UWMSPORTS

FAMILIAR TOP RECRUIT HAS PANTHERS EXCITED

You might say the UWM men’s basketball team had an offseason to remember.

Milwaukee basketball entered the summer brimming with confidence after making a run to the Horizon League tournament semifinals in March. Two months later, one of the top high school recruits in the country committed to the program, instantly raising the Panthers’ national profile. No wonder the team is on track to double its season ticket memberships by the time the 202122 season tips off in November.

“I’m very excited about our team because we have size, we have depth and we have guard play,” coach Pat Baldwin says. “My hope is that we can play really fast and generate some excitement and score a lot of points, and then just bring a lot of energy to Panther Arena and make our fans proud.”

The centerpiece of the incoming freshman class has a familiar name.

The coach’s son, Patrick Baldwin Jr., chose to play closer to home at UWM, turning down offers from some of the country’s top programs, including Duke, Georgetown, North Carolina, Kentucky and Wisconsin. He’s the highest-ranked recruit to ever sign with a Horizon League team.

A sweet-shooting, 6-foot-10 forward, Baldwin Jr. missed most of his senior season at Sussex Hamilton High School because of an ankle injury. He returned to the court this summer for the USA Basketball under-19 team that won gold medals at the World Cup in Latvia, averaging 7.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and

tying for a team high with nine 3-pointers. “This was a great way to see where I was at physically,” Baldwin Jr. says. “Just getting that experience and coming out with gold put me in a terrific mindset coming into the season.” Another positive sign for UWM basketball should be visible next to the Klotsche Center when homecoming weekend rolls around in November. Construction on the new Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin Center, which will house a state-of-the-art practice facility, is scheduled to begin UWM coach Pat Baldwin (left) and the team´s world champion new recruit – his son, Patrick Baldwin Jr. in September and be completed by Fall 2022. It all has UWM’s coach in the mood of a proud father, one he wants to share with alumni. “Come out and support Panther basketball,” Baldwin Sr. says. “This is going to be a really fun and exciting year with some talented kids who are going to play their hearts out for you.” – Genaro C. Armas

KLOTSCHE EXPANSION

CONSTRUCTION BEGINNING

Construction is set to start in Fall 2021 on a 16,000-square-foot expansion to the Klotsche Center and Pavilion. The building will be named after the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin, which donated $2.1 million in 2019 for the facility, and will be used primarily by the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

The new building will feature a full-size basketball court, a basketball strength and conditioning center, a video room, an auxiliary sports medicine and treatment center, and a new Panther Athletics Hall of History. It’s scheduled to be completed in Fall 2022. – Genaro C. Armas