Roar Report: Spring 2022-23

MILWAUKEE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

CHRIS ZILLS

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS & MULTIMEDIA

SEAN ENGEL

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

RACHEL KLEMP

LAYOUT DESIGNER

GARY D’AMATO

FEATURE WRITER

DEB LOGAN

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP

MILWAUKEE PANTHER SPORTS PROPERTIES

PHOTOGRAPHY

LEN CEDERHOLM, SPIRIT HESSE, REILLY HALL, RACHEL KLEMP, RACHEL VON STROUP, AND STEVE WOLTMAN

CREATIVE SERVICES

BLAIR WEBER, GIANNA LAPERNE, SPENCER JACOBS, AND REILLY HALL

08 SPORT UPDATES

Men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s tennis, swim & dive, men’s baseball, and track & field.

16 STACKING GOOD DAYS

30

by Gary D’Amato

Head coach Bart Lundy made quite the impression in his first 12 months on campus - starting with an 11-game improvement from the prior season while ending the campaign with Milwaukee’s first postseason appearance in nine years.

BJ FREEMAN: THIS IS MY CITY!

A lot has changed around BJ Freeman in the past year, but basketball remains the same. Read about how the highscoring sophomore quickly adapted to the program and fell in love with his new hometown of Milwaukee.

24

36

Q&A WITH MEGAN WALSTAD

Get to know women’s basketball graduate student Megan Walstad and what brought her to Milwaukee.

KELLER CHASES PROFESSIONAL

DREAMS

ACROSS THE GLOBE

Get caught up on what MKE baseball alumni Brian Keller is up to as the 2016 Horizon League Pitcher of the Year heads to the highest level of baseball in Japan after signing a contract to play baseball for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball.

WHAT’S INSIDE

LIGHT UP THE HYPE

AHMAD RANNND!

Ahmad Rand participated in the King’s Hawaiian Slam Dunk Championship at the 34th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships in Houston as part of Final Four festivities. In addition to advancing to the semifinals of the dunk contest, Rand also teamed with Kate Mager (Iona) and Darius McGhee (Liberty) to win the Applebees Team Shootout at the event.

PHOTO BY STEVE WOLTMAN

LIGHT UP THE HYPE

BLOCK TO SHOCK

Natalie Block was named Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year as she set new program records in the 200m, 300m, and 400m Dashes, as well as the 60m Hurdles at the Horizon League Indoor Track & Field Championships.

PHOTO BY RACHEL VON STROUP

The Milwaukee men’s basketball team had a year to remember, playing into the postseason for the first time since 2014 while also winning a game in the postseason for the first time since 2006.

Bart Lundy made quite an impression, tying the program record for wins by a first-year head coach with his 22 victories, finishing 22-12 just 12 months removed from the Panthers going 1022. In addition, MKE tied the school record with 14 conference victories (set in 2004-05) and also finished an impressive 15-3 in home games, equaling the program mark for most victories on their home court (15-0 in 2004-05).

The team was led offensively by BJ Freeman, who was named Second Team All-Horizon League after a campaign in which he averaged 18.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, finishing fifth in the Horizon League in scoring. His 2.3 made 3’s per game finished sixth in the conference and his 18.2 ppg average was the highest for a Panther since 2003-04.

He put up a streak of six straight games of 20-plus points in January and put together just the fifth triple-double

in school history against Purdue Fort Wayne on February 23, posting a 19 point/12 rebound/11 assist outburst.

He closed the season against Stetson with a career-high 43 points, setting a new College Basketball Invitational single-game record and a tie for the second-most points in a game in school history. It marked the first 40-point outing for a Panther in over 20 years (and just the seventh all-time), the last coming from Clay Tucker when he recorded 40 against Wright State in December of 2003.

The record book will need plenty of edits. In the end, the team set new programs records with its 186 blocked shots (record was 125), 2,659 total points (was 2,618), 944 field-goals made (879), 2,062 field-goal attempts (1,950), 1,330 total rebounds (1,241), 39.1 rpg average (38.4), as well as Top 5 marks in numerous other categories.

Ahmad Rand set the school record with his 72 total blocks (was 54), an average of 2.1 per game on his way to being named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year. Rounding out the list of award winners was Elijah Jamison, who was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team.

The Milwaukee women’s basketball team posted an 11-win campaign with eight of those coming in Horizon League play including a conferenceopening win over eventual leaguechampion Green Bay in early December.

