2011-2012 Milwaukee Panthers Basketball Preview

Milwaukee Panthers - Horizon League

2010-11: 19-14, 13-5

2010-11 postseason: NIT

Coach: Rob Jeter (101-89 at Milwaukee, 101-89 overall)

Milwaukee made a nice run in the Horizon League, finishing atop the standings along with Cleveland State and Butler. Some disappointing non-conference losses kept the Panthers off the national radar, but the conference took notice and awarded Rob Jeter the Horizon League Coach of the Year. The play of junior college transfer Kaylon Williams really helped the Panthers. The 6-3 senior averaged 8.3 points, 5.4 assists and 5.6 rebounds last season. He is a capable outside shooter and can be a more effective scorer, when he has to be, which may be this year, but his ability to do everything helped fill in gaps all over the floor. Now with a year in the system, Williams needs to keep the turnovers down and become the leader of the team.

Who’s Out:

Anthony Hill and Tone Boyle were the leaders. Hill dominated the frontcourt, leading the team with 15.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest. He was a consistent interior scorer and no returning players can fill that void. When somebody needed to take a big shot, it was usually Boyle with the ball in his hands. He averaged 12.9 points per game and was a dynamic scoring threat who could hurt you by shooting from the perimeter or attacking the basket.

Who’s In:

There was not a lot of depth on the team last year and they generally only went eight deep. That could change this year as Coach Jeter has brought in a couple junior college transfers who should be able to make an immediate impact plus James Haarsma. Haarsma, a transfer from Evansville, is not the biggest player on the roster, but he is the one who can emerge as an interior scoring threat. Two years ago for the Purple Aces the 6-7 forward averaged 10.8 points and 7.1 rebounds. He may not be able to completely replace the production of Hill, but it is a darn good start. Demetrius Harris is one of those juco transfers and the 6-7 Jacksonville, Arkansas native will help out on the glass and provide the Panthers with a shot blocking threat. Incoming freshman J.J. Panoske is a versatile 6-10 forward, but he has the luxury of time to develop his game. The big prize on the perimeter, for now at least, is Paris Gulley. The junior college transfer is a great outside shooter and could provide a huge spark off of the bench. Point guard Shaquille Bog and guard Evan Richard will add some more depth on the perimeter.

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Who to Watch:

Tony Meier and Kyle Kelm are intriguing players who cause major matchup problems on the offensive end. Meier, for all practical purposes, is a 6-8 shooting guard. He is listed as a forward, but when you make two three-pointers per game and connect on an impressive 44.3 percent of your attempts, you are a shooting guard. Meier does do some work on the glass and on the defensive end and is developing a somewhat decent interior game, but he shoots and he shoots well and that is what he will do. Kyle Kelm, a 6-9, 210 pound sophomore is a very similar player. He did not get the opportunity to show off his skills much as a freshman, but he is a shooter first. He has plenty of time to add strength and turn into an interior threat as well, but like Meier, that is not what he does best. The problem is it is really hard to start those two since one of them would have to play at the small forward spot and would be a major defensive liability against most Horizon League small forwards who tend to be the bigger scoring guard on most teams. Ryan Haggerty, Christian Wolf and, if he can stay healthy, Quinton Gustavson will provide more depth in the frontcourt.

Final Projection:

Ja’Rob McCallum will again join Williams in the backcourt. McCallum is a decent shooter and averaged a healthy 7.9 points per game during his sophomore campaign. With Boyle gone, McCallum will be asked to shoot more and how well he plays could go a long way in determining the success of this group. Lonnie Boga and Ryan Allen were part of the regular rotation last season and one of them could step into a starting role at the three spot, assuming Coach Jeter cannot afford to play big for defensive reasons. Allen is the better all-around scorer, but Boga is the better rebounder. And on a team that lost Hill, having that rebounder on the floor will be necessary at times.

Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT

Projected Starting Five:

Kaylon Williams, Senior, Guard, 8.3 points per game
Ja’Rob McCallum, Junior, Guard, 7.9 points per game
Lonnie Boga, Junior, Guard, 3.4 points per game
Tony Meier, Senior, Forward, 12.0 points per game
James Haarsma, Junior, Forward, DNP last season

By Joel Welser courtesy of www.CollegeSportsMadness.com
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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