Your Milwaukee Panthers have seen better days.
AD Braun, in her infinite sports management wisdom decided to withhold the band and cheerleaders from the MBB playoff game. We presume the reason is that she knew there would only be a handful of fans there. But this was still a playoff game. If she is trying to build future student Panther Hoops fans she is doing a horrible job. All of 800 souls (more likely 300) showed up for a game that drew 10,000+ in March 2011. It wasn't very close. UIC handily ran enough of an offense to bury us early and never look back.
What a bizarre and painful trip this '21-'22 Panther season was. In addition to lack of preparation and good coaching, it appears that the team had a major physical altercation in the locker-room after one of the games early this season.
It caused a schism and effectively divided the entire team. No trust, no preparation, no PBJ dominating anything. My oh my. I'm sorry it had to end this way. I wish I could have helped make it better. Sports are unpredictable, especially at the Mid-Major level. It's unfortunate that a fight permanently poisoned the necessary relationships and positive team chemistry that a winning team always has.
Better luck for us, when the AD has changed, the HC has changed and we can start using the OHOW practice center to recruit and rebuild what once was. But this next time, we'll have infrastructure in place to be a consistent contender in the Horizon League, Summit League, Missouri Valley or wherever we wind up.
A genuine thank you, to everyone on the team and everyone who is a part of the program. Coaches, players, support staff, informative parents. You did what you could.
My ire is with Amanda Braun and her slow-motion disintegration of our men's basketball program (NCAA 2005 Sweet 16 participants for those who have long forgotten.).
It's time for everyone to start the next chapter and move on. 💫
Comments