Later in the month the team posted arguably its best-ever defensive stand in a 63-29 win over Detroit Mercy, as the Panthers allowed a program-best 29 points, while also holding the Titans to just 17.5 percent from the field and seven total field goals.

As the calendar shifted to 2023, the Panthers had a stretch of five games where five players reached new career highs in points scored as Emma Wittmershaus had 25 against IUPUI on January 28, Kendall Nead had 30 at Oakland (Feb. 3), Jada Donaldson netted 16 at Detroit Mercy (Feb. 5), while Grace Crowley picked up 19 and Anna Lutz added 16 against Northern Kentucky (Feb. 12).

The stretch culminated with a total team effort as the Panthers picked off league-favorite Youngstown State in mid-February with a dominant 75-54 victory over the Penguins. Milwaukee sank 14 three-point baskets, led by Angie Cera with six three-pointers

made.

The team qualified for postseason play as the seventh seed and knocked off Robert Morris in the opening-round game to advance to the quarterfinals at Cleveland State. In the quarterfinal matchup Megan Walstad posted a career-best 30 points on a career-high 12 field goals including a new careerhigh of four three-pointers.

Walstad was named to the Horizon League All-Defensive team for the third consecutive season following her regular season in which she led the team in rebounding and blocks. Kamy Peppler also earned postseason accolades as a member of the AllFreshman team, leading all Horizon League rookies in three-pointers made and assists during her first collegiate season.

Walstad finished her career ninth all-time in scoring (1,394), second in defensive rebounds (661), third in rebounds, rebounding average and blocks (909/7.7/165), fourth in field goal percentage and free throw percentage (50.0/85.2), and fifth all-time in games played (114) and double-doubles (25).

The Milwaukee swimming & diving teams closed out the campaign at the Horizon League Championships in late February, with the women leading the way with a third-place finish at the IUPUI Natatorium.

A pair of individual Horizon League titles led the major highlights, with Makaila Scheiblein claiming the individual title in the 200 breaststroke and Riley Melendy the 100 backstroke.

Runner-up finishes were accomplished by Mara Freeman in the 100 back, the women’s 200 medley relay team (Molly Meland, Scheiblein, Erika Thomas, Nhia Caras), Scheiblein in the 100 breaststroke, and Jared Kleczka in the men’s 3-meter diving event.

Jay Jensen made school history in the 400 IM, breaking the eight-year old record in claiming third place in the event.

The Panthers got podium finishes from Julie Rebek in 3-meter diving, Kleczka in the 1-meter event, and from the women’s 400 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay teams to round out some of the major accomplishments.

Lastly, consolation championships were claimed by Lucy Borlase in the 200 breaststroke, both Bri Zablocki and Zach McClellan in the 200 butterfly, and Zablocki again in the 200 IM.

The Milwaukee women’s tennis team is in the middle of its dual spring season following a successful fall slate. The team sits at 6-9 overall heading into the Horizon League season, which includes an impressive 6-2 mark at home.

Milwaukee competed in five different tournaments in the fall, visiting Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan, in addition to an event in-state. Alice Shields went 10-4 to pace the Panthers in singles victories during the fall slate, while Shields and Nadiia Konieva both went 9-6 to top doubles action.

This spring, Konieva and Girogia Cavestro were named the Nike #HLTennis Women’s Doubles Team of the Week March 8 and Babette Burgersdijk and Sara Simonova named the Nike #HLTennis Women’s Doubles Team of the Week Feb. 15. Overall in the spring dual season, Konieva leads the way with eight

individual victories (9-4 record), while Shields has eight (8-3). In doubles, Shields/Iva Stejskalova have six wins (6-2), while Cavestro/Konieva also have seven (7-4).

Despite weather impacting each of the first six weekends of the season, the Panthers are off to a 9-12 start thus far in the early stages of the year.

The Panthers won each of their first two series by taking 2-of-3 from both North Alabama and Pacific, before knocking off Minnesota at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis by a 3-0 score.

Milwaukee has played just three games at home after starting the season on a 9,207-mile road trip, going 2-1 at Franklin Field with wins over Concordia Wisconsin and Youngstown State.

The team has nine home games scheduled for the month of April, culminating with a return trip to American Family Field on April 26.

Milwaukee has another eight home games in May, capped off by Senior Day and Alumni Day during the regular season finale on May 20.

Pitching has led the way for the Panthers thus far on the season with a conference-leading 4.93 ERA and the second-most strikeouts in the league with 184.

