the economy is in the tank and that was a setback, but this debate has been out there for 10 years now, and still no one had put their foot on top of the shovel. They need a facility - on or near campus. They have gone to great lengths to expand student housing, but have yet to break ground on anything.

Finally - look at what they have done to their students' fund. The students voted to add additional fees to their tuition for a football program. It was put in three(?) years ago. They have been collecting for that. Should be more than a few million in that coffer by now (Jimmy Lemke would know the number), but nothing has been done.

It all boils down to leadership, or a lack thereof, from the university all the way down to the athletic department.

It's a mess, and it shouldn't be. UWM should be relevant. They should be competitive. But they are not. Do I want them to beat MU? Hell no, but I think it would be great if they were at the same level as a Northern Iowa or Southern Illinois, but until they get their heads out of the sand, they won't even be close.

[MUBasketball]

C'mon people, that was a completely moronic article.

What's his point? They only get a few thousand fans at the games and haven't had sustained success lately? OK, well, there are 350+ Division I programs in the country. A majority of these programs play in front of a few thousand people each game and don't have sustained success. Should all those schools fold their programs as well?

Just silly.

[IWB]

Agree MU, and as I said, especially because Begel doesn't go to anything - but they do have issues that need to be addressed, and that is said every year, yet nothing is ever addressed.