Staff almost complete

[Jimmy Lemke]

Head coach - LaVall Jordan

Assistant coach - Omar Lowery (https://twitter.com/PantherU/status/720023662859022336)

Assistant coach - Todd Townsend (https://twitter.com/PantherU/status/724776727927513089)

Assistant coach - Will Vergollo (https://twitter.com/PantherU/status/720023662859022336)

Director of Basketball Operations - Chinedu Nwachukwu (https://twitter.com/PantherU/status/723582483275616257)

Video Coordinator - Vacant

Looks like all we have left is VC.

BTW - I love the fact that I broke the news on all four hires after LaVall Jordan. I'm gonna work hard to round out the 5th lol

[GVD]

Has there been an official announcement on the last two hires?

[FrankTheTank]

I knew Todd Townsend while he was at Marquette and a while after, and he was/is a stand up guy. Always had a good head on his shoulders and could relate well to all kinds of people - athletes, fans, coaches, etc. Even though hes a Marquette guy :p....I think he's a great hire by coach Vall. He was a team captain on a very successful collegiate team with future NBA players on it - I think that will speak volumes to recruits and it can really help with local recruiting in Milwaukee as well as Chicagoland. Welcome to the Panthers, Todd and staff!

[MUfan12]

I knew Todd Townsend while he was at Marquette and a while after, and he was/is a stand up guy. Always had a good head on his shoulders and could relate well to all kinds of people - athletes, fans, coaches, etc. Even though hes a Marquette guy :p....I think he's a great hire by coach Vall. He was a team captain on a very successful collegiate team with future NBA players on it - I think that will speak volumes to recruits and it can really help with local recruiting in Milwaukee as well as Chicagoland. Welcome to the Panthers, Todd and staff!

I'll second this. Todd and I were at MU at the same time and he was always a really good guy. The admissions department even had him giving tours to prospective students. Get that guy in a living room with a recruit and his family, and he'll wow them. Great hire for UWM!

[JGPanthers]

I'll second this. Todd and I were at MU at the same time and he was always a really good guy. The admissions department even had him giving tours to prospective students. Get that guy in a living room with a recruit and his family, and he'll wow them. Great hire for UWM!

Thank you for the kind words MUfan12. At least there is something Panther fans and Marquette fans can share common ground on! ;)

[Jimmy Lemke]

Has there been an official announcement on the last two hires?

No, but I've got it. I wouldn't have put them out if I didn't have them locked.

[Jimmy Lemke]

Thank you for the kind words MUfan12. At least there is something Panther fans and Marquette fans can share common ground on! ;)

Besides f*ck the Badgers?

[IWB]

Do you guys know Todd Townsend's back story? Pretty freaking incredible. Just a bit of a background...

When he was in high school, Townsend's family on the South side of Chicago pretty much split up. His brothers were older, his parents split up and he being the youngest, stayed with his mom. She had a chance at a new life but her future husband had four kids so not wanting to complicate things, she moved out and left Todd behind.

Todd was living alone in an apartment in high school. His mom would pay rent and stop by once a week with some groceries, but that was pretty much it. Many of the stories say he was basically living on syrup sandwiches because that is what he had. He started skipping school etc.

Through basketball he became friends with Matt Lottich (New coach at Valpo). He often stayed with Lottich and his dad until they got concerned that he never wanted to go home, so Townsend finally opened up and told them everything. He was a 16 year old kid, living alone on the Southside of Chicago.

The Lottich family found someone who might help in the Schwaba family and they eventually took him in and later adopted him.

When you hear guys described as, "He came from nothing", Todd Townsend literally did and is now one of the nicest guys you will meet.

[FrankTheTank]

Do you guys know Todd Townsend's back story? Pretty freaking incredible. Just a bit of a background...

When he was in high school, Townsend's family on the South side of Chicago pretty much split up. His brothers were older, his parents split up and he being the youngest, stayed with his mom. She had a chance at a new life but her future husband had four kids so not wanting to complicate things, she moved out and left Todd behind.

Todd was living alone in an apartment in high school. His mom would pay rent and stop by once a week with some groceries, but that was pretty much it. Many of the stories say he was basically living on syrup sandwiches because that is what he had. He started skipping school etc.

Through basketball he became friends with Matt Lottich (New coach at Valpo). He often stayed with Lottich and his dad until they got concerned that he never wanted to go home, so Townsend finally opened up and told them everything. He was a 16 year old kid, living alone on the Southside of Chicago.