Front-line starters Riley Frey and Luke Hansel lead the way as the pair are in the top-three in innings pitched and topfive in strikeouts in the Horizon League. The back end of games has been hammered down by returners Nate DeYoung and Nick Gilhaus along with newcomers Sam Mathews and Mike Sullivan.

The offense has been spread evenly among the upperclassmen-heavy lineup. Luke Seidel leads the team in runs scored (14) and stolen bases (12), Mark Connelly is the team leader in hits (25) and RBIs (14), with Aaron Chapman leading the team in batting average (.338) and on-base percentage (.434). DeYoung and Jack Thelen lead the offense with three home runs apiece.

The Milwaukee track & field teams wrapped up the indoor season and are gearing up for another outdoor campaign beginning in late March. The indoor season was successful once again for the Panthers culminating with a runner-up finish for the women’s program and a third-place finish for the men’s team.

Milwaukee was led by Alfreeda Goff Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year Natalie Block, who re-wrote the record book throughout the season including new program marks in the 200-, 300-, and 400-meter dashes, while also setting the new program-best in the 60-meter hurdles.

Block won two individual crowns at the Horizon League Championships in the 60-meter hurdles and the 400-meter dash. Lauren Lietzke also won a pair of championships as she won the shot put and the weight throw to secure 20 important points to the Panther team score.

Kate Watson cruised to an individual title in the pole vault, as she cleared a program and Horizon League Championship record of 4.05 meters. The distance medley team of Alayna

Franson, Brittany Helm, Rachel Helm, and Ally Schmitz also took first, winning the title by just two one-hundredths of a second.

Four program records fell for the men’s program this year as Austin Wallace set a new program mark in the heptathlon as he recorded 5736 points over seven events in late January.

Golden Cotton set a new program mark in the 60-meter dash, while Trevor Wenzel took the top spot all-time in the 5,000-meter run. Caleb Rogalski set a new program record in the weight throw with a toss of 19.22 meters at the Horizon League Championships.

Wallace and Rogalski were the team’s individual champions at the conference meet with Wallace taking the top podium spot in the long jump, while Rogalski won the weight throw with his record-seeing performance.

Following the Horizon League Championships in late January, three individuals earned awards as Lietzke and Rogalski were each named Horizon League Field Performers of the Year. Head Coach Andrew Basler was named Co-Head Coach of the Year in Women’s Indoor Track & Field.

STACKING GOOD DAYS.

with Gary D’Amato

wWe’ll get to the end in a bit, the part where the Milwaukee’s men’s basketball team made its first postseason appearance since 2014, won its first postseason game in 17 years and finished the 2022-23 season with a 22-12 record and numerous edits to the record book.

All that, one year after going 10-22.

First, though, let’s go back to September, because what happened then, in the Klotsche Center and far removed from the limelight, laid the foundation for a season that caught almost everyone outside the program by surprise.

First-year coach Bart Lundy had inherited a team that really wasn’t a team. It was a collection of transfers, freshmen and three returning players, only one of whom had started more than four games in a Panthers uniform.

“I was all over the place emotionally,” said redshirt sophomore Markeith Browning, one of the returnees. “I looked at it like a fresh start. I saw a lot of opportunity of what we could do. But we were so young and so brand new to each other, it could have easily turned into a disaster.”

Job 1 for Lundy was to foster a winning culture. After six consecutive losing seasons and a coaching carousel that saw Rob Jeter leave and LaVall Jordan and Pat Baldwin come

and go, nothing was more important than getting his players to believe in themselves and each other.

The means to that end was September’s “boot camp,” a concept Lundy borrowed from former Marquette University coach Buzz Williams when Lundy was an assistant there (2009-12). Lundy brought boot camp to the University of North Texas and then to Queens University, where he led the Royals to a 30-4 record and a seventh consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in 2021-22.

Boot camp is so important to Lundy that he sacrificed preseason practice time to hold it. The camp consisted of nine conditioning and team-building sessions over two weeks, with each session more difficult than the one before it.

“It’s basically all or nothing,” Lundy explained. “Everybody’s got to make whatever we’re doing or the whole team fails. So they’ve got to figure out how to get the slow guys with the fast guys and who’s tired and who’s a little more fresh. And you’ve got to do that all under stress.

“Some of it is drills. Some of it is running. It’s all basketball-related and it’s all in the gym. Ultimately, it’s conditioning. But it’s as much teambuilding as it is physical. It’s very difficult. And to do it with 17 guys who had zero corporate knowledge, it was tough for them.”

