The Milwaukee Panthers experienced more turmoil last season than most teams see in a decade. The fact that they came out a stronger, more cohesive unit is a testament to head coach Rob Jeter. The Panthers had nine players leave the program last season due to dismissals, defections and injury. Among those nine were a pre-season all league player, the team’s top scorer and the prized recruit. The Panthers seemingly used all the turmoil as motivation as they ripped off nine wins in ten games right in the midst of the storm. The group that returns this season is a solid, cohesive unit, but now they add a bunch of new faces to the mix.
Seniors Ricky Franklin and Deion James are the top two returning scorers. Franklin, a 6’1” guard led the club in assists and was second on the squad in three-pointers. He started 26 games and logged nearly 30 minutes of action. James came off the bench in every game for the Panthers and was third on the team in three-point field goals made. Like the Panthers as a team, both struggled shooting the ball from outside, though that didn’t stop them from putting it up.
Senior guard Avery Smith returns as a walk-on this season after being dismissed a year ago. Smith was a pre-season season all-league selection before violating team rules and missing the entire 2007-08 season. Smith averaged better than 15 points a game in 2006-07 and is a streaky scorer who can explode for 30 points on any given night. Whether he can fit in with this bunch remains to be seen, but scorers like Smith aren’t exactly easy to find.
Sophomore guard Deonte Roberts turned in a solid freshman season averaging seven points a game and starting the final 25 contests of the season. For his efforts he was named to the Horizon League all-newcomer squad.
Jason Averkamp, a 6’6” junior forward, has gone from walk-on to valued scholarship role player. He showed flashes of brilliance toward the end of last season dumping in 11.3 points and 6.8 rebounds over the Panthers final four games.
Junior guards Charlie Swiggett and Kaylan Anderson will reprise their roles off the bench. Swiggett appeared in 26 games last season averaging about three points and two assists per contest. Swiggett started a handful of games as a freshman before a knee injury ended his campaign, so he has the experience to handle more minutes. Anderson appeared in 23 games, seeing about ten minutes per contest.
Juco transfer Tone Boyle is a Wisconsin native who adds an outside shooter for coach Jeter. Boyle is a hard worker who has improved significantly with some time in junior college.
Sophomore forward Anthony Hill saw limited duty last season. At 6’7” and 230 pounds he should see some increased playing time this season. However, a slew of frontcourt recruits will all be pushing each other for time in the Panthers frontcourt.
Two transfers, Burleigh Porte and James Eayrs will both figure prominently up front. Porte, a 6’8” 210 Liberian native, is a junior college transfer with a decent inside presence and should provide some shot blocking ability. Eayrs, is literally a prominent figure. He is listed at a whopping 340 pounds on his 6’7” frame. He is a prolific scorer with a great outside shooting touch who can play anywhere in the lineup. Despite, his size he is surprisingly agile and quick.
Freshman Tone Meier, a 6’8” swingman, grew four inches his last year of high school and possesses the skill set of a guard. He has tremendous leaping ability and a good outside shot.
Another freshman, 6’6” Riley Walker is of the same mold. He suffered a torn ACL in high school, but has progressed tremendously heading into the season.
Another freshman Ryan Haggerty is more of a project. At 6’8” and 210 pounds he can play inside or out. He is has been described as a hard worker and potential red-shirt.
The Panthers have certainly gone through more than their fair share of problems over the past season. It seems that the bad character guys are gone and an emphasis was put on getting players that wanted to be part of the program. With an overhauled roster it may take some time for everyone to get on the same page, but after what Jeter did to pull his guys together last season I wouldn’t count out the Panthers.
Contact Joe at joedlugosz@hotmail.com
