Welcome to Milwaukee, Coach Lundy.
ESPN confirmed Friday evening that Bart Lundy, coach of Queens University in Charlotte, NC will take over the Milwaukee Panther program and presumably be our coach for the next several years as it is initially, a 5-year contract.
Lundy has had two stints as head coach of the D-II Queens Royals- one preceding and one following a relatively mediocre tenure as the head coach at High Point (he was, at 31, the youngest ever to be head coach of a DI program). He has however, coached Queens to two Division II Final Fours and nine NCAA tournament appearances over 14 seasons. Lundy's overall record in DII is an eye-popping 303-99 (.754 win pct.). 👀
That (is DII yes, but)- nothing to roll the eyes about. Lundy knows how to coach his teams to win, that much is for sure.
A lot of mixed responses from the core of the Panther fan base that discusses the goings on of the Milwaukee Panthers regularly:
"The crowd goes mild" 😐
"I would've taken McCollum or Howlett over Lundy."
"Bart Lundy is going to look like John Wooden next to Pat Baldwin."
Lundy will have tough sledding resurrecting a dormant hoops program that once was the crown jewel of the University and its sole outlet for Panther student and alumni pride. Let's pray that Lundy can hire a great staff and get the support that Baldwin, Jordan and Jeter never did.
I've said it many times and I'll say it again: it takes a village. We as a fan base have done about all we can to illuminate the systemic problems (ie. the UWM Athletic Director reports to "Director of Student Affairs" unlike any other DI program) and what the Uni and/or AD needs to do to fix them.
If you want to make your men's hoops program a priority- and that is most definitely Milwaukee's only avenue for relevancy in the NCAA- you ought to start acting like it. Through actions, not empty slogans, empty initiatives and directionless directives.
Coach Lundy will be instrumental in building that metaphorical "village" and getting Panther fans to buy back in and get the Milwaukee brand buzzing again like 2014 or better yet like 2005, but in a more permanent, long-term way. The priority right now is to retain the players we can and develop them and begin to develop Wisconsin and Midwest recruiting channels- immediately. The Wisconsin State Tourney is a great place to plant the Milwaukee flag and declare a new, more serious Panther Basketball era in earnest.
If done correctly, the next time we hire a head coach, it will be due to Lundy's departure from Milwaukee to a bigger opportunity in the B1G, ACC, SEC, or Big East. And that'll make the Milwaukee job a lot more attractive than it probably was when this job posting went out after Baldwin was let go following our 10-22 ooof of a '21-'22 season.
It takes a village- are we willing to be that village and do what it takes?
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