The Panthers emerged from boot camp in elite shape. They were ready to run opponents out of the gym. More importantly, they were a band of brothers.

“They looked like they liked each other,” Lundy said. “I do think it’s important, especially if you have this many new guys. You get guys who have been around each other for a long time, maybe they can win without chemistry. But a bunch of new guys, I thought it was important.”

All the conditioning and chemistry in the world doesn’t matter if a roster is bereft of

talent, but the Panthers had some intriguing pieces.

Browning led Coffeyville Community College to a national JUCO title one year before arriving at UWM. Vin Baker Jr. and Moses Bol, the other two returning players, supplied length and veteran leadership.

BJ Freeman, a skilled guard-forward, was a prolific scorer and facilitator in high school and at Dodge City Community College. Kentrell Pullian was the 2022 Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year at Eastern New Mexico.

And Ahmad Rand, a walkon who had transferred from Oregon State, brought with him what Liam Neeson would describe as “a very particular set of skills.” The 6-foot-8 senior was a ferocious rim protector and shot-blocker and would account for 69 of the Panthers’ 123 dunks and 72 of a program-record 186 blocks.

Still, there were bound to be some growing pains early in the season. After November losses at Iowa State and at home against St. Thomas (Minn.), Milwaukee’s record stood at 2-3.

Then the Panthers hosted a

“I do think it’s important, especially if you have this many new guys. You get guys who have been around each other for a long time, maybe they can win without chemistry. But a bunch of new guys, I thought it was important.”

-Head Coach Bart Lundy

multi-team event, the Cream City Classic, and beat all three opponents (UC Davis, Boston University and Southeast Missouri State). A light went on.

“That first game against UC Davis, who was a really good team, we hit a buzzer-beater to win,” Lundy said of Justin Thomas’ three-pointer as time expired. “I thought that shot and those subsequent wins really propelled us and gave us the confidence that, hey, we can win as a group. I don’t know that they believed that before those three days.”

By now, the players had bought in to Lundy’s system and were playing a fast-paced, exciting brand of basketball.

“He’s a really simple coach,” Browning said. “He doesn’t ask for a whole lot. He just asks that everybody play their role, be the best at your role. It was pretty easy for us to buy in. He wants to play fast. Everybody wants to play fast. It’s a fun style.”

After the St. Thomas game, the Panthers lost just twice more at home (and finished 15-3). On March 2, they beat Wright State, 87-70, at

a rocking Klotsche Center in the semifinals of the Barbasol Horizon League Tournament.

“That last game at the ‘K’ — I’ve never seen anything like it,” Browning said of the electric atmosphere, something that had been lacking in recent years. “The fans were always here, but they were waiting on us. You’ve got to give them something to cheer for.”

Milwaukee lost to Cleveland State, 93-80, in the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament but then accepted an invitation to play in the 2023 Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational in

Daytona Beach, Fla.

“I think it’s a huge step,” Lundy said of Milwaukee’s first postseason appearance in nine years. “It’s symbolic of where we want to go.”

On March 19, in a first-round game against Stetson, Freeman exploded for a career-high 43 points in a thrilling 8783 overtime victory. It was a CBI record and tied for the second-most points in a game in school history, trailing only Von McDade’s 50-point performance in December 1990.

The season ended with a 76-65 loss to eventualchampion Charlotte in the CBI quarterfinals, but the Panthers had exceeded even the wildest of expectations with a 12-win improvement over the previous year and school records for total points, field goals made and attempted and total rebounds.

Freeman averaged a team-high 18.2 points and 5.1 rebounds for the season and made 133

of 160 free-throw attempts (.831). Thomas led the Panthers with 98 assists and 40 steals and shot .429 from behind the arc. Browning contributed 9.6 points and 5.1 rebounds and shot .460 from the floor. Pullian averaged 10.6 points.

All are expected to be back in 2023-24.

“We want to build on this,” Lundy said. “The core coming

back should get better. And then if you do it the right way and you add good pieces, good character guys, to that core, you continuously get better. But the most difficult thing is to stay relevant and good. Sometimes it’s easier to get there than it is to stay there. But, I mean, we’re going to work.”

Late in the season, the Panthers moved into the Orthopedic Hospital of Wisconsin (OHOW) Center, a sparkling new practice facility for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The 15,000-square-foot building is connected to the Klotsche Center and Pavilion by a skywalk.