The Lottich family found someone who might help in the Schwaba family and they eventually took him in and later adopted him.

When you hear guys described as, "He came from nothing", Todd Townsend literally did and is now one of the nicest guys you will meet.

I mentioned in another post that I knew Todd during his time in Milwaukee - he was involved with a family member and close friends with someone from my hometown - and this barely scratches the surface of who he is. I can say that I've heard his story, from him personally, and given his situation he could've gone in so many different directions and gotten into who knows what. As I mentioned - his story and who he is will absolutely resonate with anyone who comes in contact with him. It goes beyond recruiting, basketball, coaching, etc. He can most certainly be someone that this athletic department can hang their hats on. Quality person and by all accounts a pretty darn good coach. I think LJ has put together a staff that embodies a lot of who he is and what he's about - and Todd is the embodiment of that.

[Skrapheap]

I mentioned in another post that I knew Todd during his time in Milwaukee - he was involved with a family member and close friends with someone from my hometown - and this barely scratches the surface of who he is. I can say that I've heard his story, from him personally, and given his situation he could've gone in so many different directions and gotten into who knows what. As I mentioned - his story and who he is will absolutely resonate with anyone who comes in contact with him. It goes beyond recruiting, basketball, coaching, etc. He can most certainly be someone that this athletic department can hang their hats on. Quality person and by all accounts a pretty darn good coach. I think LJ has put together a staff that embodies a lot of who he is and what he's about - and Todd is the embodiment of that.

Cool. So fire Amanda Braun, and have Todd take over as AD :)

[Jimmy Lemke]

Has there ever been a feature story written about Todd Townsend?

[FrankTheTank]

Cool. So fire Amanda Braun, and have Todd take over as AD :)

He's got my vote!!

[FrankTheTank]

Has there ever been a feature story written about Todd Townsend?

Not sure Jimmy - definitely worth consideration though

[Jimmy Lemke]

Not sure Jimmy - definitely worth consideration though

You get a human interest piece feature about that, every kid in Chicago from a poor background is going to trust him before he ever walks in their door.

[IWB]

There have been a few. Google brings up some, but not the originals.

[BBF]

City of Chicago recruiting was, is and always will be little more than a chimera for any school with actual academic standards. Unless our administration allows the new staff to recruit players that our previous staff was not allowed to recruit, it will be a minor part of our recruiting if it plays any part at all. Unfortunately this is also true of City of Milwaukee recruiting. We made great inroads into Waukegan with Keem and Jordy, but that bridge has likely been thoroughly burned.

I'm sure Todd Townsend's a good guy. I'm sure all the assistants are good guys. I'm sure LaVall's a good guy. Anyone who thinks we have upgraded our recruiting capability over Rob, Chad, Reef and Chris is being pollyannish.

[Jimmy Lemke]

City of Chicago recruiting was, is and always will be little more than a chimera for any school with actual academic standards. Unless our administration allows the new staff to recruit players that our previous staff was not allowed to recruit, it will be a minor part of our recruiting if it plays any part at all. Unfortunately this is also true of City of Milwaukee recruiting. We made great inroads into Waukegan with Keem and Jordy, but that bridge has likely been thoroughly burned.

I'm sure Todd Townsend's a good guy. I'm sure all the assistants are good guys. I'm sure LaVall's a good guy. Anyone who thinks we have upgraded our recruiting capability over Rob, Chad, Reef and Chris is being pollyannish.

You get extra points for use of the word "pollyannish."

I think any bridges that are burned can be built up as soon as Braun is gone. We know her actions lessened the pool of capable coaches - if they hadn't, how was Scott Nagy never a possibility? I've had parents, players and AAU coaches include me in tweets and facebook posts calling for her firing. Look at it like this:

LaVall Jordan wants to build an inside-out recruiting plan. Start with kids around here and grow outward. You get a kid from Muskego, then his whole circle is interested in Milwaukee. Classmates and friends go to UWM, parents donate to the program and follow the team around, family in the city is at every game. After the kid graduates, some of them stick around. That's how you can grow a fan base and a program.

