Well this season is getting more and more fun as our program is being kept on virtual lockdown of sorts from being able to play any kind of a normal basketball season. Everyone is affected, but the Panthers have been particularly stung by COVID cancellations.
First it was our own program's bout with the virus which led to the cancellation of the season-opening MTE that Milwaukee was to host last November. Then UIC had an outbreak which cancelled that series.
Then, just this past weekend we got to play RMU- at least for 1 game. Only to find out today that they have more cases. Including guys who played against us on Friday night. How awesome of them to invite us as if all was "well and good again" (after initially telling us both games were going to be called of off Thursday????? 😡...).
1/1/2021 @ Robert Morris | Milwaukee 64 Robert Morris 67
Your Milwaukee Panthers had a chance. A big, big chance to erase some expensive mistakes. A huge chance to continue our winning ways in the closing seconds at Bobby Mo with the final possession and a chance for the final shot.
Yet we were foiled.
Turned up, turned over, fried up, toast. We lost again (like K-State and all 6 painful games to end last season)- when we had everything to win. Keep in mind that this was against a team coached by a HC (Andrew Toole) in his 11th season with that program, and that Robert Morris Hoops arrived to the Horizon League coming off an NEC Championship.
Milwaukee asserted control for a key stretch of the 2nd half- from 12:20 to the 4:00 minute mark- before relinquishing control to the Colonials when it mattered most. Still we had shot after shot (and shot brick after brick 🧱).
Grant Coleman and DeAndre Gholston almost kept us in the game with their 3pt shooting alone making 5-9 and 4-8 from long range, respectively). But that was never going to be enough. Our overall shooting was horrifying (33.9% on 19-56) and those not named Coleman or Gholston were stuck in the mode of adding to long strings of fruitless 3pt attempts that probably should have been cut short long before they affected so many possessions.
Lucas had a bad night when he could have pushed us to a win on an average night. In fact he had a game-tying possession chance get stolen from him in the waning seconds which effectively ended the game at 67-64 in favor of the Colonials. But we cannot rely on Te'Jon to do everything. We need all 9 to 12 guys firing on each and every cylinder each night.
We aren't there yet.
AJ Bramah showed why he is one of the best in the Horizon by putting up 20 and generally being the leader RMU needed several times when Milwaukee went up by 4 and 5 and 6 allowing them to keep it close throughout and then close in to capture and keep the lead and then the game- what looked pretty clearly to be our W for the losing.
This was a really tough loss. We thought we'd have a chance to get revenge quick and knock off RMU today... but a normal road trip? What are those anyway? It has been a long time since anything other than brushing our teeth was "normal".
1/2/2021 @ Robert Morris | ****Cancelled****
...hoping for good news soon, and games, esp. rescheduled games. Let's try to all stay positive, Panther fans. Indeed the fact that we are able to safely play any games at all is a blessing from many perspectives.
Most of us are giving up hope of having any fans in the stands this season but if the COVID rates fall by Fall 2021 I think you can bet your last 5 bucks that Panther Arena will be the place to be for as many people as are allowed (if capacity limits are still in force- if there are no limits, than we could easily see 5,000-7,000+ people a game; Milwaukeeans starving for great sports entertainment have a lot of pent up demand and saved dollars to spend downtown before and after our games.. 👀😎).
Do you know how much people will be dying to get out and do stuff next Fall? (and how affordable Milwaukee Panthers games are compared to every other sports option in the city?). Save that extra $30 for Goolsby's and come see the Panthers wreck narratives and set records. Those will be fun nights for college basketball in the great City of Milwaukee.
The rapid distribution of the vaccines (we'll get there), and naturally occurring herd immunity eventually will wipeout the ability for COVID to spread and spread and spread and cause us so much uncertainty and pain. Some of that pain is losing this game we love so much. Some of that pain is losing a loved one.
Let's all coordinate regardless of our political views. Nothing will be more uplifting for all boats than watching not just America- but the entire world- obsolete COVID and return to our normal way of functioning as societies and communities.
And let's get back to Milwaukee Panther Basketball. Detroit (1-7 (0-4)) is supposed to be up next this coming Friday and Saturday in Milwaukee at the Klotsche Center. Let's hope the virus stays away long enough for this next series to happen.
We've business to take care of. We are out to lead the Horizon. Too long have we been perched on the sidelines watching Wright State and Northern Kentucky run this league. No more of that.
God willing, this coming weekend, we begin to carve out a leader's mentality and show the League that our aim is for the crown- not the silly Twitter likes, RT's and catchy-stolen-screwed-up-lingo comments.
I repeat: our aim is the HLT (esp.) Tourney crown 👑- full stoppage of all other discussion, punctuation or explanation. Now let's go and get it as soon as we can take the floor again.
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