“It’s huge,” Lundy said. “Not only the access for our guys but obviously the recruiting aspect. I don’t really believe in an arms race with facilities but I do want our guys to have every possible amenity that they might need to develop to their highest potential. … This facility does a lot of things for our program. It’s game-changing.”

As for Lundy, he lives three minutes from campus in Shorewood and loves everything about his job, the university and the city. Some might consider UWM a steppingstone job. Lundy does not.

“One of my mentors told me that when you take a job, you take it forever,” he said. “Now, I have a contract that has a length on it, so they may not want me forever. But it’s what I told Amanda (Braun, director of athletics): I didn’t come here to look for another job. I came here to build a program. That’s what I pride myself on. I think I’m a builder.

Gary D’Amato, a three-time National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association sportswriter of the year in Wisconsin, joined the Milwaukee Panthers as a feature writer for the Roar Report in September 2018.

“Y’all are stuck with me.”

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One of the most decorated careers in Panther women’s basketball history came to a close in early March as Megan Walstad laced up her shoes one final time for the black and gold.

The Apple Valley, Minnesota-native finished her career with her name scattered throughout the Panther record book as not only a prolific scorer and rebounder, but also proved to be a consistent cog in the Milwaukee starting lineup for each of her four playing seasons with the Panthers.

A true definition of a student-athlete, Walstad backed up her on-court ability with a rare two-time selection as a Horizon League AllAcademic Team member and was also a Horizon League Academic Honor Roll selection in every eligible semester throughout her playing career.

The Roar Report chatted with Walstad to reflect on her time in the Cream City, while also seeing what’s next after already receiving a pair of undergraduate degrees in marketing and psychology, while currently working her Master’s in Business Administration from Milwaukee.

RR: “How did you get started in basketball, and when did you know that playing basketball in college was a reality?”

MW: “I started playing basketball when I was six years old. My dad played basketball growing up and he introduced me to the sport and helped me find

WITH MEGAN WALSTAD

my passion for it. I didn’t think much about college until I was in high school, but I think it became a reality that I could play basketball in college when I started receiving letters from schools and got my first offer.”

RR: “Coming from Minnesota, how did you hear about Milwaukee and what made you ultimately decide to choose Panthers to play college basketball?”

MW: “Before being recruited by the coaching staff at Milwaukee, I didn’t know much about the city. After visiting a few times, I quickly realized how much it had to offer and I became excited about the idea of living there. Ultimately, I chose UWM because of my connection with the coaching staff and team and because I wanted to live in a city that wasn’t too far away from home.”

RR: “You had the chance to start immediately as a freshman, what was it like playing right away and what did you learn from your freshman year moving forward?”

MW: “Playing right away my freshmen year was a little nerve-wracking but I knew

I was ready after training throughout the summer and fall. I had so much support from my family, teammates, and coaches, which made it so much easier. I learned a lot from my freshman year. I learned how to play at a faster pace and against bigger and stronger opponents. There was a learning curve in a lot of areas, but I think allowing myself to make mistakes was the only way I could learn and improve.”

RR: “Talk about the experience of playing during the COVID year in 2020-21, such as playing teams back-to-back, do you think that ultimately helped the team to a 20-win season and a bid to the WNIT?”

MW: “Playing during the 20202021 season was a weird and uncertain time for everyone. We had conversations as a team about staying in the present and taking it one day at a time because we didn’t know if we would be guaranteed another practice or game. I think this mindset helped us have success that year because we were just thankful each day that we got to step on the court with each other. The layout of the season was different with conference games being played back-to-

back, but that was just another thing we adapted too.”

RR: “In your final game as a Panther, you scored a careerhigh 30 points, what was going through your mind during that game when the shots kept falling for you?”

MW: “The main thing going through my mind during that game was just to do anything and everything I could to help my team win. I didn’t want our season and my career to be over, so I was just laying it all out on the line.”

RR: “You were recognized multiple times in your career on the Horizon All-Academic Team, what does winning those academic awards mean to you while also playing basketball at a high level?”

MW: “I have always taken a lot of pride in school, so it was an honor to be recognized for my hard work. Being a student comes first and I think I was able to develop a great routine to stay on top of my schoolwork while competing at a high level.”

RR: “What is your favorite oncourt memory while at UWM?”