It works the other way around. Say we get a couple kids from Waukegan. They fall in love with the people - the coaches, the players, classmates, fans - and then some administrator screws them out of things. Screws them out of a foreign summer trip when they've never been further from home than where Milwaukee Basketball has taken them. Screws them out of playing in the postseason after putting up the seventh-best year in the 120-year history of the program. Screws them out of their senior year coached by the man they love and for whom they will walk through f*cking fire. Then have that administrator piss one of the kids off by saying they won't honor the summer portion of the one-year scholarship should the kid try to leave, and say so in a really nasty and standoffish way instead of explaining it like a person with feelings, with empathy.

Now have the same ripple effect. The parents are pissed. The family that came to every game is pissed. The friends and classmates from high school know that this administrator is bad news, and know that as long as the administrator is there that place is bad news. Basketball players are extremely popular in their hometowns, we all know this.

You think anyone from Waukegan who is in their very large social circles is going to lift a finger to help UWM? As long as that administrator is here, coaches won't even have to negatively recruit against us in that area. I'd be astounded if we got a men's basketball signee from Lake County in Illinois as long as Amanda Braun is our AD.

Bad News Braun.

[Montana87]

This whole program is putting me to sleep. Braun is a tool and a fraud and because of her, the true meaning of sports with this school is gone. It simply is no fun anymoe. The joy of competition and watching college basketball is DEAD on Downer. While the previous regime worked so damn hard to succeed, because of HER it is now all thrown away. Anyone who spent as much time like I have with Rob, Bid, Duff, Sharif, Ronnie, Chip, Big Shot Al, Chris, Jason Shay, Kenny Johnson, Tony J., Ryan, Bruce, Saul, Bo, Ron Hunter, and even Ric (since HE recruited the best player in school history) knows what Milwaukee Panthers basketball was all about. Yeah, no facilities, a revolving door of twits (Nancy and Bud excluded) acting as administrators, no support and all those guys I just mentioned all busted their collective asses to make this place a success and something we could ALL be proud off. And now, because one amazing fraud and joke of an A.D. it is ALL GONE. Believe what you want, that Jordan is better than ANY of these guys on this list. Then you all believe OJ is innocent too. This program is worse than dead. It has reached the status of 'doesn't matter'! It doesn't. As long as the pride of Brodhead is masquerading as an A.D. this program is as exciting as the drive from Ames to Milwaukee. (Wonder who was told it was ok to actually make that drive recently?) You can all talk about Jordan this and Jordan that. Team expectations, lack of main stream coverage, anti-Marquette and whatever else. In the words of Bill Murray, 'it just doesn't matter'! As long as she is around, the whole program is a rotting apple. And don't think for a second that it isn't. Now you can all attack me, whatever. I know more about this program, I played here, and know all those guys above and the players the past 17 years better than 99.4% of all of you. I am sorry, this program is now officially a joke and irrelevant. The only coverage and exposure it get's is because of your inept so-called Athletic Director. A head of an outside PR firm right now is meeting with a prominent member of the Milwaukee media at a bar on Locust. That is what Milwaukee Athletics is all about. Hire an outside PR firm and set up meeting at a bar best known for volleyball leagues so they can spin again and again that the program and your 'so-called' A.D. is doing great. What institution of 'higher learning', let alone athletic department, hire's a PR firm in order to cover and spin the on-going, ever going, ineptness of the department? I am no longer a Panther. Cut the head off the monster before it's too late ..... or before it is simply too sad to repair.

[Skrapheap]

Don't spare us. Tell us how you really feel. :)

[dylanrocks]

I would say that it was no worse than the seventh-best team in program history, Jimmy.

One could make a case that this team was even better, as not once did it get blown off the floor like all the UWM teams that played in the postseason ... and were allowed to play in the postseason.

Indeed, this might have been the third- or fourth-best squad in 120 years of basketball at the school, but sometimes the breaks and the bounces just don't go your way and you lose.

Welcome to life.

[Jimmy Lemke]

It's incredible. I have no problem with wanting to reach for the stars - in fact, I think Amanda Braun's goals of top 3 in the Horizon League and top 100 in the nation aren't ambitious enough.

But if we're not going to invest in the program to get there, or indeed even to get into the Top 3/100, then let's not punish those for not achieving what we're not willing to pay for.

[dylanrocks]

"Punishment" is the word that immediately leaps to mind.

A great group of people was "punished" for all the shortcomings throughout the rest of the department and university.

As for the "golden goals," you had better be ready to cut plenty of corners and grease plenty of palms in order to attain an annual RPI top 100 finish at a program like this.

Sorry, but that's the reality. In essence, how far are you willing to bend?