MW: “My favorite on-

court memory was beating Marquette in the 2020-2021 season. We dominated the game and I think we surprised a lot of people. I think that game set the tone for our season and helped us gain a lot of confidence. Overall, it was just a really fun day and a memory I will never forget.”

RR: “What was your favorite off-court memory while at UWM?”

MW: “My favorite off-court memory was traveling to new places. Going to New York City over Thanksgiving my second year was my favorite place we traveled to. We went to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and a Broadway musical which were both amazing experiences. I also enjoyed going to San Francisco, Florida, and Nevada.”

RR: “What will you miss most about UWM after you graduate?”

MW: “After I graduate from UWM, I am really going to miss being around such great people every day. Everyone in the athletic department is so friendly and I really enjoyed getting to know different people. I’m going to miss all the fun and new experiences I got through basketball and I’m going to miss seeing my teammates every day.”

RR: “What advice would you give to new student-athletes starting at UWM?”

MW: “The advice I would give to new student athletes is to make the most of your time because it’s going to go by fast. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and don’t get too discouraged when things get tough. Always remember that you’re so much more than your sport and you’re here not only to compete, but to grow as a person and learn.”

It has been quite a remarkable stretch on the basketball court for BJ Freeman.

A year ago, Freeman was playing for Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, Kansas, helping the program to a historic season. The Conquistadors finished 30-5 overall, with the campaign coming to a close in the Elite Eight of the NJCAA Division I National Tournament seeing Freeman average 13.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.

Fast-forward to today and Freeman is all Panther. He’s all-in with the program and the city and is one of the main reasons for the success of the Milwaukee men’s basketball program this winter.

Freeman ended the season as the team’s leading scorer, averaging 18.2 points per game while being named Second-Team All-Horizon League. His name was all over the league leaders, finishing fifth in scoring, while his 2.9 assists per game was 15th, 5.1 rebounds per game was 17th, and his 2.3 made 3’s per game finished sixth. His 18.2 ppg average was the highest for a Panther since Dylan Page (20.9 ppg) in 2003-04.

“I love Milwaukee so much,” Freeman said.

“I love the fans. Every home game I just look into the crowd and it turns me up. I am a crowd-pleaser guy and love interacting with the fans. They keep me going ... just having the fans like that and then bringing Milwaukee basketball back. It’s been a blessing to have.”

It did not come easily. Freeman had to work his way to the top this season and he knows the hard work that went into it. His debut was solid. Playing in front of nearly 15,000 people against Purdue at Mackey Arena, Freeman finished his MKE debut with a team-high 19 points.

“My adrenaline was just so hyped,”

Freeman said of that game against Purdue, a team that would eventually rise to be the No. 1 team in the NCAA this season. “I was just glad to be out on the court with my guys. I had some type of nerves, but with a big crowd like that – I love big crowds – my adrenaline was going. That game didn’t go as planned but we learned a lot from that and it led us to where we are at now.”

Some ups and downs followed, including an early high point with a 23-point outburst against SEMO in late November. Those downs followed, including a stretch of just 11 points combined in three early December contests. Despite the struggles, Freeman remained in the starting lineup until Christmas break, leading to a heart-to-heart with the coaching staff during the holiday break.

“I was still trying to figure out the play style and the game style and what all of the coaches wanted me to do,” Freeman said of that time. “It

was a struggle in the beginning of the season and I had my little slumps and stuff like that. But when we came back from that break, me and Coach Jake (Williams) and Coach Lundy sat down and they told me what they wanted out of me – just go out there and have fun. Coach Lundy said he was going to take me out of the starting lineup.”

His first game off the bench came at Oakland, a big Panther win. He followed that up by tying his career-high with 23 points at Detroit Mercy, helping Milwaukee to its first victory over the Titans since 2018.

Things kept getting more interesting. He scored 24 against Cleveland State the next week, including a threepointer with 1.3 seconds left in regulation that sent the contest to overtime.

“I knew that (coming off the bench) would humble me a bit, but it was way more than I thought it would,” Freeman laughed. “It actually worked, so shoutout to Coach Lundy with the ‘Lundy Magic’ and bringing me back to life.”

He closed January with a flurry – while also making his way back into the starting lineup

– eventually finishing with six consecutive outings of 20-plus points, led by a then careerbest 30 points in a win over Youngstown State. That marked the longest run of 20+ points for a Panther in nearly 30 years, going back to the 1994-95 campaign.

“It felt good,” Freeman said of the scoring spree. “Once I got that first game going and once that first shot falls, the rest falls in place. Just tried to stay in the gym and put in all the work I could to help my team get the win. I was just blessed to have a streak that I did.”

The final outing in that colossal stretch came against Northern Kentucky on January 12, an 80-75 victory that moved the Panthers alone into first place – the latest in a season that the team had been in first place in over a decade.

That game against the Norse was a statement game for the Panthers at the time. With the final minutes ticking away and Freeman scoring again, he ran back on defense and, following the Norse calling a timeout, let out a scream – “This is my city!” he yelled to anyone that would listen, as he soaked in the cheers of the crowd and the atmosphere at UWM

Panther Arena.

The extraordinary season continued … with Freeman doing his part to make the Panthers exciting and mustsee basketball in the city once again. He put together just the fifth triple-double in school history against Purdue Fort Wayne on February 23, dazzling the crowd with a 19 point/12 rebound/11 assist outburst against the Mastodons.

He followed that up with another epic outing in the postseason, lighting up Stetson for a career-high 43 points. His output set a new College Basketball Invitational singlegame record and tied for the second-most points in a game in school history, trailing only the school-record 50-point performance of Von McDade back in December of 1990. It marked the first 40-point outing for a Panther in over 20 years (and just the seventh all-time), the last coming from Clay Tucker when he recorded 40 against Wright State in December of 2003 - a span of 633 games.

The overall program success was a marked turnaround from the past few seasons – the team finished second in the

Horizon League standings and played in the postseason for the first time since 2014 – yet Freeman knows this is just a starting point.

But let’s stop talking about the present and take a step back in this story. It wasn’t always basketball for Freeman. In fact, football was his first true love.

“I played football growing up. Going into my seventh-grade year, it didn’t go as well as I thought it would,” he laughed. “I was playing quarterback and got hit pretty hard. I quit and my Dad and I sat down and said ‘what do you think your true sport should be’ and I said basketball. Ever since then, it’s

been in a gym, working on my craft and trying to get better day by day.”

His high school hoops career was very successful. After helping Clayton High School (N.C.) to a 26-3 record as a junior while putting up huge statistics of 20.6 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, Freeman spent his senior season of high school at Moravian Prep (N.C.). MaxPreps.com had him listed at No. 44 in the state of North Carolina at the time. Basketball was his future.

“I couldn’t play my final year in the public school I was at,” Freeman said. “I had a really

good relationship with Coach (Jeremy) Ellis at Moravian – he was one of my mentors. He talked to me after the season I had some good numbers. He said he saw something in me so I sat down with him and everything took off from there.”

The next step was college … playing for a head coach who would become a familiar name in Milwaukee this year – Jake Williams.

“Coach Ellis had a good relationship with Coach Williams,” Freeman said. “I was originally supposed to go to Virginia Tech, but that didn’t work out. Coach Williams kept in touch with me and I felt like

it was right to put my trust in Coach Jake.”

Thirty wins later, the choice turned out to be the right one.

“We won our region and made it to the Elite Eight,” he said. “The JUCO vibe … it’s a struggle down there in JUCO. Have to stay in the gym 24/7 and I feel like that made me more humble and put in the extra work. Nothing really to do in Dodge City, Kansas, so I had no choice but to stay in the gym.”

Following that successful freshman campaign, Freeman knew the next step was NCAA Division I basketball. He immediately knew Milwaukee was the right place.

“I actually committed before Coach Williams announced he was coming to Milwaukee,” Freeman said. “I felt like it was right. With a coach like Coach Lundy, especially from a hoops state like North Carolina. I just felt like everything was right. He knew of me, Coach Jake knew me, they knew my game and felt like I should be in a Milwaukee jersey and I thank them for that.”

It was not a typical landing spot. The Panthers were

coming off a 10-22 campaign, a new coach in Bart Lundy and almost an entirely new roster. When all was said and done, 13 of the 17 players on the 2022-23 roster were new to the program.

“When our first practice came in summer, Coach Lundy sat us down in the conference room and told us what he wanted out of us and what he wanted to do and what he had planned for us,” Freeman recalled. “We heard his plan and we loved it. From that day, everyone just built a brotherhood bond that can’t be broken.”

If the city and fans enjoyed year No. 1 of Freeman in a Panther uniform, they should make sure they get their tickets for next season and see what comes next.

“The city is definitely behind us,” Freeman said. “After playing in the CBI and going into next season, looking what the fans can bring. I think it’s going to be bigger and better, game by game.” ***

Former Milwaukee baseball player Brian Keller made an important career decision in December, choosing to travel over 6,000 miles away from home when he signed a professional contract to play baseball for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball, the highest level of baseball in Japan.

Keller, the 2016 Horizon League Pitcher of the Year, was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 39th round of the MLB Draft in 2016 and was selected in Major League Baseball’s Rule 5 Draft by the Boston Red Sox in 2019.

Keller has put together an impressive resume in the minors, owning a 3.18 earned run average across six seasons. The Germantown, Wis. native piled up 575 strikeouts in 554.1 innings of work and earned 34 victories.

Keller had an outstanding career with the Panthers from 2013 to 2016, racking up 18 wins and 239 strikeouts in 60 appearances. As a senior in 2016, Keller finished 10-3 with a 3.10 earned run average and 103 strikeouts in 107.1 innings of work as he was named Horizon League Pitcher of the Year.

KELLER CHASES PROFESSIONAL KELLER CHASES PROFESSIONAL

The staff of the Roar Report sat down with Keller recently to find out more about what the future holds.

You have signed to play in Japan, how did that all come about?

“My agent was telling me this was a real possibility for a couple years now. And I’ve played with a number of guys who have gone over to Japan or Korea and loved it, so when the opportunity presented itself, it was a no brainer.”

Have you ever been to Japan before? “No”

How do you envision dealing with the language barrier?

“I will have an interpreter with me for team-related things. But I’ve also started to learn Japanese and hopefully I’ll continue to learn during my time there.”

In six seasons in the minors, you really put together some successful numbers. What has been most memorable?

“It’s cool to think back and appreciate the progress I made over the years. And

it’s

cool that it led me to this opportunity in Japan.”

What has been most frustrating?

“The dream and the whole reason for grinding out all those years in the minor leagues is to make it to the big leagues. That hasn’t happened for me yet, but I got to see many of my teammates and friends get that opportunity and it’s fun to see.”

What keeps you ready to play another season of professional baseball?

“Keeping the dream alive. I’ve worked all my life for an opportunity like this and I’m excited to keep it rolling and take that next step.”

Do you have a typical offseason regimen?

“I like to address my shortcomings from the previous seasons and do my best to turn them into strengths. So I take the first few months to get stronger. Then, as I ramp up my throwing I’ll work on my delivery, timing and speed. And then last couple months are more skill specific, so things like pitch quality and command to make sure I’m ready to

compete when MLB Spring Training begins.”

When you look back at your time at UWM, what are some of your favorite memories?

“Most of my favorite memories are away from the field. I met a lot of really good people and made a lot of good friends over those years.”

What did you go through as a Panther that has helped you in your professional career the most?

“I lacked overpowering pitches, especially early in my college career, so I had to learn how to pitch with command and mix pitches to have any sort of success. Then, I developed some velocity and better offspeed pitches. Being able to command and mix high-quality pitches is what the best in the world do.”

Do you have a timeline for how long you want to play overseas?

“I don’t have a timeline, but for now I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity I have!”

THIS EDITION OF THE ‘DONOR PROFILE’ HIGHLIGHTS...YOU, OUR MILWAUKEE PANTHER SUPPORTER.

The Milwaukee Athletics department and the incredible accomplishments Panther student-athletes reach each year would not exist without philanthropic support. Donors like you make a tremendous impact to the success of our 15 Division I programs, and we are sincerely grateful for your generosity and belief that a strong collegiate athletics department can play an important part to the vitality and growth of a university.

Within the donor profile section of future editions of the Roar Report, we will begin to make a running list of all our benefactors who annually support Panther Athletics. Your name will be acknowledged in each quarterly edition of the Roar Report*. We trust the list of benefactors to athletics and the names that will need to be added to the donor profile page will grow, so we will use as many pages as we need to acknowledge all our ‘teammates’ who support Panther Athletic programs each year.

The 2022-2023 academic year for our Milwaukee Panther teams has been (and continues to be) quite memorable. From the student-athletes earning a 3.461 cumulative GPA in the fall 2022 semester, to teams and individuals competing in post season play, you have played a vital role in these achievements – thank you! We look forward to seeing you at future games, team outings, Milwaukee Panther events, and around campus. Go Panthers!

Chris Roche

Cody Bohl Associate AD, Advancement Assistant AD, Development & Panthers Unite

*Please contact Cody Bohl (bohl@uwm.edu) if you would like to opt out of having your name acknowledged.

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